Forums: Discussions for entrepreneurs and small business.

I worked for one of those companies and they are no longer in business.  I am not sure if they were comfortable or cocky about being able to just go do whatever they wanted to do and hang one of those signs up.

Perhaps they view the American Dream as being able to own a business where you can put up a back in 20 minutes sign and go get your nails done.  OR do they feel comfortable, meaning that they have enough business that if you drive away they`ll be ok?

-Scott

judging by your profile, scott, "back in 20 minutes" just wouldn`t work in your line of work... if you`re not "back after this quick break", you`d lose ALL your customers! thanks for the post.

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Rich Sloan , Co-Founder, Chief Startupologist, StartupNation

My husband has problems going places because he is very aware of bad customer service, being a manager of a large set of people himself.

So once we went to a Starbucks. He ordered a cold drink and I ordered a hot one. I guess the 2 guys working there split the orders - one was doing hot, the other cold - so my drink came up first as there were less hot drinks in line. The girl behind us had ordered a cup of whipped cream (I kid you not) and the cold drink guy filled her order (it was faster?) ahead of my husbands. He then made my husband`s mocha frap, went to put the whipped cream on it ... and only a small plop came out. Instead of getting a new canister, he lidded the drink and handed it to my husband, and THEN went to get a new canister. So my husband had waited 5 minutes longer than me for a half-assed, no-creamed drink. If it was me, I would have made the guy do it right, because when I was a manager, that was my style. My husband doesn`t want to manage someone else on his day off, so he just kind of fumed under his breath on his way out.

It`s ironic that great customer service often pulls a company from a startup into the big times. Then HR (human resources) practices end up collapsing that customer service, and eventually nobody goes there anymore. The company dies.

Does that mean HR practices are the death of a good company? :-)

I think a small company ... when it`s just people you know and trust working there, your quality control can be greater.

When you have thousands of employees across the globe ... well you just can`t hand pick every one!

Yah...it`s a shame we can`t bring back public floggings! ;-)

In my line of work, it is accountants that have completely screwed up the business in their attempt to finagle a few cents more in profits so that the big guy can get a bigger Xmas bonus and the shareholders get a small bit more.  But sometimes, it is just penny wise and pound foolish.  Well, I`m hoping to be open for business soon . . . 24/7 . . . since it is online!

The brick & mortar that I was looking into buying puts up a sign every time they have a consultation, locks its doors and turns on the answering machine.  That would have stopped immediately had I bought the place, because it does drive business away. 

If I have other stuff to do, I go do it and rarely do I come back that day.  I may not come back for a long time, especially if I go out of my way to get there in the first place.  I would rather see split days with a 2 hour lunch closure where you can do errands, deliveries, appointments, or whatever.  For example, Monday - Friday Open 8am-Noon and 2pm-7pm, Saturday 8am-Noon and 2pm - 9pm, Sunday Noon-6pm.  Set times or hire help for that time period that you need to be gone.  If I know what your hours are and I want to do business with you, then I`ll be there during your hours. . . but if you leave me guessing, I`ll do business elsewhere.  (If there is an emergency, post the sign that there is an emergency and I`ll still frequent your business when your emergency has ended.)

jillybeans