Ways you as a customer can make my life easier
I just read this post on Consumerist. It's supposedly car rental tips from a car rental agent - but most of it just comes off as "ways you, as a customer, can make my life easier". So I'm inspired (read: bored) and I'm going to write my own list.
Ways you as a customer can make my life as a salon coordinator/receptionist easier (in no particular order):
1.) Get off your cell phone or, barring that, accept that I am not going to give you my full attention or attempt to help you until you are off your phone. If you're in the middle of a call, I suggest walking in and standing or sitting right by the door (i.e. not approaching the front desk) to signal to me that you are not yet in need of my assistance.
2.) Take me at my word. When i say something like "we're all booked up until 7", I mean it. I am not trying to screw you out of an open appointment slot because I don't like how your face looks or something - we don't have any open slots until 7 and, no, there isn't someone who can just "squeeze" you in. You can always leave your name and phone number and I am more than happy to call if we have a cancellation.
3.) Control your children. If your child can quietly sit and play with blocks while you get your hair cut I have absolutely no problem with you bringing him/her in with you without bringing anyone else to watch the kid. If, however, your child is a hellion, won't stop talking to me while I'm trying to work, keeps putting his head under the water dispenser, or screams/cries at the top of his/her lungs the whole time you're here - I would prefer you leave him/her at home, or bring another person to help corral/watch them. I like children, but bottom line: I am not a babysitter. Unless you want to pay me extra, in which case i might consider that - I could certainly use the money.
4.) When we as a shop make a mistake, please accept my apology graciously. Stuff happens - appointments get misbooked, people accidently get overcharged, etc. - I understand that we've caused you an inconvenience, but I always do everything in my power to rectify the situation - to get you in the chair as quickly as possible, to refund your money, whatever. Please accept that I am doing the best I can with what I have in front of me - and also understand that it is not always (and, in fact, is very rarely) me who actually made the initial mistake in the first place: I want to fix it for you and improve your experience - in no way does yelling at me or being snarky add anything to the exchange. It just stresses me out and makes me feel bad, so, ya know, thanks.
5.) Do not treat me like a slave. Please refrain from snapping at me to get sodas for your children, and please put your blocks away, put the magazines back, and just generally clean up after yourself.
6.) Be civil. You're having a bad day, you're in a hurry, you hate small talk - for whatever reason you're being kind of prick. You bark your name at me, or you don't tell me your name at all. You look at me like I'm crazy when I ask if you want a drink. You throw your appointment card across the desk to me. Whatever. Would it cost you that much to take 30 seconds to give me your name and appointment time and then respond politely to whether or not you would like a drink?
7.) Check in. So many people just walk in and sit in a chair expecting me to somehow divine the reason for their presence there. Obviously, you're probably here for a haircut, but look at it from my perspective: you could have an appointment, you could want an appointment, you could be waiting for your son to get his haircut finished - but I have no way of knowing which one it is until you come up and tell me. If it doesn't become clear to me within a few minutes of you sitting down, of course I'm going to come and ask - but why a.) wait, and b.) make me do that?
I think those are my biggies. My pet peeves are:
-when people call for an appointment, I tell them we're wide open, and then they ask me when they should come in. I say, "well, do you prefer afternoon, evening?" And they say, "whenever" - at this point I will pick a random time which is when they usually say, "that won't work, do you have anything at 4?" WHY NOT JUST ASK FOR A 4 O'CLOCK APPT IN THE FIRST PLACE, PEOPLE?
-when we get through making an appointment at a certain time and suddenly the person says, "and can that be with so-and-so stylist?" sometimes that stylist has that same opening available, but when they don't we now have to kind of start the whole process over again. why didn't you tell me in the beginning that you wanted to request a particular stylist?
-really any kind of unspecificity when making an appointment is highly obnoxious- like asking if I have a 4 o'clock available, and when I say yes, saying "okay, we'd like 3 appts at 4 o'clock" - well, I said I had an appt. available, not 3 - let me take a look and see what we can do now, etc.
-when people balk at the prices after the fact. yes, they are expensive, I agree. but they are posted in large letters above my head and assumedly you might have checked this before you sat down in the barber chair. once you're up at my front desk checking out this should no longer be an issue, unless I have overcharged you or something.
-when people stand right at/in front of my desk while waiting for their appointment. even if I told you it will just be a moment, chances are your stylist is still sweeping up hair or something so you don't have to take a seat if you don't want to, but at least step away from the front desk a little. you're in the way, and you're making me uncomfortable. I don't control the stylist's promptness - I've done my part, now leave me be.
