Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

Would like your opinions regarding assisting customers

Collapse
This topic is closed.
X
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

  • Would like your opinions regarding assisting customers

    I work at a university as a contract Visitor Parking attendant. The parking company I work for has a contract with the client, the Parking office. Due to the Visitor Parking garage being rennovated, the first level of the faculty/staff parking garage is being used for Visitor parking until the rennovation is complete. Customers parking in Visitor parking have to buy a token for $5.00 to exit. The "box" that you insert the token into sometimes does not work. The exit gate does not go up. There is a call box at the gate that the customer can use to call for help. The call goes directly to campus police, who then transfer the call to the parking office.

    I received a phone call from a pissed off Nancy *not her real name*, who works in the parking office becaus she had to deal with 2 customers today at the exit gate because their token would not work. She told me she had to answer the phone twice today during my shift for customers whose token would not work. I was busy each time assisting a customer at the booth window. I let her know what was happening each time she received a phone call. Her direct supervisor, Andrea *not her real name*, wants me & the second shift attendant to be very alert and aware of what is going on around us at all times. Apparently the parking office does not want to get phone calls from customers at the exit gate.

    Plus there are customers who enter the parking garage that is being rennovated. So I have to watch where they go to after I raise the gate at the booth, & if they go straight instead of to the left to park in the faculty/staff garage, I have to leave the booth & get their attention. While I was outside the booth, a customer pressed the call button on the call box at the exit gate because their token would not work. The call was transferred to the parking office, who then transferred the call to me. I told Nancy why I was not inside the booth.

    My questions are....

    As a customer would you rather have me

    1) devote my attention to you

    or

    2) be scanning the area while devoting my attention to you.

    How would you feel if I was doing that?

    Knowing how pissy Nancy gets, what is the best way to accomplish assisting a customer at the window as well as a customer at the exit gate, all at the same time?

  • #2
    I'd rather have someone pay attention to me. But then again, I don't drive.
    Customers should always be served . . . to the nearest great white.

    Comment


    • #3
      IMO this issue in this situation isn't you but someone who thinks its not their job to answer their phone. I mean, after all the call button exists for a reason.

      Anyhow as a driver I'd much rather have you doing your job to the best of your ability. I also would understand if you explained to me what was happening. But I also understand machines break. That said, knowing how impatient people can be on a college/university campus its probably smarter to pay attention to whats going on at the exit gate as they are more likely to do something they shouldn't if they are forced to wait more than a few minutes.

      Comment


      • #4
        I much rather have someone pay attention to me while they are assissting me rather then everyone else. I will NOT pay attention to anyone else but the customer in front of me, regardless if it's a customer or the CEO of the company -- if they want help, they will wait until I am finished with the current customer before I will help them.

        I have told my ASM and my SM that I will continue to do this even with complaints, as I have had to correct other employees of other places because their attention was with other customers.
        Eh, one day I'll have something useful here. Until then, have a cookie or two.

        Comment


        • #5
          What happens if she answers the phone? Does she try to help the customer or just tell him that you'll be with him in a moment?

          Does she then try to buzz you at the booth? Or do you carry a radio she can get you on? [If you don't have a radio that might be something worth suggesting since the construction takes you out of the booth more often.]

          When you go back after helping another customer do you automatically check the exit gate to makes sure nobody is waiting there?

          If that is the case just assure her that if someone calls from the exit gate and you're not in the booth that you're helping another customer and that you always check the gate before returning. All she needs to do if someone call from the gate is assure the customer that you will be with them shortly to assist them.

          If she gets bitchy about that then she's just dodging helping customers and trying to make it your problem. Not much you can do about it but pretend to share her concern then carry on doing the best you can.
          The best karma is letting a jerk bash himself senseless on the wall of your polite indifference.

          The stupid is strong with this one.

          Comment


          • #6
            I would suggest having a radio between you and nancy.
            Every time you have to chase down a car, you can notify nancy that you're leaving your post and why.

            though she'll probably hate that too

            Comment


            • #7
              Quoth PepperElf View Post
              I would suggest having a radio between you and nancy.
              Every time you have to chase down a car, you can notify nancy that you're leaving your post and why.

              though she'll probably hate that too
              This.. and note down what time you help a customer at the booth (from start to finish). Note down EVERY action you do that way when she gets mad.. you can pull that sheet out and say "oh.. at that time I was helping a customer at the booth. Since they are your customers, what would you like me to say to the customer I am currently helping?"

