Is Customer Service Optional?

As consumers, we put up with a lot of crappy service at times.

Like when we don’t have a choice, there’s only one place to buy ________ so we endure the unresponsive, ill mannered, or simply non-existent customer service that some places dish out. 

But even if you’re the only game in town, (or your neighborhood), customers can speak out and they will.

Take a former co-worker of mine who lives in Michigan.  She complained on Facebook Saturday about the problems with her local grocery store.  In Michigan they have a 10 cent can and bottle deposit for soft drink containers to encourage recycling.  Read what she wrote:

An Open Letter to ‪#‎Kroger‬

I’ve just returned from your store in Farmington Hills, MI, and I have a few problems to report:

* As usual, there was a long line of customers waiting to deposit their empty bottle and cans in the bottle return. And as usual, one or more of the machines is broken, causing still more delays for hurried customers. People are fuming.
Look, it’s the LAW in our state that the public must return bottles in order to receive their 10-cent deposit. That means it’s the responsibility of sellers to provide some means by which customers can return empties. You are not living up to your half of the bargain. I’d like to continue to shop at your store, but I don’t have time to play around with malfunctioning equipment, or closures while you wash the floor, or whatever.

Now I know there are other stores she can go to and the real question is will THIS store respond? Will they also fix the problems?

As I read the comments, there were plenty of suggestions of other stores nearby that would like to earn her business.

Unfortunately this is not an isolated incident.  Take some time this week to do a customer service check with your business and see how well your staff is serving customers, because customer service is NOT optional.