Customer Service. Serving the customer. What has become of this seemingly lost art? Nowadays it seems like businesses and their employees have become so unfocused, jaded, and aloof that the customer is almost viewed as an annoyance. This would be a great place to work if it wasn’t for all those customers. Are we as consumers really willing to accept this level of complacency?

The days of “the customer is king” seem to be all but dead in the eyes and actions of most businesses today. It’s all about the bottom line, cost-cutting, and ensuring that employees don’t log a single minute of overtime. In fact, understaffing is becoming the norm.

Think about it…do the employees in the businesses you patronize really seem to care about your needs? Who’s responsible for the apathy of today’s workforce? Sure, the employees themselves have to take part of the blame, but it’s really a lack of corporate direction at the root of the problem. Without a clear vision of management’s customer service strategy, how is any employee supposed to know the values, standards and level of performance expected of them? The answer? They can’t.

I had an experience yesterday that was mind-boggling. I was at the deli counter of an upscale supermarket needing a single slice of prosciutto. (My 4-year old likes it in his mac n’ cheese. I know, I know…) The deli “specialist” asked me if I wanted Prosciutto di Parma or Prosciutto di San Daniele. “I’m not sure” I answered, “What’s the difference between the two?” She responded “Price and flavor” with a disgruntled huff. Apparently my question really bothered her.

The difference in price (nearly twice as much for the San Daniele) was in plain sight on the price labels. She offered no explanation of the differences in flavor nor did she offer me a sample of each to see which I preferred. (Prosciutto di Parma has a slightly nutty flavor from the Parmigiano Reggiano whey that is added to the pigs’ diet while Prosciutto di San Daniele is darker in color and sweeter in taste. San Danielle is cut from the thigh of a pig bred in one of ten regions in Italy. Thanks Wikipedia!)

My response to her was as disgruntled and curt as hers had been. “Give me the cheaper one.”

Now should this employee have treated me differently? Depends on whether she wanted me to walk away with a positive or negative impression of our interaction. Let’s say that mine could have been better. Had management cleared laid out their expectations for this employee’s role within the organization? Obviously not. From where I sit, if you’re in charge of the specialty meats department, know your specialty meats. Assist the customer in meeting their needs. Maybe I would have purchased the more expensive cut. But at a minimum I would have walked away feeling like this employee knew her stuff and genuinely cared about her role within the organization and her customer’s needs. Bottom line…corporate culture fail on the part of management.

How hard is it to try to enhance the customer experience? Not very. But it must be instilled from the top down. “This is how we do it here” should be the credo of management. Only then will the faces of your organization, the front-line employees, know what they need to do to uphold these standards.

I’m still curious what that expensive Prosciutto di San Daniele tastes like. I think next time I’ll try it. From a different market.

One of the last things often considered when planning a wedding is the favor to give your guests as a small thank you for being a part of your special day. It ends up being a last minute “Hey, we forgot wedding favors!” realization a couple of weeks before the big day. So what do you do?

You scramble for anything – ANYTHING – that can fill the bill. And fast. Hershey’s Kisses, Jordan Almonds, anything in stock at the local party store. Whew! Crisis averted. But does your choice come across as something that you’ve put some thought into or does it look like an afterthought?

Personalizing Belgian chocolate coins for your once-in-a-lifetime special event is a fast and cost-effective way to let your personality shine through on your wedding favors.

Does your wedding have a theme? We can design a custom image for your coins that will coordinate perfectly with any theme. Las Vegas wedding? Let us add a dice image, a Royal Flush, or a playful saying (Holy Craps! We’re Married!) to your chocolate coins along with your names and wedding date. Pirate weddings are still going strong…why not add a Jolly Roger skull & crossbones to your coins? There’s really no limit to what you can do to make your favors uniquely yours.

Customizing your wedding favors can be done a lot faster than you might think. Five business days or less. That’s all it takes. And we’re here to help. We’ve been doing this a long time and we can give you suggestions on how to tie your theme in to your customized wedding favors.

Are people going to be talking about your wedding favors the next day? “That was the best Hershey’s Kiss I’ve had since my kid’s Halloween bag last year.” Not likely. But something that conveys a fun message showcasing the happy couple’s interests? That’s something unique that conveys a more personal tone and adds a more heartfelt feeling to your event.