No Problem… Is Civility Too Old Fashioned?
For some reason, I have always felt that “thank you” was the phrase that would accompany the end of a customer transaction, but this seems pretty rare today. Feeling that a purchase is somehow incomplete without it, I now provide the “thank you” myself, just so things feel finished. I buy my groceries and say “thank you.” I stop for coffee or make a purchase and find I am the one offering the thank you at the end of the transaction.
And I cannot seem to stop myself. While it is bad enough that I am the one providing the appreciation for a customer transaction in which I am the customer, it is pretty upsetting to hear the response “no problem” to the “thank you” that should have been offered to me in the first place.
No problem? What does a problem have to do with taking my money anyway? What exactly does it mean? It sounds like this: “Yeah, it is not too much of a hassle to serve you today.” Or, “I guess I can handle ringing this up for you.” And truthfully if it were a problem, I could probably take my business elsewhere. And why must I be reminded in each transaction that it is “not a problem” to serve me?
Are the basics of service: “thank you” and “you’re welcome” gone forever? Or, are they about to make a resurgence? As the 80’s and 90’s business boom fades into our collective memories, my hope is that we will again remember that the customer is king. The customer is not just some nameless number that makes profit charts go up. They are human beings, with human emotions and human needs. They need handled with a human touch. I believe that the business that figures this out and works to build these human skills will be in the front of the pack with little competition.
But gosh, maybe I am out of date in my thinking and I need to get a grip and adjust my expectations for this “new approach” to serving the customer. What do you think? Are the expressions of please, thank you, and you’re welcome, just old ridiculous notions we should moth ball in the Smithsonian with Dorothy’s
Ruby Slippers? I do hope you will weigh in on this issue. I am truly interested in other views.
My sentiments exactly!
I, too, have noticed this same disappointing trend along with another happening more and more frequently: a cashier ringing up a purchase, then…. silence…. not even stating the amount due. The first time it happened, it was strange. Then it happened again and again and again. Incredulous. I’m expected to just look at their screen’s total and pay while they sit in silence? The eyebrow goes up…
Susan, you have hit on important points and where there is a lack of innate civility, I feel it must be trained. Where is the training? Bosses, listen to your staff and how they speak to the customers. Model it. Expect it. Please, thank you, and you’re welcome are not antiquated, they are absolutely necessary parts of the transaction.
Trena, that is pretty weird. I have not seen this behavior here yet…thankfully! What you describe elevates poor service to the level of hostility! Perhaps a goal for such an organization would be to climb back up to plain old bad service as a start! = ) Take care and thanks for sharing this!
I have experienced the same phenomenon as Trena. I made it a point to see if the person woud say anything. Nothing. I said *Thank you*, because I am like Susan and almost feel compelled. Still nothing, not even a *No Problem*. I watched him do it again with the next customer in line.
I think I’ll just continue to model polite behavior and take my money where polite behavior is common.
Hi Pat,
Wow!
I wonder what would happen if someone would try to play “Charades” with a person exhibiting this bazaar behavior. Using the word “thank you,” of course, as the goal. It would be fun to see the response - and if the employee would get the picture. Let me know if you have an opportunity to try it!
The message from our Chamber President today included a section on customer service. Evidently there are a number of businesses using this downturn in the economy as a time to rethink the basics. According to Tom, many are taking another look at customer service as a key business strategy. We can only hope.
http://www.atthecenterlcci.com/video/09_08_27/index.html
Thanks Rick. Sounds like some good can come from this difficult time in our economy. Perhaps we will all be forced to become a little better- especially at those core practices that really make a difference.
I am the kind of person that notices the details. I probably take way too much umbrage in the types of slights discussed here, so to a certain degree, I’m on board. Yes, I notice when a “thank you” goes unuttered. Yes, I notice it when I hold the door for someone at Starbucks, allowing them to go ahead of me in line, only to have them saunter through without even an acknowledgment of my presence, let alone offer an expression of gratitude.
However, I have a problem with people who have a problem with “no problem.” It’s a phrase. It’s not intended to be dissected. What does “you’re welcome” mean when it is broken down? You’re welcome to…what, exactly? It’s an acknowledgment of someone’s expression of gratitude. The phrase could easily be “I acknowledge your expression of gratitude” instead of “you’re welcome.” One is shorter but I would assert that the meaning is the same.
I find myself saying “no problem” in lots of situations, and it doesn’t mean that I’m not sincere. That said, I recognize that people have latched on to “no problem” as a somewhat lazy acknowledgment of thanks, so I try to avoid it in professional situations, but again, it is not an indication of insincerity or entitlement.
I think we should give “no problem” a break, and perhaps save our frustration for the people who stare blankly in return to a “thank you.” We should also remember that cashiers are 1) probably not on a career path, 2) can, on occasion, be miserably mismatched (personality-wise) for the job that they do and, 3) like the rest of us, can be having a bad day.
I hear you Abby, thanks for your comment. I think the thing that rubs me in this phrase is the negative statement of a problem at the conclusion of a business transaction that should end on a positive note. It just bugs me. At the end of our business transactions we want to leave our customers feeling as positive about us and our services as we can.