SHOWING APATHY

You show apathy by acting as though a customer is too much of a bother; apathy is discouraging to a customer. You can reflect apathy with a shrug of the shoulders or words that imply who cares? What's your hurry? or, What's the difference? Such responses give the customer little hope in getting help with a problem.

Keep in mind that, no matter how simple or unimportant you consider a request, the customer depends upon you to provide a service. Answering a question or looking up information may require a little effort on your part, but the extra effort is a mark of good service. As stated earlier in this manual, customers usually have only one place they can go for a particular service.

Apathy is the result of a negative attitude toward life in general or toward your job or duty assignment. Apathy is difficult to overcome because apathetic people have already given up hope for improvement in their life or their job. People develop apathy for various reasons:

l They see no purpose in their job.

l They see no benefit in providing customer service.

l They have been doing the same job too long.

l They see no possibility for advancement _or increased responsibility.

l They are not challenged by responsibility. . They have no plans for continuing their Navy

career, so they have decided to perform at the shear minimum.

Apathetic contact representatives who do nothing to change their attitude are shortchanging themselves as well as the customer and the Navy.

MAKING THE CUSTOMER WAIT

The customer often hears, "What's your hurry? You're not going anywhere!" The implication is that time is a factor only for the contact point representative-never for the customer. Ordinarily, the customer should receive help without having to wait. However, a customer who has to wait because you are snowed under will usually understand.

Options are available to reduce waiting time; you can set up appointments or set up special service hours, just to mention two. Use any system for routine service that speeds the process, but make sure it allows for emergencies. Never use a system to limit service.

BREAKING ROUTINES

It is Thursday afternoon, and HM Doe is busily engaged in putting the finishing touches on a spotless

sick bay. He is just finishing the deck when in walks MM Boate. He is tightly gripping his left wrist while blood wells from a cut and drips onto the floor.

"What's the idea? Can't you see the 'Secured' sign

on the door," demands HM Doe?

"What do you mean, secured? I cut my hand!"

"Sorry about that, but I haven't got time now to treat it-I have to finish up field day. Come back in about 30 minutes, and quite dripping blood on my clean deck!"

Does this seem farfetched? Not at all; it is an extreme example, but it actually happened.

Routines or procedures help us provide more efficient customer service by enabling us to do jobs easier, faster, and more accurately. However, if following a routine becomes more important than providing service, you need to take a good, hard look at your job priorities. Routines are intended to improve service, not to hinder it.