There must be a right way to address a customer. When I go into a pub and the barman who is about my age says to me ‘What would you like, mate?’ that’s alright isn’t it? But what if I was called mate in Marks and Spencer? Perhaps that would not be as acceptable and if it was in a funeral directors then mate would be a definite no-no. How about if an older woman went into the bar? Mate wouldn’t work but would it be OK to be called love? I doubt it, but if she were a younger woman then perhaps love would work. Who knows?
The trouble with finding the right way to address a customer is that it depends upon so many variables: age; relative age; gender; circumstance; situation; type of product; target customer; culture; personality; location; time; brand; mood to name but a few. In short the trouble is that there are no hard and fast rules to say what the most appropriate way is to greet someone who wants a service from you and from whom you hope to take their money.
The good news is that as humans we are quite good at it. In the main we have sufficient empathy, sufficient emotional intelligence to weigh up the complex and conflicting variables that we are faced with and are able to articulate successfully our intention to engage meaningfully. Over the years we have created a whole host of expressions suitable for the purpose: How may I help you? How may I be of assistance? Can I help? What can I do for you? Are you looking for anything in particular? Good morning. Hi guys. Wazzup? We also have that in blue. Would madam care to try that on? I have one of these myself. May I take your order? Table for two? The list goes on and on.
How many times do you wince or feel uncomfortable with the way you are addressed when it is spoken genuinely? Not many times I guess. But how many times do you wince at a greeting that is so obviously scripted and forced such as ‘Sorry for your wait’ and ‘Did you find everything you are looking for today’ and ‘Would you like some stamps or phone top-ups?’ Every time I imagine? Such greetings are just not genuine, they don’t belong to the person who is speaking them and they are clearly only being used because the staff been told to do so.
Please, if you are one of these organisations, trust your people to be able to read your customers and come up with an appropriate way of engaging them all by themselves because you are not sorry for my wait and if I couldn’t find something I would ask or if I’d wanted stamps why have I bought a can of deodorant?
Thoughts from a Guerrilla Worker 