A social norm is one of those unspoken rules which everyone expects everyone else to automatically know and observe. One of the easiest ways to tell what is a social norm is by observing people's reactions when you break one. There is no manual or rule book which tells you not to talk to the person in the restroom stall next to you, or that you shouldn't let your child(ren) run loose and unsupervised in a restaurant, but if you try it you'll notice a change in behavior which tells you there is a norm violation in progress. Try facing the back of a crowded elevator instead of the front, see how people react.
I would like to suggest that crappy customer service, at least in the Quick Service industry, is one of our new social norms. Think about it, when you go into a fast food restaurant, what are your expectations of the quality of service? It seems for the vast majority, as long as we get what we ordered in a reasonable amount of time and the staff aren't actively trying to drive us away, we're usually content with the transaction.
Allow me to demonstrate with an example. Last night, I went out to McDonald's (because it was right next to the hotel where I was staying). The owner was running the till and taking customer orders. I was very surprised to see him actually making conversation (or trying in some cases) with customers as they waited for their orders to be filled. What was even more surprising was how many people reacted as though this was a huge inconvenience. All the classic non-verbal cues were there to indicate this man was violating an established norm. They would back up a bit, increasing their personal "no-fly zone", give looks of annoyance, avert/avoid eye contact... When they did answer, it was with very short responses, many times with quasi-grunted "uh-huh" or "uh-uh".
Has the service level in the fast food industry been so poor for so long that we as customers just expect it to suck? As part of an informal survey, I recently walked around a mall food court to see how many of the staff were smiling. Out of around 12-15 outlets, only one staff member smiled. The body language of the customers was quite revealing as well. They didn't act disappointed or offended, but rather showed signs of accepting the behavior.
As consumers, I fear we are the frogs who were boiled alive without resisting. As long as the water temperature is turned up gradually and we are given time to adjust, we just sit there until it is too late. We don't really realize just how bad the service has become until we find those rare examples of great service. Have we just given up in expecting to be treated as a valued customer, or have we become aclimatized to the point we don't even realize how poorly we're being treated?
I would like to suggest that crappy customer service, at least in the Quick Service industry, is one of our new social norms. Think about it, when you go into a fast food restaurant, what are your expectations of the quality of service? It seems for the vast majority, as long as we get what we ordered in a reasonable amount of time and the staff aren't actively trying to drive us away, we're usually content with the transaction.
Allow me to demonstrate with an example. Last night, I went out to McDonald's (because it was right next to the hotel where I was staying). The owner was running the till and taking customer orders. I was very surprised to see him actually making conversation (or trying in some cases) with customers as they waited for their orders to be filled. What was even more surprising was how many people reacted as though this was a huge inconvenience. All the classic non-verbal cues were there to indicate this man was violating an established norm. They would back up a bit, increasing their personal "no-fly zone", give looks of annoyance, avert/avoid eye contact... When they did answer, it was with very short responses, many times with quasi-grunted "uh-huh" or "uh-uh".
Has the service level in the fast food industry been so poor for so long that we as customers just expect it to suck? As part of an informal survey, I recently walked around a mall food court to see how many of the staff were smiling. Out of around 12-15 outlets, only one staff member smiled. The body language of the customers was quite revealing as well. They didn't act disappointed or offended, but rather showed signs of accepting the behavior.
As consumers, I fear we are the frogs who were boiled alive without resisting. As long as the water temperature is turned up gradually and we are given time to adjust, we just sit there until it is too late. We don't really realize just how bad the service has become until we find those rare examples of great service. Have we just given up in expecting to be treated as a valued customer, or have we become aclimatized to the point we don't even realize how poorly we're being treated?
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