over the last few weeks I’ve been paying close attention to the customer service displayed in the various businesses we’ve been in…

I must say that the service provided has certainly affected which place we actually left our money, lol…

some restaurant staff were so courteous and quick to solve issues almost before they happened… others clearly were too busy or didn’t bother to take the time to connect… the tip meter went up or down based on those interactions;-)…

when we were in retail stores we were drawn in when the staff would connect with us in some way… in these tourist towns it must get boring, but watching the way that many of these employees/owners responded was very telling…

often if there were two people working in the store they appeared to ignore the customers as they would be busy getting paperwork done, restocking or visiting with one another…

we had the most fun in the stores where we were greeted pleasantly and they shared stories with us… those were usually the places where we made purchases…

one particular example of great customer service took place yesterday at Surfside Wood Fired Pizza… Caroline, the owner, was welcoming guests and taking orders when we arrived after paddle boarding… I asked if they had hot tea, and like many restaurants she advised that they didn’t… but after a few seconds she mentioned that she could make me a cup, as they do use tea for their iced tea… a little thing, but it sure made my day… after she delivered the tea and a delicious version of cinnamon buns, she stopped by a few times to see how we were doing… and the Goofy Bread was delicious…

hearing pleasant greetings or receiving welcoming smiles goes a long way to engaging with a customer;-)…