I think that's it.
Ways you as a customer can make my life as a salon coordinator/receptionist easier (in no particular order):
1.) Get off your cell phone or, barring that, accept that I am not going to give you my full attention or attempt to help you until you are off your phone. If you're in the middle of a call, I suggest walking in and standing or sitting right by the door (i.e. not approaching the front desk) to signal to me that you are not yet in need of my assistance.
2.) Take me at my word. When i say something like "we're all booked up until 7", I mean it. I am not trying to screw you out of an open appointment slot because I don't like how your face looks or something - we don't have any open slots until 7 and, no, there isn't someone who can just "squeeze" you in. You can always leave your name and phone number and I am more than happy to call if we have a cancellation.
3.) Control your children. If your child can quietly sit and play with blocks while you get your hair cut I have absolutely no problem with you bringing him/her in with you without bringing anyone else to watch the kid. If, however, your child is a hellion, won't stop talking to me while I'm trying to work, keeps putting his head under the water dispenser, or screams/cries at the top of his/her lungs the whole time you're here - I would prefer you leave him/her at home, or bring another person to help corral/watch them. I like children, but bottom line: I am not a babysitter. Unless you want to pay me extra, in which case i might consider that - I could certainly use the money.
4.) When we as a shop make a mistake, please accept my apology graciously. Stuff happens - appointments get misbooked, people accidently get overcharged, etc. - I understand that we've caused you an inconvenience, but I always do everything in my power to rectify the situation - to get you in the chair as quickly as possible, to refund your money, whatever. Please accept that I am doing the best I can with what I have in front of me - and also understand that it is not always (and, in fact, is very rarely) me who actually made the initial mistake in the first place: I want to fix it for you and improve your experience - in no way does yelling at me or being snarky add anything to the exchange. It just stresses me out and makes me feel bad, so, ya know, thanks.
5.) Do not treat me like a slave. Please refrain from snapping at me to get sodas for your children, and please put your blocks away, put the magazines back, and just generally clean up after yourself.
6.) Be civil. You're having a bad day, you're in a hurry, you hate small talk - for whatever reason you're being kind of prick. You bark your name at me, or you don't tell me your name at all. You look at me like I'm crazy when I ask if you want a drink. You throw your appointment card across the desk to me. Whatever. Would it cost you that much to take 30 seconds to give me your name and appointment time and then respond politely to whether or not you would like a drink?
7.) Check in. So many people just walk in and sit in a chair expecting me to somehow divine the reason for their presence there. Obviously, you're probably here for a haircut, but look at it from my perspective: you could have an appointment, you could want an appointment, you could be waiting for your son to get his haircut finished - but I have no way of knowing which one it is until you come up and tell me. If it doesn't become clear to me within a few minutes of you sitting down, of course I'm going to come and ask - but why a.) wait, and b.) make me do that?
I think those are my biggies. My pet peeves are:
-when people call for an appointment, I tell them we're wide open, and then they ask me when they should come in. I say, "well, do you prefer afternoon, evening?" And they say, "whenever" - at this point I will pick a random time which is when they usually say, "that won't work, do you have anything at 4?" WHY NOT JUST ASK FOR A 4 O'CLOCK APPT IN THE FIRST PLACE, PEOPLE?
-when we get through making an appointment at a certain time and suddenly the person says, "and can that be with so-and-so stylist?" sometimes that stylist has that same opening available, but when they don't we now have to kind of start the whole process over again. why didn't you tell me in the beginning that you wanted to request a particular stylist?
-really any kind of unspecificity when making an appointment is highly obnoxious- like asking if I have a 4 o'clock available, and when I say yes, saying "okay, we'd like 3 appts at 4 o'clock" - well, I said I had an appt. available, not 3 - let me take a look and see what we can do now, etc.
-when people balk at the prices after the fact. yes, they are expensive, I agree. but they are posted in large letters above my head and assumedly you might have checked this before you sat down in the barber chair. once you're up at my front desk checking out this should no longer be an issue, unless I have overcharged you or something.
-when people stand right at/in front of my desk while waiting for their appointment. even if I told you it will just be a moment, chances are your stylist is still sweeping up hair or something so you don't have to take a seat if you don't want to, but at least step away from the front desk a little. you're in the way, and you're making me uncomfortable. I don't control the stylist's promptness - I've done my part, now leave me be.
I think that's it.