The Cause of Declining Customer Service
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EXAMPLES OF DEVALUING SALES PRACTICE AT THIS LINK
- Ripoff Report:
Several examples of exactly what I'm talking about.
Hostile Work Environment
Using the "scare tactic" to motivate employees to produce is degrading, counterproductive, and devaluing.
This is a subject that's been bugging me for a long time. I can't get over how some businesses are still using this strategy. Especially sales oriented companies. I was in sales and customer service for over 25 years and I've seen it all: bad management, negative reinforcement, poor customer service, verbal bashing, and lack of validation from management. Whatever way you look at it, it's ALL counterproductive.
The practice that really irks me is negative verbal bashing in the workplace. I had a manager who was not above berating an employee in front of others, including me. This manager had no respect for employees as people. Job performance was recognized by an "atta boy", followed by "But......". When a situation arose that made it necessary to justify or defend a particular business related decision, we were interrogated to the point of humiliation. Once our incumbency was confirmed "correct", this manager would acknowledge the action as positive, then immediately follow the positive affirmation with a negative, "Yes, but you......", meaning ‘yes you made the right decision but you didn't ..blah blah blah...' It created a demoralizing environment, to say the least.
We employees were often at odds with each other and the atmosphere was negatively charged. It seemed that everyone walked around on pins and needles waiting for the next eruption. In addition, the attitude spilled over into the manager's treatment of patrons. There were repeated customer complaints against this manager regarding attitude, lack of tactful customer service, and blatant rudeness. Many of the complaints were directed to me. In other words, instead of going to the top (human resources at the corporate office), the disgruntled customers usually came to me with their grievance. When I advised them to report the incident to home office, they never followed through, as far as I knew.
Negative Motivators
Here's another one: if your sales aren't what they want it to be, you'll be fired. In other words, Sell, or else! The old "ultimatum" motivator. Whatever happened to , "We work as a team to meet quota. Let me show you how we can work together to achieve our quotas". I had a manager tell me 'Sell or you're fired' on the day I was hired. (Hired, not fired). I brushed it off as a possible "misunderstanding of meanings". Sure, it was a sales job, hourly wage plus commission. But you don't come at a new employee that way if you expect them to produce! And, get a load of this: this little sales manager was fresh out of college with a Bachelor Degree in Business Administration (I guess that qualified him/her to manage a sales team, duh!), with NO PRIOR SALES experience, other than what she/he received in training. Training for what? The Sales Manager position! This manager turned out to be verbally abusive, as well as incompetent. I left the company after 6 months. I developed extreme abdominal pains, stress, and paranoia to the point of borderline schizophrenia. The manager was fired a year later. For what? Inability to meet sales standards for the branch!
I had another manager who was a real wonder. This one often asked me to cover blunders in order to save his/her butt. In addition, I watched this manager tell a bald-face LIE to an employee. This supervisor stood right there and told the employee a payroll check had not come in yet, when, in fact, it was sitting in the desk drawer the whole time! I never could figure out why this particular manager treated employees this way. It happened on several occasions and absolutely infuriated me! This was the "management role model" that was supposed to motivate me to produce. My bad for not reporting it to the corporate office, but they wouldn't have believed me anyway. The manager had already ruined my credibility by convincing upper management it was my doing on some major blunders. I was the company "Patsy".
Yes, using the "scare tactic" is similar to subliminal bashing. Actually, it's rather blatant. I want to stress how counterproductive and devaluing it is for employees to be subjected to this negative type of "motivation". I understand why the quality of customer service has decreased so much in the last 10 years: using the "scare tactic" doesn't work! Bad management and negative reinforcement have both contributed to the the decline in good customer service. I'm convinced that the root of poor customer relations originates from within the management circle. I speak from experience.
Have you experienced the 'scare tactic' from a boss to get you to produce?
See results without votingDevaluing Sales Practices in the News: Read Current News About Lawsuits, Hostile Work Environment and More. Current News Feed:
- Employee surveys paint a mixed picture of PyattGazette.net4 hours ago
The Mount Airy Town Council on Monday night released surveys filled out by 10 of the 12 employees in Town Hall that paint a mixed picture of ousted Mayor Dave Pyatt, and how his erratic behavior contributed to a hostile work environment.
- Dallas Utility Workers Claim Racial DiscriminationNBC Dallas Fort Worth14 hours ago
The Dallas Water Department is a hostile work environment, a federal lawsuit says.
- New England Patriots Team ReportUSA Today5 hours ago
The New England Patriots are certain they can't be as bad on the road as they've been all season. Surely, at some point, they'll win in a hostile environment and temporarily silence their critics.
What is a 'Hostile Work Environment'
- Understanding Workplace Harassment
Workplace Harassment is a Form of Discrimination! Unlawful harassment is a form of discrimination that violates Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and other federal authority.
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Comments
You're not alone. It happens everywhere and nobody wants to talk about it.