              One thing I would do.. is go to the college's HR and make a formal hostile work environment complaint. Since you are a contracted employee of the college, you have every right to make a complaint against her (and maybe Andrea since she knows what Nancy is doing and isn't doing anything).

              Comment


              • #8
                Update

                Long post

                I would like to thank everyone for their opinions and suggestions.

                I do feel it is important for good customer service to only focus your attention on the customer you are dealing with.

                Nancy is currently on vacation this week, leaving Andrea & Missy *not her real name*, another employee of Andrea's, working in the parking office. Currently the parking office is very busy with phone calls and walk-in customers. *this is very important to remember*

                At the same time I am dealing with customers 1) choosing to park in visitor parking after telling me no, they do not want to pay the $5.00 parking fee & asking me to raise the gate for them to exit and find other parking, 2) bypassing the visitor parking booth and driving straight to the entrance gate to visitor parking and either pressing the call button at the call box or not pressing the call button, 3) asking me general questions about parking, & 4) wanting to park in visitor parking. Some are new customers. Some are current customers. For the new customers, I spend more time with them compared to the current customers.

                I dealt with a customer today who chose to drive up to the entrance gate to visitor parking after telling me he did not want to pay the $5.00 parking fee & asked me to raise the gate for him to exit and find other parking somewhere else. He ended up pressing the call button at the call box at that gate. Guess who answered the call after campus police transferred the call? Andrea, & she was pissed. So I sent her an e-mail explaining what happened. She replied that the parking office is very busy with phone calls & walk-in customers & that I need to be more alert to what is happening around me at the entrance gate and at the exit gate. She also mentioned to e-mail her with any questions or concerns. So I replied asking her if she wants me to focus my attention only on the customer at the window when I am assisting them. I mentioned that there will be times when 1) a customer bypasses the visitor parking booth, drives straight up to the entrance gate to visitor parking, & presses the call button on the call box at that gate or 2) a customer needing assistance at the exit gate presses the call button on the call box at that gate, & I am currently assisting a customer at the window.

                For anyone bypassing the visitor parking booth, driving straight up to the entrance gate ...
                whether or not they press the call button on the call box at the gate, I will send the customer to the parking office to pay for their parking. The same goes for any customer changing their mind and wanting to park in visitor parking after asking me to raise the gate so they can exit & park somewhere else due to the price.

                Several weeks ago the parking company manager over the account mentioned to me to assist Andrea & the parking office in anyway possible to make them happy & to make their job easier.

                I would not be surprised if Andrea & her two employees request that a single phone call from a customer at either call box at either gate not go to them, but that is an impossible request to ask of anyone considering the shift I work, 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday, is when the majority of the customers arrive to park.

                I would like Andrea to 1) decide how I am to handle customers at the window when someone presses the call button at either gate, & 2) understand that if they do not want a single phone call from any customer at the call box at either gate, that is unrealistic.

                I hope she takes my reply seriously.
                Last edited by snugglegirl05; 08-08-2011, 11:14 PM.

                Comment


                • #9
                  patiokitty

                  The funny thing is Andrea never replied to my reply asking her if she wants me to devote all of my attention to the customer at the booth window & reminding her that there will be times when I am with a customer & someone either 1) bypasses the visitor parking booth, drives straight up to the entrance gate, & presses the call button on the call box at that gate, or 2) presses the call button on the call box at the exit gate because they need assistance.

                  The supervisor at the parking company I work for who is over the acct. told me he would like to spend the first 1 to 4 days of the fall semester at the Visitor parking booth. The first 2 days will be very busy. The university is expecting a little over 40 guests for events those days. It should be interesting. I would not be surprised if Andrea or her immediate supervisor has to come down to the area where the visitor parking booth is the first 2 days of the fall semester. I hope my immediate supervisor shows up the first 2 days of the fall semester as well.

                  I appreciate all of the support the members give me. I agree that Andrea is expecting the impossible.

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    Quoth snugglegirl05 View Post
                    I hope my immediate supervisor shows up the first 2 days of the fall semester as well.
                    You should suggest to your supervisor that these would be good days to show up and see what your busy days are like. They likely don't know the what the high traffic days are at your worksite.
                    The Rich keep getting richer because they keep doing what it was that made them rich. Ditto the Poor.
                    "Hy kan tell dey is schmot qvestions, dey is makink my head hurt."
                    Hoc spatio locantur.

                    Comment

                    Working...
                    X