I was driving back from North Carolina yesterday with a friend of mine and we stopped in Indianapolis, winding through city streets to locate a brewpub we wanted to try. The place was great, and we each picked one (and of course, only one) draught to try.
Though it was 4:00 in the afternoon and less than half full, they put us at a tight table next to the kitchen. Curious, but we tried to overlook it, and just wandered over to another empty table. I noticed that everything the waitress said to us was perfectly civil, but both my friend and I perceived a barely concealed hostility. We went out of our way to be ready to order our sandwiches, and to politely say please and thank you (that’s just how we are). Yet at each interaction the waitress (who never introduced herself so I can’t give you her name) would say something like “great” or “sure” and then roll her eyes.
Not sure if this is an object lesson or I just wanted to get it off my chest. What we preach to clients is that everything matters – not just the words you use, but how you say things. Attitude is everything. And that means who you hire will determine what your customers think about you, not processes or scripts.