Dear donotfear,
This tactic is grounded in ignorance. The most successful business are those that treat their employees with respect. I will tell you that this sort of intimidation exists in the medical field. When dealing with an HMO or an health organization that runs a doctor's office, instead of the doctors, the same intimidation occurs. Doctors are threatened with losing money if they don't see a specified number of patients. Can you imagine how things would be under a government run plan? Great HUB!
Thank you very much, breakfastpop. You nailed it....intimidation doesn't work. If anything, it creates insecurity.
I really enjoyed reading this. I've been on both sides of the management buisness. I've been the one directed what to do, and the one directing others. Sadly, at times it's the managers superiors that put them in a position where they feel that it's either do or die, so they will treat their employees any kind of way. I've had managers like that before, and when I began managing, I was determined not to be that way. It's hard on both ends, but it in no way condones bad treatment. Thanks for the informative hub!
You're right on, Veronica. Sometimes managers are put in the position to 'get em to produce or else' frame of mind and it creates stress and pressure like you wouldn't believe if it's not done right. Remember the old saying:
YOU CAN CATCH A LOT MORE FLIES WITH HONEY THAN WITH VINEGAR.
I loved reading this. I am going through the "scare tactic" right now myself. I don't let them bother me though. We all bleed just the same, and if they get rid of me (I have been at this place for 12 years)then I will just wait for the next door to open. Thanks for writing this.
Miss Markayla: Thank you for your comment. It seems that you're comfortable with the arrangement and I'm grateful for you that you're able to stay on with this company without suffering any anxiety over it. I just wish I had been able to brush it off so easy! Fortunatly for me, I left before I cracked and completed my degree before changing professions completely. Good luck to you in your career!
OHHHHHH I have definately suffered anxiety, I wish I hadn't let all of it bother me as bad as I did. I just recently came to the realization that I do give it my all--> ALMOST everyday-->HAHA! But believe me, even my bad days are probably 50% more productive than most of my fellow employees good days. So if I am giving it my all, then that is good enough. If it's not good enough to them, well then good luck finding someone that does what I do.
I'm actually in a situation right now, our company was bought by a new group of owners back at the beginning of the year. And my immediate boss, who knows nothing about computers, was all of a sudden expected to know how to work on spreadsheets and produce all of his work on the computer. My boss, when this happened had never even sent an email before! So I have covered for him by doing all of his work on the computer. So now, his numbers are up, things look great, our store is hitting all of it's numbers....and he looks like the hero. And he gets the paycheck that is $200.00 more a week, and bonuses. The owners don't know that I am doing all of this work, and I am starting to resent my boss because he takes all of the credit. One of the owners even told us in a meeting, to get more production out of our employees, we should tell them what is expected, and if we get any "lip" from them, then we should tell them, "Hey, just do it and get it done, or your replacement will."
And I'm just doing my best to deal with everything, because the whole point in me doing all of this was to keep my boss from losing his job. He was put in the "produce or die" situation, and I didn't think it was fair to him. Well now, all I can do is walk around mad most of the time becuase I have so much on my plate, and he just gets to go home...stress free. (He is the store manager, and I am the office manager by the way) So, I got my paycheck today, and I recieved almost 2 months of retro pay for a raise that I was late getting, and so my paycheck was only about $20.00 less than my boss's, and when he saw it, he acted kind of like it was just crazy that I made almost as much as him, even though!!!!!He tells me everyday how I should be the one getting the bigger paycheck??? Talk about frustrating! I am just going to continue to give it my all, in the hopes that one day God will get me back for caring about someone enough to take on the amount of stress that I have, just so they didn't lose their job. God takes care of it all, in his own time, and that is really the only comfort that I have left, that keeps the anxiety level down. I know exactly what you mean about getting out before cracking....I have wanted to leave numerous times for the sake of my sanity. But I have just 1 more year of paying $125.00 a week in daycare for my son, and I need the money that I make at this place to pay for it. It's not so easy for a woman to go out and get paid the amount of money after being at a place for that long, as it is for a man. But just as your name says, and the bible says it too...Do Not Fear. I trust that completely. And I will not fear other men anymore. I do believe that when people that are in an "authority" position, use the authority to make others fear them, they are going against what God meant for them to do. We should only fear him, not people. We are supposed to be helping each other, not trying to harm each other. And the mental harm caused by the "scare tactic" is un-called for. They will get what is coming to them. I have to believe that. Thanks for your feedback!
Wow, you have endured a lot! I wish there was some way you could leave. Remember, it won't hurt to be looking for something else. Man, what a difficult situation! I feel your pain. Your day will come...
lotstff says:
12 months ago
I always thought it was just me who saw that! I have worked many jobs with the same kind of management BS. If you dont do this youre wrote up, etc, but yet they couldnt figure out why employees morale is at an all time low.
Berating someone on the job doesnt get the best results. I dont know what 'SKOOL' teaches these tactics but whoever teaches it should be FIRED.