Battle of the Customer Service Employees

I ran some errands today and in one hour I interacted with three different people from three different companies. Now my intent was not to go out and compare each employee to find who was best, but as I was on my way home I began to revisualize my interactions with each person. I didn't wake up in the greatest mood today. Some days, I just don't wake up happy, so I was kind of looking forward to getting out of the house even if it just was to run errands.

My first stop was the Post Office. The woman behind the desk called me up because I was next in line. So, usually the person working will ask "How are you?" and then you respond. From

there, you will decide if your conversation continues. Well, this lady didn't even say anything, so it was kind of awkward. I thought maybe I should say something to her, such as "how are you?" or "are you having a good day?" I usually try and do this because I feel that, too often, we come in to contact with people but we don't even say a word. I love to be able to talk with people while they're working, (if I work up the nerve) because every other person they come across is just going through life and are apathetic towards the person behind the counter. Usually, I want to change that and leave a positive mark on their day. But today, I just wasn't feeling it. I felt awkward and not really in the mood to say much. I should've thrown out my negative attitude and just said something to her, but part of me wanted to see if she would begin a conversation. She didn't, which I didn't really expect. She asked me all the questions her job required... "Is there anything liquid, fragile, or perishable?" Nope. "Are these just going first class?" Yep. Etc. That was it. As she handed me the receipt, she said, "Have a good day" to which I responded "You too." Now, this lady wasn't rude... she was just doing her job. But if I were rating her performance, I would say, she could do a much better job.

My next stop was the Verizon store. The employee I came across was similar to the Post Office lady. He was "nice" but not "friendly." He did his job by answering all my questions, but without much expression. He was just kind of dull. Maybe that's his personality, but again, I felt a bit awkward. He did ask how I was today, but it was more for his job performance rather than actually caring.

Okay so my last stop, Starbucks. I went through the drive thru and as soon as I heard the voice on the other end, I felt.. at ease. The tone in this woman's voice was just very comforting. 

I could tell she was excited and passionate about her job. As I pulled up to the window, the first thing out of her mouth was, "I really like your shirt." Wow...it's not often that you receive a compliment from an employee at a store you're visiting. I felt like this woman could tell I wasn't having the greatest day. I don't think it was obvious. I was being friendly back, but there was a crack in my tone of voice. It was almost as if she could see through me and she felt that she needed to brighten up my day. Okay, maybe she had no idea, but her personality and her joy for what she was doing fed off onto me. Her kind words and sweet nature lifted me up and brightened my day. Now out of these three employees, I would have to say the Starbucks Employee wins for having the best work performance and friendliest nature.

In my job or in anything I do, I want to have a personality that is friendly, hard-working, and passionate. I want to try and brighten other peoples day just by saying a few kind words. I don't want to be known for being dull and apathetic. How can we change the way we interact with others? This challenged/encouraged me to analyze how I deal with strangers I come across on a daily basis.