I'm reminded of a passage about the "Professional Smile" from a David Foster Wallace essay:
You know this smile, the strenuous contraction of circumoral fascia w/ incomplete zygomatic involvement –the smile that doesn’t quite reach the smiler’s eyes and that signifies nothing more than a calculatedattempt to advance the smiler’s own interests by pretending to like the smilee….Am I the only consumer inwhom high doses of such a smile produce despair?...
And yet, the Professional Smile’s absence now also causes despair. Anybody who’s ever bought a pack of gumin a Mahattan cigar store, or asked for something to be stamped FRAGILE at a Chicago post office or triedto obtain a glass of water from a South Boston waitress knows full well the soul-crushing effect of a service workers’ scowl, i.e. the humiliation and resentment of being denied the Professional Smile. And theProfessional Smile has by now skewed even my resentment at the dreaded Professional Scowl. I walk away fromthe Manhattan tobacconist resenting not the countermans’s character or absence of goodwill but his lack ofprofessionalism in denying me the Smile. What a fucking mess.
So eloquently described my own feelings! The professional smile is vastly more common in the San Francisco than Sydney. Often I’ve felt like telling waiters in Sydney: “You know I’m paying right? You’re not doing me a favour!” However at the same time I’ve felt myself in SF thinking: “I’m not your friend, I don’t want to tell you how my day was.”
When I'm on the receiving end of scripted checkout conversations or "American style" extreme joy at my purchase of a £2 coffee I hate it. The restaurant that too brightly upsells us is the restaurant we never revisit.
I'd like just normal interactions with a range of people and to be able to leave thinking any conversation was real rather than an essential term of their contract of employment. No surprise that the best conversations and experiences are in small shops not chains with mandated policies.
When I first visited the US in the 90s the difference was quite marked, and it was quite a relief to get home. Now we've imported the approach wholesale. Course it's still perfectly possible for staff to smile, greet you in the corporate mandated manner whilst keeping 99% of their attention elsewhere and being diligently inefficient.
Expecting anyone to be bubbly and chipper in a customer facing role, even part of the time, is asking too much. I’ve seen and managed people where it comes naturally and I’m always in awe of that level of energy.
That said, you can separate emotion from the equation and still provide an outstanding level of service by focusing heavily on polite speech, manner, and tone. Forget the individual and treat them as the prototypical customer.
Some businesses try forcing their employees into casual banter or engaging emotionally (see Starbucks and the let’s talk about race). I’ve never seen that garbage at high end hotels, restaurants, or other businesses where service is critical to their success.
Yep. Anyone who's ever travelled to Japan can attest to the professionalism that people at all levels perform at. From the high-schooler at Lawson's to the octogenarian at the car-park. While "pride" might be too string a word, people were mindful of their job and its inherent obligations.
There has to be a golden middle - I neither like German-style poker-face, almost angry looking baristas nor American-style fake-as-hell smiles when being served at Starbucks. Korean style service is very close to the golden middle - very kind and helpful service with a touch of a little smile.
German-style would be rude, actively hostile, malicious even. Funny how American and German customer service cultures are at the two ends of the spectrum, both unpleasant to deal with though.
I worked a total of 2 years at 2 different Starbucks locations and they were continuously pushing us to be cheerful, chatty and even tried to get us to suggest pastry pairings for people's orders, which rarely went over well unless people actually wanted it. It's something I never bought in to and found the hardest part of the job by far. I was never a jerk, and I always cared authentically about the work I was doing but I'm just not naturally social enough to make chit-chat about the weather and gas prices 100 times a day without dying a little bit inside.
This is why I never lasted long in retail. The idea that every customer wants to be approached with a 'can I help you' just goes against my natural instincts. I always figured nobody really wanted that and a polite hello was all that was needed to break the ice.
If customers walked out without buying it never worried me because I'd seen enough come back later to know that 'not being pushy' was actually something people actually seemed to like?
I always sold more than anyone else btw and had my regulars who would sometimes just call in to say hello. My colleagues could never understand how that happened, especially since I am not a naturally outgoing person.
I like David Mitchell said it best on the BBC series QI. He said people who do their job well shouldn't also have to be nice too it OK to "not give a shit". He respects people who work terrible jobs and act miserable it's only right.
A few months ago I was working on an employment lawsuit in silicon valley and a prospective juror said about his employer, "I've been told I have a bad attitude and I agree because they ask too much of you."
I have not come to understand the mindset behind what seems to be a new trend: Having multiple employees shout a greeting to every customer who walks in.
Does management really think this improves sales, service, or encourages repeat customers? Fake sincerity has to be exhausting for the staff (for the level repetition if no other reason), but I don’t expect most customers believe it’s genuine.
Edit: I notice this mostly in food and coffee shops. Others its a loss prevention approach in retail makes sense. But it seems uncommon to steal a sandwich made to order.
