Root#1: Formal Training? Puhh-lease!!!

If a salesperson at a store doesn't know his stocks, and doesn't give a shit about me when I start asking questions about the products, what that tells me is that he wasn't trained well. He doesn't know his BUSINESS! He doesn't realize that he can't sell products he hasn't memorized, or that aren't in the stockroom. He doesn't realize that snubbing a potential paying customer is taking away business from the establishment. Go to any SM Shoemart and you'll see the apathy in the salesladies who actually park their butts on some of the products they're selling. Doesn't look like anyone taught them how to care for their customers. And look at how many of them are just making chismis while loads of potential customers are scanning the shelves!

One of my benchmarks for good training is the speed in which you are served. Prime example: Burger King along Timog in QC. Service sucks. And hey, this is a place where the customer goes up to the counter to get his food. So what's the problem? (A) Cashiers have a hard time memorizing the orders and all the fancy variations for each. (B) The kitchen staff have a hard time cooking the Whoppers fast enough to meet the demand! (C) There aren't enough cashiers to handle the crowd. So who's to blame? I would have to say the management: for giving the menu too many options and not training the people enough in memory and comprehension.

Which is why I would have to say the ALL-TIME BEST restaurant SERVICE I have ever had was in Burgoo, along Tomas Morato. Imagine: Mother's Day lunch, Sunday. I place a call to make a reservation a mere hour and a half before lunch. The operator is friendly and makes the reservation. I am surprised! Before that, I called Chili's and they said they couldn't reserve a place for us because it was Mother's Day and it was just too full! Bah! Anyway, so my family gets there, and to our surprise, are whisked to the table, which is ready and waiting. Meanwhile, all around us are other families with NO reservations, waiting for the next table to free itself. How are the waiters? FANTASTIC! Cool under fire. The head waiter even starts distributing free chips to all families waiting, along with menus so they can place the orders early. And we don't have to call a single waiter for their attention. Our iced tea glasses are refilled automatically, and our orders arrive quickly. All of this and smiles on every waiter's face! Now that's service that DESERVES a tip in the hundreds of pesos.

Unfortunately, even good training wears off. I remember when T.G.I. Friday's in Glorietta was newly opened. First thing we noticed was the fantastic service. The waiters were quick, friendly (well, maybe too friendly), and attentive. The food was good, tasty and served in big, American helpings. Nowadays however, the waiters are not as easy to find as they once were. You have to keep your hand raised for a server to notice you. Plus, instead of being friendly, these people now border on the obnoxious. I personally refuse to return to the place because of too many bad experiences. (Read Part 1 of this series of articles.) And I wonder how the branch is doing. Yeah, right. Like I care. Which brings me to the next possible root cause…

Root#2: Owning the Biz – Contractual Employment, Low Wages, and So Much More!

What I'm saying is: How can you provide good service if you don't give a shit about your company? Why exert the effort? Why be nice to customers? Why give helpful tips and suggestions? You have to feel like you're an integral part of the team in order to do all of the above, and especially, in order to rise above the crappy service in this country.

Problem is, too many of the stores and outlets here have policies that make it difficult to care for your employer. Low wages being number one. Another headache is the contractual employment contracts of the big stores. Instead of making you a permanent employee after 6 months, as is wont in other industries, places like SM Shoemart will extend the initial 6 month probation for another 6 months - if you make the grade. This effectively keeps the worker at a minimum wage (I assume) for an entire year. At the end of your first 6-month contract, you're rehired for another probation period if you've been good. If not, bye.

I'm not even sure if there is much incentive for salespeople at department stores to excel. Are there any commissions based on amount of sales? Is there any premium put on what a customer says about a salesperson? Is there even a way for a customer to give feedback on his shopping experience? Yeesh. No wonder then. The emphasis looks like it's more on keeping an eye on the goods. Who cares if the salesperson is trained, as long as she can make sure no shopper steals a T-shirt?

Another badly-trained area is service in grill restaurants. Ever notice how this type of place has oodles of waiters but no one to take your order? Check out Gerry's along Jupiter. Awful. And these guys were the pioneers. Crocodile, also along Jupiter is another woeful example of overstaffed inefficiency, but at least they have aircon. Grilla near Rockwell? Same problem, no matter WHERE you sit.

And yet… Look at the difference in how you're treated when you're in direct contact with the owners. One concrete example is at the wet market I go to on weekends. There is a stall there where three brothers sell their vegetables. (I call them the VeggieBoys.) Anyway, they remember your face, know that you like celery and salad lettuce, and offer to get whatever stuff they DON'T have on them from a different stall! Now THAT'S service deluxe! I once even asked them why our local onions were more expensive than Taiwan onions, and they gave me an informed response. (Which I now regretfully forget.) The VeggieBoys are my favorite stall in the entire marketplace because they know their stuff and treat you like a king - even if it is smack-dab in a smelly, wet market.

Another prime example is the Pirate Queen - this woman who sells pirated software in a nondescript place along J.P.Rizal. Most of my friends who need software and don't have the time to shop around head for her place. Why? She's got complete stock. And she knows her stuff so well, she can even make recommendations about which software disc to purchase. For example: "Ah, Photoshop ba kailangan mo? Heto na lang kunin mo. May error kasi ang installer nitong isa." Never mind if she does come across as haughty and proud, and never mind if she prices her stuff a hundred pesos more than other places. She's got it all, plus the know-how to give recommendations. No wonder she gets so much business.

So what now? How we make this world a better place?

A. Complain to Management While at the Venue

If you have had a bad experience at an establishment, don't make the mistake of leaving without making it known you were disappointed. Call the manager and talk with him. Get the email of the head branch to let them know what's going on. Find the address of the franchise owner and write him a letter. The idea is to inform the management that changes MUST BE MADE.

B. Spread the Word

If the management has been informed and you're afraid that no steps will be taken, there is an extra move you can make which may be risky, but will definitely show you're serious. You can tell them that you will spread the word about the establishment via email, text, maybe even through the press. Make no mistake, this is a "threat," and you may be treated as a potential criminal because of it. (I've been beaten up for less.)

C. Follow Up

Make a formal written complaint letter to the establishment's owner containing all details of your experience. This can rarely be ignored. And if you're really pissed, write to the various newspapers with your complaints. Periodicals will always have a place to put consumer rants.

Which reminds me of a very interesting story sent me by a friend. Apparently she was trying to buy a new casing for the body of her Siemens phone. She went to the official branch of Siemens here in the country but was told she couldn't buy a casing unless the people there installed it for her. She was so outraged by this stupid rule and so inflamed by the haughty service, she sent a fiery letter to Siemens headquarters in Germany (and CC:ed the branch in Singapore) saying, in no small terms that she was an Internet professional and could very easily spread her experience with Siemens Philippines all around the world — to the damage of the brand. Siemens Germany wrote back immediately with profound apologies and said they were going to get straight to the matter. Within a day or two, Siemens Philippines issued her an email apology and with the blessing of international headquarters, a brand new Siemens phone.

The moral of the story?

Customer service DOES exist in the Philippines. It just needs a swift kick in the butt, so that people realize us customers will not stand for anymore BAD SERVICE. Amen? AMEN!

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<About The Author>
Rene Diwa is a writer and computer professional. Meaning he gets paid to surf everyday. He also wants to inform the world that not every Filipino whines as much as he does. Email him at Yoruba@email.ro.