A couple of weeks back I darted into a Starbucks near Lynnwood & Edmonds and as I was waiting for my latte, I noticed this sign on the counter. It proudly displayed "The Customer of the Month." Apparently, this chosen client really gets hooked up, according to them. So I asked her, "Have you noticed an improvement in your customer's behavior?"
She thought about it for a moment. But she nodded and said, "Yeah, especially from our regulars."
What a great idea this is. We always encourage our employees with incentives for being good at their job. Why not flip that over? After all, if your customers have incentives to be on their best behavior as well, it makes your job easier, and increases your customer service abilities.
I think the old saying "The customer is always right" is now officially outdated. There are some customers that are just plain wrong. There's not much you can do about them. But this little Starbucks has the right idea about the good people that count. Let's make good behavior a two way street.
