The overwhelming majority of places I see – retail, banks, gas stations and so on – have left me noticing a trend that the customer is no longer the focus.

There is a big box retailer that I visited in 2 different locations that gave me the worst service ever – both times. One customer even pointed out that I was waiting on the other side of the counter and the employee said “Yeah, I’m not worried about him.”  In both of these visits there was no acknowledgement of my presence.

I see this often when patrons are at counters waiting to pay for gas or ring up their selections. Employees – and managers!! – instead of acknowledging the customer will finish their conversation on policy, work issues, or personal discussions and the customer stands there waiting to be noticed and grows frustrated by the moment.

I have seen this so often that it makes me worried about the trend in business that customers are a nuisance rather than a purpose.

Yet I remain optimistic that the space to give just a little acknowledgement to a customer will so set that company up for repeat business that I know those companies who stay customer-centric will win in the end.

Are customer acknowledged in your company consistently and promptly? It makes all the difference in the world to them. Nothing else matters.

(image: pixabay/canva/paullarue)