Rant: Answering the Phone in Front of Un-Helped Customers

[SR9TEX]

I think Discount Tire is the best example I have ever seen of taking care of in-store customers and telephone customers at the same time. As soon as you walk in, you are greeted, even if they can't help you right away. Every time an employee walks inside from the bay, he looks at the line of customers, makes eye contact, and says, "We'll be right with you."

This model has been wildly successful for DT. Other stores would be smart to emulate it.

Last shop I worked at was like that, or if they were busy at the counter they would pick up the phones and start putting people on hold.

 

[TundraWookiee]

I think Discount Tire is the best example I have ever seen of taking care of in-store customers and telephone customers at the same time. As soon as you walk in, you are greeted, even if they can't help you right away. Every time an employee walks inside from the bay, he looks at the line of customers, makes eye contact, and says, "We'll be right with you."

This model has been wildly successful for DT. Other stores would be smart to emulate it.

Didnt know that counted. I greet every customer even though most of them ignore it.

Alot of the suggestions sound great but don't work well in practice. A computer isnt going to explain to someone that the "spring nut" they claim they need is actually called a "channel nut". An answering machine will get ignored half the day as walk-ins are helped and other pressing matters handled. Its great if you have enough employees for both phone and walk in help but what if there is only one person behind the counter.

I hate standing in line as much as the next guy but people need to just be more patient. If you need me to help you find something or figure out what you're looking for then you need to wait til I can get to you. If you want to speed things up, come in with the part number of what you're after...hunting down the exact part you want out of 5 million takes a minute as well as you asking every specification about the product.

Sorry but most walk-ins in my area are ignorant jerks who think they're the only person in the world that matters and then want to complain about pricing or a lead time.

Sent from Kate Beckinsale's closet.

 

[TundraWookiee]

My multi-billion dollar customer on the phone is slightly more of a priority than the guy complaining about a $5 bag of bolts being too expensive.

Sent from Kate Beckinsale's closet.

 

[benenglish]

Its great if you have enough employees for both phone and walk in help...

My opinion is that any business that isn't profitable enough to hire enough people to do the work in a professional manner isn't profitable enough to stay in business.

I realize that's not reality. If it were true, so many businesses wouldn't be so chronically understaffed. It's certainly possible to remain profitably in business by identifying less-important groups of customers then deliberately underserving them and pissing them off.

It just sucks to be in that group.

 

[shooterfpga]

About those airport kiosks. I hadnt flown in quite a while. So you can imagine my surprise when i go looking for a check in line to receive my boarding passes and only find stations setup for checking luggage. I was directed to use the kiosk... After finding what this kiosk was i stared blankly at it trying to figure it out when an employee helped me out. It is pretty nifty that all you do is type some of your information in and they already know who you are and what you need. However, as i was flying on government dime i thought i had to check in with a liason or something like what was typical before.

Oh and then i got charged for my luggage which is supposed to be free.

 

[TX69]

Do it. It gets results. The one time I did it, the clerk answered the phone and I simply said "Would you please get off the phone and wait on the customers who are standing right in front of you?" He looked back down the line of people waiting and I showed him my cell and hung up.

Lordy, he was pissed. He did, however, scream at the top of his lungs to get some guy out of the back to answer the phones while he actually took care of the people in front of him.

 

[Renegade]

So this drives me crazy, and it happens especially at auto-parts stores.

I get in my car and drive to your store to buy something from you or ask you a question, but once I get there you answer telephone calls while me and everyone else waits in line at the counter.

I wish there was a preference for the in-person customer.

Pisses me off too.. Here I am, money in hand and allow someone else to cut in line.

Sometimes, you can game the system. One time I was in a Chinese Joint and there was a line, they ket taking phone callers. So while standing in the line, I called and placed my order with the guy 3 feet in front of me. well, you know what happened next, everybody in line started calling....

 

[TundraWookiee]

My opinion is that any business that isn't profitable enough to hire enough people to do the work in a professional manner isn't profitable enough to stay in business.

I realize that's not reality. If it were true, so many businesses wouldn't be so chronically understaffed. It's certainly possible to remain profitably in business by identifying less-important groups of customers then deliberately underserving them and pissing them off.

It just sucks to be in that group.

I agree...unfortunately I dont get to make staffing decisions. My store is considered overstaffed by company standards with 4 employees and we do a quarter million in sales each month.

