Bigfoot. The elusive missing link between humans and apes. But what does he have to do with customer service? Well, plenty. There are many similarities between the creature and the service many of us dish-out to our customers. That’s why I call it, Bigfoot customer service. Let’s get into it.
Rumors
There have been rumors of Bigfoot since the story first appeared in the Humboldt Times in 1958. Since then, the public has been fascinated by the “wild man” of the northwest. Sixty years later we’re still fascinated by the thought of this creature, even though we have little proof of its existence.
Well, we’re also fascinated by great service. I’ve written about it for years and it’s a shame the average consumer has never seen it either. It’s as elusive as the wild man.
Example: You’ve heard the business down the street has wonderful service and agents who go out of their way to satisfy your every need. But every time you’ve been there you’ve never seen it. When you shop there, the service is inconsistent at best and employee apathy seems rampant. So much for the rumors of good service.
Only Seen by a Select Few
Bigfoot hides well. He knows the landscape and the best places to observe you while never giving-up his own location.
I bet you have some employees like that. We’ve all entered a retail store and never seem to find a customer service employee to help us. They’re always hiding in the back somewhere. This is especially true of those big-box megastores. They do leave behind evidence that they were there; floors are swept, product restocked on the shelves, and garbage carted away. But I wonder how this happens because you can never find an employee when you need them.
Sometimes you’re lucky and see one, but when you stop him and ask a question, it’s “not his department” so he can’t help you. He then directs you to another Bigfoot employee 3 aisles over. Will you be able to see that one too? You hope he’s not blending in…
Blends-in With Surroundings
Bigfoot’s fur is the perfect camouflage for most of the terrain he’s spotted in. When you blend in you don’t stand out. No one notices you and you can hide in anonymity. Some of our employees do the same.
Sure, they do their job but barely. You don’t notice any benefit to them working versus another employee. They never rock-the-boat or cause a stir and you never seem to get customer recognition about his/her performance.
They’re just there… or, are they?
He’s a Rock Thrower
You’ve heard this about Bigfoot; that he’s known to throw rocks at the tents of campers or those who venture too close to his turf. He wants to throw you off course and have you look elsewhere. Our employees do this too. But they throw rocks of a different sort.
Some Bigfoot employees spend more time complaining about their fellow teammates than doing their job. Everyone else is at fault and they’re never guilty of any mistake that’s made. They throw rocks; accusations of wrongdoing, as far as they can, hoping to take the heat off their own poor performance.
Believing in Bigfoot is fine. He’s a cool creature and has been the stuff of legends for generations. But Bigfoot customer service given by your Bigfoot employees is something else. You want your customers to get legendary service provided by exceptional employees with a passion for service. You want it to be consistent, memorable and given to each customer who enters your doors.
Don’t ever let “Bigfoot” work for you. Anyway, he probably can’t even fit through your doorway!
Photo courtesy of gazette.com