Where I work the security guards greet you as you walk through the gate. I've always thought this was a mechanism for making sure the guards were paying attention. If someone comes in you have to look at the screen that shows their name (and image) and then look at the person to greet them. You are forced, in other words, to do a basic visual check of the image on screen versus the person walking through the gate.
An article I read yesterday mentioned that Japanese train workers will point and speak whenever they are doing something. This technique helps workers communicate and think about what they're doing and reduces mistakes.
Greeting customers as they enter may have similar effects. It makes sure someone notices the customer and acknowledges they are new. It lets the customer know they've been recognized as a new arrival. Acting like you're in a good mood may also help you feel that way too.
This all boils down to your attitude toward your job. In my generation most first jobs were in the service industry. Later we all migrated to jobs suited to our talents.
I am an introvert - and interacting with strangers is painful for an introvert. I got over it. Working with strangers helped me overcome my shyness and later gave me tools to empathize with customers. When I ultimately became a software engineer, this empathy helped. When I was a manager I noticed that the best engineers initially worked with customers in some capacity.
The extroverts that I meet seem to have little insight into the feelings of the people they are energetically talking in the direction of, and desire little truthfulness in their conversations. It's all surface-level small talk. I can do it for a short time but every one of those conversations kills me a little inside.
It's a great experience, for sure, but I think the point is the toll feigned cheerfulness can take over the long term. What's just a memorable formative experience to one person is another's entire livelihood for years.
Readit News
You know this smile, the strenuous contraction of circumoral fascia w/ incomplete zygomatic involvement – the smile that doesn’t quite reach the smiler’s eyes and that signifies nothing more than a calculated attempt to advance the smiler’s own interests by pretending to like the smilee….Am I the only consumer in whom high doses of such a smile produce despair?...
And yet, the Professional Smile’s absence now also causes despair. Anybody who’s ever bought a pack of gum in a Mahattan cigar store, or asked for something to be stamped FRAGILE at a Chicago post office or triedto obtain a glass of water from a South Boston waitress knows full well the soul-crushing effect of a service workers’ scowl, i.e. the humiliation and resentment of being denied the Professional Smile. And the Professional Smile has by now skewed even my resentment at the dreaded Professional Scowl. I walk away from the Manhattan tobacconist resenting not the countermans’s character or absence of goodwill but his lack of professionalism in denying me the Smile. What a fucking mess.
I'd like just normal interactions with a range of people and to be able to leave thinking any conversation was real rather than an essential term of their contract of employment. No surprise that the best conversations and experiences are in small shops not chains with mandated policies.
When I first visited the US in the 90s the difference was quite marked, and it was quite a relief to get home. Now we've imported the approach wholesale. Course it's still perfectly possible for staff to smile, greet you in the corporate mandated manner whilst keeping 99% of their attention elsewhere and being diligently inefficient.
That said, you can separate emotion from the equation and still provide an outstanding level of service by focusing heavily on polite speech, manner, and tone. Forget the individual and treat them as the prototypical customer.
Some businesses try forcing their employees into casual banter or engaging emotionally (see Starbucks and the let’s talk about race). I’ve never seen that garbage at high end hotels, restaurants, or other businesses where service is critical to their success.
What you describe and what your parenthetical refers to are not the same thing.
To support them, give 5-star Yelp/Google reviews, as well as your business.
Deleted Comment
If customers walked out without buying it never worried me because I'd seen enough come back later to know that 'not being pushy' was actually something people actually seemed to like?
I always sold more than anyone else btw and had my regulars who would sometimes just call in to say hello. My colleagues could never understand how that happened, especially since I am not a naturally outgoing person.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_LiDTKEF1ek
Does management really think this improves sales, service, or encourages repeat customers? Fake sincerity has to be exhausting for the staff (for the level repetition if no other reason), but I don’t expect most customers believe it’s genuine.
Edit: I notice this mostly in food and coffee shops. Others its a loss prevention approach in retail makes sense. But it seems uncommon to steal a sandwich made to order.
An article I read yesterday mentioned that Japanese train workers will point and speak whenever they are doing something. This technique helps workers communicate and think about what they're doing and reduces mistakes.
Greeting customers as they enter may have similar effects. It makes sure someone notices the customer and acknowledges they are new. It lets the customer know they've been recognized as a new arrival. Acting like you're in a good mood may also help you feel that way too.
I am an introvert - and interacting with strangers is painful for an introvert. I got over it. Working with strangers helped me overcome my shyness and later gave me tools to empathize with customers. When I ultimately became a software engineer, this empathy helped. When I was a manager I noticed that the best engineers initially worked with customers in some capacity.
As an introvert, I agree completely.
The extroverts that I meet seem to have little insight into the feelings of the people they are energetically talking in the direction of, and desire little truthfulness in their conversations. It's all surface-level small talk. I can do it for a short time but every one of those conversations kills me a little inside.