Service. Remember what that is?
Not military service but the service industry. You know, those things you pay other people to do for you.
The line that is the title of this post comes from the movie Five Easy Pieces, after Jack Nicholson becomes frustrated in a diner trying to order himself a sammich. At the end there, he was just trying to help the waitress do her job. Helpful fella, Jack was
I don't often think of it this way but I've been in the service industry for a long time. A professional cook is in the service industry. Directly, you work for the restaurant and answer to the manager .. for whom you feel sorry cuz really, what is a restaurant manager .. someone who never got that final credit in college.
But I always thought I served the customer, the poor sods who were paying to eat the stuff I cooked. I really did look at it that way, I got into many arguments (really Vic, you got in a argument?) with other staff cuz I was always concerned with producing the best product possible.
Same went for the video production business. I had clients, my clients paid me and I tried to give them what they paid for. But what they paid for was not just me making a video, it was for my attention. My attention to them. That meant picking up the phone late at night or early morning (pretty much the same thing to me) or going into the studio on the weekend or editing for 40 hours straight. Usually I worked on a flat rate and sometimes I cheated myself a few dollars but it didn't matter: I always felt that if you went that extra mile (insert your fave cliche here) you'd be rewarded with more work Sure, that didn't always work out but it often did. And it's just the way I'm built
When I'm doing something I enjoy I take pride in it. So yeh, it's an ego thing. Fuck you, I'm a leo. But it usually made my clients happy
As a dogwalker I definitely in the service industry. I provide a service to my clients; now, I work for the guy who runs the company, not directly for the clients but I do my best to satisfy both. This is a clearly defined service: take the dog out, make sure it gets some exercise, make sure it takes care of its biological business. When asked to do something extra, I just do it, it's part of the service. Keep the boss happy, keep the client happy, keep the dog happy
I don't think I'm anything special, I think when providing a service you set boundries, you set a price; you try to be flexible but I've never hesitated saying "You want that, you pay this much more" and if in many cases just saying "Sorry, due to budget and deadline limitations, I just can't do that" One of the reasons I've been able to say this is, because I know that I am willing to go as far as I can otherwise
When I am on the other side of the equation, when I am paying for the service, I try to be reasonable.
Been there, done that sort of thing. I'm always willing to listen to logic about why something can't be exactly when I want, how I want etc
But these days that does not seem to enter into what a lot of people call service, and by that, I mean the client, our needs our wants our expectations. It seems less about the client and more about the company. There is more and more focus on the bottom line and let's face it, being flexible and putting the client first, well that just costs money
For instance: Subaru dealerships. I bought my Outback from a dealership called Trento. I had been to a couple of Subaru places but this outfit impressed me with their willingness to please. They did everything they could to get me the care that I wanted. And their service was great; good hours, and most importantly, they listened to me. They got to me and would make suggestions that made sense to my needs
Too good to be true? You got it bub
Trento Subaru folded and was bought out by another dealership, Subaru of Maple. Which is in Maple. I'm in North York. In perfect traffic it took me almost 30 minutes to get up there. Well, ok, if they were like Trento I could work with that
They weren't like Trento. They had a real problem with communication. I depend on the dealership to set me up with a service schedule and to remind me of my appointments. These guys sucked at that. I would take the care in for service, give them the mileage, tell them what was done last time and they'd do the job. One or two days later I'd get an email notice to come in for some completely different service. When I brought up this discrepancy all I got was "we're very busy"
Yeh, too busy to know what your own assholes are doing
Things got worse, they couldn't properly fix things they said they had fixed, the lack of internal communications meant they kept trying to give me duplicate service and all I ever got from them was "We're sorry you feel that way" Not, "we'll do better" or "here's what happened, we'll fix that" just "golly, sorry we suck"
Things finally came to a head when I presented the manager with a long list of complaints and his response was "Think you can do better?"
Well, yes I can sport. Or I thought I could. I've just taken the car into another dealer. A better location and better hours. I can't leave my car at a dealership on a week day. I work on a week day and I used my car for work. When once offered an Imprezza as a loaner care I just noted I was doubtful I could put ten dogs in there.
So this new place is open one week night till eight and open on a Saturday .. but guess what, you really can't get any work done then. Anything I wanted done had to be done during the day, during the week
How is this still happening? You know it happens with service people who have to work in your house. Mon to Fri, 8 am to 4 pm ... unless you want to pay tripple time.
What the fuck. We are not in the 50's. I know we are not because Obama is the prez of the US. And Leave it to Beaver is not on TV. And I am not ridiculed for my long hair, well, not as much
Seriously, why are service people using the "housewife at home all day" situation as their paradigm. Sure, that still happens but near as much as once it did
And what is wrong with any service shop having hours that reflect the fact that their customers may work 9 to 5. Or 6 to 7, or work all the damn time which is happening more and more
And the attitude. Seriously. Try to point out the weakness in their service plan and what you get is "Well, do better" or "That works for us" or "Just be fucking glad we even speak to you at all you Plebian now give me my money"
I don't expect people who I pay to work for me to be obsequious or to act like slaves, I expect a mutually respectful exchange of service and cash. I don't expect them to act like they're doing me a favour. Yeh, favours are free chump
We'll see what happens with this service company. So far I am not impressed. If they do their job, if they show some interest in taking care of my car then I could be their customer for life. If not, I live across the road from the biggest Canadian Tire service centre in Toronto
They will fix my car. And sell me a ice scarper. And a hot dog
Now that, my friend, is service
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