When I'm in the store helping a walk in I dont make a dime though. I only get paid off of my select accounts. So when I help a customer it is just me trying to be nice and reduce wait times. What I generally receive is some sort of attitude or complaint on prices I have no control over.

I'm not saying walk-ins dont deserve to be helped...just that there are two sides to things and there seems to be an awful lot of hate directed at tbe guy behind the counter.

Sent from Kate Beckinsale's closet.

 

[stdreb27]

The problem is the consumer for the most part is not willing to pay a premium for customer service.

 

[Southpaw]

The problem is the consumer for the most part is not willing to pay a premium for customer service.

"I want it now, I want to pay this price and you should be thankful I even considered your business!!!"

 

[Shotgun Jeremy]

I was at advanced auto parts and asked if they would price match a part on amazon. The guy did it! I was amazed. I was fully expecting him to say no. Lol

 

[35Remington]

My multi-billion dollar customer on the phone is slightly more of a priority than the guy complaining about a $5 bag of bolts being too expensive.

False. High volume customers have dedicated phone lines, desks, and even personnel at most auto parts stores.

 

[Shotgun Jeremy]

My boss spends a lot at carquest. They know us by name and we still politely wait our turn like anyone else.

 

[TundraWookiee]

False. High volume customers have dedicated phone lines, desks, and even personnel at most auto parts stores.

Really? As someone who works in such a place and has also been a purchaser I can assure you that is not the case.

My customers all spend $20k+ a month and there is no dedicated line or desk. I split off two that do over $100k each per month into a separate branch entity on paper but they still call the same number as Joe Blow. I also place regular orders exceeding $20k with parts houses like NAPA and don't have dedicated personnel or lines for my business.

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk 2

 

[Pistol Pete]

I worked at a big box store, initials BPS, we were required to answer the phone even if we were helping a customer we were supposed to excuse our self and answer the phone. It's not right but that was the policy. Please don't blame the poor guy behind the counter.

 

[35Remington]

Really? As someone who works in such a place and has also been a purchaser I can assure you that is not the case.

My customers all spend $20k+ a month and there is no dedicated line or desk. I split off two that do over $100k each per month into a separate branch entity on paper but they still call the same number as Joe Blow. I also place regular orders exceeding $20k with parts houses like NAPA and don't have dedicated personnel or lines for my business.

Maybe you're doing it wrong. I just checked the websites for Autozone, PepBoys, and O'Reilly. All had dedicated separate support numbers, and even websites, for industry members. Advance Auto has an entire row of desks off to the side where commercial guys take calls and build orders. I've never been to NAPA so I don't know much about that.

 

[TundraWookiee]

Maybe you're doing it wrong. I just checked the websites for Autozone, PepBoys, and O'Reilly. All had dedicated separate support numbers, and even websites, for industry members. Advance Auto has an entire row of desks off to the side where commercial guys take calls and build orders. I've never been to NAPA so I don't know much about that.

The other desk at those stores is for anyone on account...not one specific company....that's not what dedicated means. A $200 a month account connects to the same desk as a $20,000 account.

As a Fortune 500 company I'm sure we're new to the game and haven't figured it out.

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk 2

 

[stdreb27]

Maybe you're doing it wrong. I just checked the websites for Autozone, PepBoys, and O'Reilly. All had dedicated separate support numbers, and even websites, for industry members. Advance Auto has an entire row of desks off to the side where commercial guys take calls and build orders. I've never been to NAPA so I don't know much about that.

What oreilly auto does is they have a position in the store called installer service specialist. Little desk in back their own set of books and delivery drivers. They have a specific phone line and a specialized ring.

When that line rings the guy picks up the phone, if he's on another line the ass manager or manager will pick up.

But it's not exclusive, as they'd help out on the floor and the floor would help out on the installers.

The average full time ISS guy ran around 30k a month and the average full time sales guy was around 10.
The stores I was in ran around 40-50k in installer sales and around 40-50 in floor sales.

We had 4-5 installers that would do 50% of our installer sales. (If I remember right) those guys got taken care of, the rest of em were not thatch different than anyone else...

 

[96fordsix]

Reading all this reminds me of a time when I worked in auto parts. I had been going hard waiting on customers and noticed we were backing up. After a minute or I realised that they had not been helped. Had asked them as such and everyone said no. Got on the intercom and voiced in a booming voice, "Everyone still employed I need help on the counter" all but one customer laughed out loud. The boss was not amused.