Where is the Smile?

I was recently shopping and rather enjoying myself with a smile on my face, a spring in my step and a good word for anyone I met along the way. After awhile, however, I began to notice how often I saw people who looked and acted as though a smile would be the last thing they wanted to do. This was especially true of the people who were getting paid to help me find, ring up, bag or carry out my purchases. These were the people whose job it was to make sure I would be a happy customer eager to return to their establishment.

I started thinking about how easy it would be for the clerk or salesperson to just look me in the eye and act like he/she was really happy to assist me in making my day a good one. Not so. Didn't happen very often.

Then I ate lunch in a little diner owned by a lady a few years older than I. You could tell she believed in Southern hospitality at its best. After my meal, which was served by a waitress who was smiling and attentive, the owner caught my eye as I headed for the exit. She hurriedly walked up to me, stretched out her hand to shake mine and asked me if I had enjoyed my experience in her establishment. I assured her I had and she went on to ask if I lived in the area and how long and we chatted a few minutes about how much we both love our little town of Franklin, TN. All the while this sweet lady had a huge smile on her face that would light up a room. You could tell it wasn't hard for her. She loved what she was doing and she wanted everyone who came into her place to have a memorable experience. Just for the record I have now been to this little restaurant three times and had a delightful experience each time. And I will return some more.......because I love to be around people who smile. Don't you? I love to be around people who want to provide an atmosphere of harmony and happiness. And I love good customer service.

On the rare occasion I actually have a sales clerk ask me how my day is going I always ask them the same. Often they are surprised by that. They don't expect to have someone else....particularly a stranger....care what their day is like. But the sad thing is that very often the response I get is "I'll be better in an hour when I can go home!" or "I'm so tired. I just wanna get outta here!"

When did sales training go by the wayside? When did store owners decide they just needed a warm body to cover the registers and forgot to emphasize they expect and DEMAND good customer service? And, more basically, when did people get so disrespectful that they no longer feel it necessary to smile and be polite???

Perhaps it stems from a lack of poor upbringing......a poor self-image......a sad or abused life......any number of possibilities. But I suspect that if store owners demanded good customer service, smiling employees with a spring in their step .........things would change. People would find themselves out on the street for lack of proper work skills.

Rather sad, really. All it takes is a smile and a good attitude to make someone's day. And the irony is that even if a person is forcing themselves to be jovial and polite.....it has a magical way of transforming one into a happier person inside. It just works that way. So everyone wins. I hope you are smiling as you read this.....and that you will work hard at projecting that smile to everyone you come in contact with today!

Joanne F. Miller
June, 2007