Urban L.A.: Service with a Smile or a Sign of the Times?

I am a Foodie. I love good food and always have, so you have to understand that I am also a stickler for the 'total dining experience' when it comes to eating out. Anyone who has ever shared a meal with me knows that I am the Queen of Special Orders and delight in requesting 'this' on the side with an extra dollop of 'that' for good measure. I want the table by the window, away from the draft, and please light my candle as soon as the sun goes down. Food and all the pomp and circumstance that surrounds it is generally a sensual experience for me and when I am only interested in scarfing down some quick nourishment, I'll go home and nuke a Lean Cuisine, thank you very much. Otherwise, I want what I want (and am paying for), and because I've been on the other side of the table and understand the meaning of good service, I feel no guilt or embarrassment about politely requesting just that. This is my right as a discerning consumer with many choices.

After a sweaty, fun filled Memorial Day weekend, the last thing I wanted to do was go home and try to cook something over a hot stove, and PB & J just wasn't calling my name. It just so happens that I love cheeseburgers. A sloppy, juicy cheeseburger with all the fixings and dripping in ketchup, befriended by a side of sweet potato french fries with ranch dressing is my idea of Heaven on a Plate.

Alas! Like a shining beacon of yummyness, Umami Burger, known for its tender Kobe beef, began to gently whisper my name. One last thought of the stale bowl of cheerios that awaited me at home, and before I knew it I was driving down La Brea, at Wilshire, two stoplights from delicious bliss.

I hit the door of Umami at 5:17 p.m. Hardly the dinner hour, and anyone eating at this time and by themselves, is either headed back to the old folks home to catch Wheel of Fortune before lights out at 8, or they are merely interested in a quick bite. That said, ambiance counts for something, and I really didn't want to be sandwiched in between the restroom and the kitchen on a narrow bar stool in the farthest corner. I politely asked to be seated at one of five empty tables in the small establishment; a table for two near the front. The request was met with two blinks and a deer-in-headlights look from the first server, who quickly tossed me like a hot potato to his comrade, prior to me landing in the manager's hands on the third toss. The manager hemmed and hawed about why it 'would be best' to make myself at home in the corner, and I found myself bargaining my right to sit at my table of choice, promising to eat quickly when the place was virtually empty. Just then, the light bulb went off: I stopped myself mid-sentence, turned on my heels, and left Umami, burger-less.

Now I have spent my entire working life laboring in service-based industries. From my first job stocking shelves at a grocery store, waiting tables through college, as a paralegal for a criminal law firm, to my work now as a real estate broker, my highest priority has always been to cater to the needs of the very people that were either directly or indirectly fueling my paycheck. One could argue that every business or industry is service-based, since almost all are in some way dependent on a need or want from the consumer.

In Real Estate, I may debate the merits of a particular request, or provide a certain viewpoint that may sway the client in a different direction, but at the end of the day, my opinion really doesn't matter. My sole focus is quite simply reduced to providing the highest standard of care to the client and ensuring their complete satisfaction, to the best of my ability. This, my fiduciary duty, transcends all other obligation or ulterior motive that I may have.

In this tense economic time, The Real Estate industry has served as a perfect example of what it means to separate the wheat from the chaff. It is a time of 'survival of the fittest', where those in the industry who have been accustomed to just being 'order takers,' or have not come to understand what it means to 'service the listing,' have long since fallen by the wayside as consumers awake to the fact that they can afford to demand excellence and the most bang for their buck. In my opinion, this has actually been a positive shift for the industry, as only the best of the best have survived, restoring a high degree of respectability and professionalism to the duties that agents perform for their clients.

Knowing that we are living in a time when consumers are more conscientious than ever of how they spend their hard earned dollars, it literally blows my mind that the guiding principle that the 'customer is always right' has not resonated more powerfully with service providers.

In a time of Netflix, internet pirating, and general cost cutting, the cable providers are just now learning the importance of catering to the customer. Instead of the customary 'four hour window' wherein consumers have been expected to sit around twiddling their thumbs while waiting for the cable man to show up, the cable companies are wising up to the fact that consumers won't stand for having their time wasted. Given the choice, they'd rather do without. Suddenly and conveniently, the cable companies are able to provide a definitive time when the cable technician will arrive to turn on the service.

Although this kind of change is a step in the right direction, it bothers me that reverence for the customer is only applied after service providers have fully pissed off their consumer, pushed them to the edge, and driven them away, sometimes for good. A better example would be my hairstylist, Darin Birchler at Chop Chop Salon, whom I visit just twice a year. Every time I walk through the door, he kisses my cheek, looks me in the eye, hears what I want, feeds my meter while I'm there, critiques the fashion mags with me while he snips away and I sip my tea, and sends me out into the world a better version of myself. I never think to ask for anything because my needs are met before they even occur to me and I am more than happy to pay his less-than-bargain fee. Darin understands what I mean to his business and doesn't take me for granted. Consequently, I refer him half a dozen clients a year.

If nothing else good can come of this economic crisis, I hope that service providers can at least begin to understand the importance of anticipating and honoring their customers' needs instead of remaining negligent, ignoring the warning signs, and reacting when it's too late, the oil has been spilled, and the damage already done.