I went to the store today to pick up some photos. When I got there, the associate said the system was down, so nothing could be printed. Even after I explained (twice) that my photos were printed already, she just kept repeating, “I can’t print anything”. Finally, I showed her the email confirming my prints were ready, and she took a look around and found them. The associate was so focused on her difficulties, that she couldn’t even ‘hear’ what I wanted. And that’s a problem, because ultimately, service is about putting the needs of our customers first. And in order to do that we need to listen to them: with open ears – to hear their actual requests, with open minds to ‘think’ about ‘how’ to fulfill those requests, and with open hearts – to be empathetic to them, both as customers – and as a human beings.
