Polite Employees in a Down Economy

Yesterday Trevor and I went for a quick bite at Panera. Now when I try to steer away from fast food as often as I can for a number of reasons. First, I dont think my butt needs to get any larger:) and generally the staff are unfriendly or just dont care. I blame this in large part to organizations not investing in their employees on a store level.

So we ventured in the Parnera in Edina, MN at about 8:15pm (they close at 9pm) and the staff looked very irritated we walked in the door. This was obvious both by their looks but also their loud "employee to employee" conversation that they were closing in 45 minutes. We stood there for about three minutes waiting for one of the seven employees to come and help us.

When we began to order they were out of several menu items because they said they were closing soon. And instead of suggesting an alternative, the staff just stared at us looking beat down and tired. When we finally ordered, the staff gave us sloppily put together food and didn't even respond when we told them to have a nice night. When Trevor went up to the counter to ask for some butter, the sales girl looked at him, walked in back, grabbed some butter, walked past him, filled the butter dish and turned and left. When he said thank you, she never even responded. A simple "oh here let me grab you some" would have been a simple response and solution.

In an economy where consumers are being selective where they are spending their money, companies really need to stress to store employees the importance of the customer experience. "A simple hello" and "have a nice evening" are ways store employees can enhance a customers visit. Instead, Trevor and I left with a bad experience and the impression we had interrupted the staffs need to try and be out of there by 9pm.

In all honesty, consumers don't care what is happening at any corporate headquarters. A consumer will remember their interaction with a brand based on their most recent experience. And based on mine at Panera -- i wont be visiting there any time soon.

Getting Back on the Ball -- I Mean Blog

Ok so I have broken the cardinal rule of blogging -- I have had zero consistency. I feel my life has settled down enough that I can finally get back into the swing of things. After buying a house, changing jobs and handling some other massive changes in my life, I feel like I can finally slow down and share some thoughts on this crazy world we live in. 

Watch for new posts this week and hear on out!

Cheers!

What is happening in college?

Ok so I am leading the intern search committee at my office and I must say I am just floored at the candidates I am seeing. It really makes me question what students are learning nowadays. 

Our internships are structured a tad differently than other organizations. We require the candidate to be a college grad, as they are required to work 40 hours a week. And the plan, generally as long as the work is there and they have impressed us enough, is to hire them on after the 6 month stint. 

But from what I have seen so far it scares me -- I have had candidates who have no idea what "earned media" means, candidates who talk about their great writing experience yet don't bring portfolios and really have no enthusiasm about this profession in general. 

I mean don't get me wrong, they are lovely people but just don't seem to be out to impress their prospective employer. 

When I was in college we had numerous class periods dedicated to the art of interviewing, how to prepare and what key points to never forget (e.g. always have questions ready or always bring a portfolio). I mean in this competitive marketplace, it floors me that these kids aren't doing the work it takes to impress. In this day and age, it's so easy to learn about the company, see what is happening in the industry or learn about the interviewer. In my day there wasn't Facebook, Linkedin or the robust web sites. 

When I was interviewing, I was dressed to impressed and fought so hard to make an impression on the organization I wanted to work for. Has anyone else found this dramatic shift in talent to be the case? I am just puzzled. But hey, if you have some stellar intern candidates send them my direction. 

Research in Journalism -- What an Idea!

Recently, KARE 11 produced a story that really bothered me. The story was about my ex-sister in law, who apparently still uses the Schwartz name. The focus was on a rehab center called Healing House, a center in Minneapolis that allows women to bring their children while going through a yearlong program to battle addiction. Now while I think places like this center need to exists and serve the purpose to help, I was disturbed at how misinformed viewers were about Sarah’s story.

While showing Sarah holding her daughter Nevaeh Schwartz, no relation, the reporter shares how Sarah, thanks to Healing House, is able to give her daughter a new chance on life. The story goes on to share Sarah’s realities about her life and addiction. While all these things are true, the story left off some pretty big facts…

…the story neglected to share that Sarah has three other children from two other fathers. Two of these children happen to be my nieces who are being raised by their paternal grandparents because Layla and Kira’s parents can’t seem to get their lives together and provide for their children. So why wasn’t this part of the story told? Why didn’t the reporter take time to learn that while Sarah is getting clean, she is years away from being the kind of mother who provides for her children. How hard it was for my father to answer to his grandchildren why mommy doesn’t love them as much as Nevaeh.

As someone who works with the media every day, it saddens me that reporters can’t bring the whole story to their viewers, listeners or readers. As a PR person, I am expected to be ethical and truthful in every communication I handle for a client. For every story I pitch to a reporter, I ensure that the facts are straight and the resources are reliable. Why isn’t the same standard held for reporters? I have emailed the producer and reporter at KARE for an answer to this question. I am still waiting to hear back….

It's About Time

Well I guess it is about time I join the land of blogging. I spend my days counseling clients on the realties of new media yet I am not practicing what I preach.

This blog will be used to share my opinions on PR, marketing branding and just life in general. Thanks for reading and feel free to comment. I don't care if your opinion is different from mine, but if you do comment -- be respectful!