Driving into the carpark outside of my office today, I noticed something that as an employer or manager would really annoy me. This carpark has "early bird" prices, you know, in before a certain time, out after another prescribed time, for a cheaper rate. However to validate for this you need to get another ticket from the attendant. Not sure if that is the right term, as the word "attendant" to me gives me the idea of attentiveness. This particular character has none of that. He has himself parked half way up the complex in a camping chair. He sits there with his paper and stack of tickets and leans forward on the chair to pass you the ticket. No "Good morning", no smile, the only acknowledglement of your presence is the fact that an arm shoots out with a ticket as you drive up.

For some reason this annoys me. OK I get that it could be a boring, thankless job, but come on.... give a little bit man. It's got to the point that I have a little game now where I am trying to see how far I can stop from the guy to actually make him get up out of his chair. I have to say, he's good, I can see the chair almost falling over, but there is no way this guy is getting up.

How does this reflect on his company? Is this the brand of the carpark? Does it say, "Come park with us, or don't I really don't give a crap!" What would his boss say? Would he/she care? I wonder what his KPI's would be. (yes I am a sad man)

Even if you are having a bad day, bad week, you have the most boring job in the world, or you are over worked, under paid and under appreciated? Your company has had layoffs and you'r enervous about your future... Who cares? You customers won't and neither they should. When servicing customers your job is to , take their problems away, to add value to the relationship. Moping, griping, complaining doesn't cut it in any circumstances. So you've got a new baby, and are undergoing that age old child, sleep deprivation torture! SO WHAT? SUCK IT UP. REPRESENT (yourself and your company) You're not the first or the last. Complaining to strangers won't give you any advantages, if anything it'll make people avoid you in the future and that definitely isn't good for you.

I would be shattered if my team showed that level of indifference? Customer Service is what get's people coming back. OK I keep going back, maybe it is my experiment to see if I can loosen the man from his chair, and the fact that it is cheaper than most others... but if something with a similar price opens up with some more care and perhaps a smile to greet me, would I move? damn straight.