I was reading an article about the irritating phenomenon of
companies sending texts and smiley faces.
You know the sort of thing – thank you for your comment :) Missing you already :( If you haven’t had one of those, perhaps you
should be online more often. Try getting out
less. Anyway, as the journalist
commented, what you really want is an efficient service, not a buddy. I know what she means.
Some while ago I remember complaining about poor
service. I think it still happens
actually – where a waitress comes to take your order but has no idea when you
ask what the Soup of the Day is. Of
course we all know the real reason for this; ‘soup of the day’ is actually
yesterday’s left over bits and pieces blitzed into a liquid. And at some stage the chef will used them all
up and start serving up some other soup.
But still, a good server could always ask before going to the table.
But actually I think service has improved. It’s as though everybody in the service industry
has suddenly been on a course or read a ‘Service for Dummies’ book. Waiters always return to ask how your meal
is. I’ve complained twice recently and
had my bill slashed by half. At this
rate I’ll be able to go out to dinner without taking out a bank loan. And you always get a questionnaire when you buy something or visit something.
It’s only my wife who receives text messages – ‘roots and
ends 4.30 Tuesday’, ‘blow-dry 09.00 Wednesday’, ‘car park at the back of
M&S this afternoon :)’, etc. They’re all from her hairdresser
I think. But I do receive far too many
emails asking me about things I’ve been doing.
‘How did you enjoy your journey on the train, Neil?’, ‘Neil, how would
you characterise your experience in our hotel?’, ‘hey Neil, how can we add to
your watching pleasure?’ Apart from the
fact that it all sounds as though I’ve just been away on a naughty weekend, it
is also rather over-chummy. It’s a bit
like Facebook without you actually having to do anything. I wonder if there’s some way to count my new
business friends and add to my status. Or
maybe to send South West Trains an elephant for their zoo (they could use it to
clear obstructions off the line).
On Friday afternoon, the sun came out and I went to
Hemingways and sat on their patio in the sun.
I was half-way through my cappuccino, when this rather attractive waitress
came out and asked if there was anything else she could do for me. Now there’s a buddy I wouldn’t mind, I thought. She was only about a quarter of my age too. But after staring at my open mouth for a
while she went away. I nearly had such a
great riposte too. But what in fact did she
mean? Can she have read the same
instruction manual as Premier Inns? Maybe
she meant, ‘is there anything else you’d like on our table, Neil?’ Or maybe ‘what can I do to enhance your sipping
pleasure?’
There you go again, Our Neil, making me jiggle with laughter.
ReplyDeleteNow on a more serious note.....have you any news on our precious Charlie Wildgoose?
I hate it when companies try to come across like they're an old pal.
ReplyDeleteTwo consecutive blogs about birds! I think you need a cold bath!
ReplyDelete