FACE-TO-FACE, p. 109

You are an employee of the Central Petroleum National Bank and your job is to provide customer service and establish new checking and savings accounts. On this day, a new customer came in, a Mr. Gomez, who was moving over $200,000 from a competitor bank for poor service. He is opening an account with you when another customer, Mrs. Wyatt, walks in and catches your eye. You hold up a finger, indicating that you will be right with her. And you would—except that Mr. Gomez’s son, who is on his lunch break and about 20 minutes left, came in to meet his father and also wants open an account. You notice that Mrs. Wyatt is looking at her watch and glancing in your direction; when you don’t respond, she soon leaves.

The next morning the branch vice president calls you in to say that Mrs. Wyatt had sent a complaint letter about your customer service and attitude.

Have students read and reflect on this scenario and then answer the four questions as if they were the person taking care of the new customers.

Possible answers are given. Have students write their answers and then after 30 minutes in a group or individually (as you select), compare with the answers below:

  1. What did you do right in this situation?
    Your initial behavior of making eye contact with Mrs. Wyatt—smiling, nodding, and nonverbally signaling with your finger were all positive and customer-focused.
  2. What could you have done differently?
    In this situation, the learner’s character is in the precarious situation of having to possibly offend at least one customer. You might either excuse yourself for a moment, go to Mrs. Wyatt to explain the situation, and ask if she would mind waiting for a brief time. You could also ask what service she required and, if someone else could help, direct her to them. If she does mind waiting, you might try finding an acceptable alternative to offer, such as calling her later to discuss her need. You might also see if someone else is available to assist or scheduling a specific time for her to return for service.
    Another option would be to tell Mr. Gomez’s son that you would be happy to assist him; however, other customers are waiting ahead of him. Possibly ask him to wait, come back at another time, or try to find someone else to assist him.
  3. Do you believe that Mrs. Wyatt was justified in her perception of the situation? Explain.
    Possibly. She may not have realized the Gomezes were together or may have felt that she had been forgotten. An explanation of the situation might have reduced her frustrations. Additionally, waiting and then seeing someone else move ahead of her could be irritating. Perceptions are reality, and if she perceived one or more of these things happened, they did. It is better to speak to her before the situation gets out of control, as it did.
  4. Could Mrs. Wyatt have misinterpreted your nonverbal messages? Explain.
    Perhaps. If she interpreted from your gesture that it would be literally one minute and it took longer, then she might have been confused or irritated. Additionally, if she actually overheard the conversation between you and the son, she may feel that he is being unfairly moved ahead of her because of his time constraints. She might also assume that new customers get priority over those already established and feel that she is not as valued. This could lead to her deserting the bank for a more customer-friendly branch.