It was just a typical day for me working as a freelance marketer and trainer. I had a meeting in the morning and then had another meeting later in the day. It was pointless in returning home in the interim so it was a good excuse to have a coffee and catch up on a few emails.
I decided on a nice coffee shop and quickly found a car parking space nearby. Laptop bag under my arm and I headed to the counter to order a latte with a fifteen. When I reached the top of the queue, I placed my order and I asked where was the best place to sit so that I could recharge my laptop as my battery was running low.
The female member of staff took a quick look around the coffee shop which had 50+ seats. She then told me that their plugs were under the floor and that I couldn't use any as they were not underneath the tables. It would be a health and safety hazard to have trailing leads. Someone was already sitting beside their only one wall-mounted socket. She asked me for my money and that was it as far as she was concerned.
I sat down and I was fuming. The girl simply did not care that I was dissatisfied and made absolutely no effort to help me. I spotted plug sockets on the floor and to eliminate any health and safety issues, she could have moved a table about 12 inches and I would have been happy.
What did I learn?
1. In today's technological age, we use lots of mobile digital appliances. Many clever coffee shop owners have grasped the importance of the mobile business person and have plugs conveniently sited beside tables or benches to meet their needs. Coffee shops who think their businesses can rely solely on the "ladies who lunch" have a lot to learn.
2. The girl's attitude was very poor. She didn't care about me and the dying battery on my laptop. She was more interested in having a chat with her colleague then meeting the needs of a customer in need of a recharge of both coffee and electricity.
3. Because of the lack of an accessible plug but primarily because of the poor staff attitude, I will not be back there. Customers have lots of options where to spend their money and businesses have to entice us to visit their business. Good food is not enough as the staff interaction often makes the difference when we are deciding whether to go back or not.
4. A lot of businesses still need WorldHost Customer Service Training! If you are interested in finding out more about this course, please drop an email on lynda@customersensetraining.co.uk.
