Nobody Likes t W


BY BART NEU


HEN I FIRST STARTED working in the parking industry, part of my job was to check self-pay lots and issue citations to cars


that did not pay. These were the days when cus- tomers paid the old slot boxes and parking cita- tionswere nothingmore than aminiaturemanila envelope with some strongly worded language printed on it. We weren’t able to identify scofflaws with a computer, we didn’t use a col- lection agency, andwe didn’t track citation infor- mation in a fancy database.We were old school.


Because these particular parking facilities lacked any


technology other than the occasional payphone next to the sidewalk, the list of potential customer service problems was tremendous.These slot boxes did not give change and they did not give receipts as proof of payment. People could easily under- or overpay. People often put theirmon- ey in the wrong slot, thereby inadvertently paying for the car parked next to them. Once they put their money in the slot, there was no way of getting it out. Needless to say, a big part ofmy job was dealing with


angry customers. Guess whose fault it was every time a customer became angry?Mine. I was the Parking Guy. At that time inmy career, I alsomanaged surface lots


with attendants who would double-park cars to maximize the use of the parking lot. I remember watching in horror as one of my attendants ripped the front bumper off an Acura as he was backing it into a stall. Another time I watched an attendant tear a fender off a pickup truck as he parked it too close to a pole. I guess I was in the wrong place at the wrong time, because even though I wasn’t the one driving either vehicle, I was the guy who got chewed out. Remember, I was the Parking Guy. These experiences, among others, taughtme that cus-


tomers should be treated with respect, even when their faces are so red that you think they are going to explode. Wemust remember there ismore to customer service than we usually think about, so it is important to look beyond the surface and start thinking about the things that can reallymake a difference in the eyes of the customer.


Is that what you see when you approach your customers?


Be Calm Unfortunately, being calm is not always as easy as it


sounds, but this is the single biggest reason for aminor problem turning into amajor one.When possible, give the person who is angry or upset time to calm down before discussing the prob- lem. This way, they will be more rational and be able to com- municate and listen better.The following are pointers on how to deal with customers depending on how they contact you:


30 DECEMBER 2009 • PARKING TODAY • www.parkingtoday.com • Face-to-face: Don’t raise your voice or get defensive or


confrontational. Let the customer speak their mind before you speak and never interrupt them; this will only aggravate the sit- uation.Make eye contact and be interested in what they are say- ing. If you don’t show interest, they’ll get angrier. Once they’ve spoken, work with them, not against them, to reach a solution. • Telephone: Here’s a simple trick: If they call your office


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