Comments

My opinion is that it is always better, and better means: better experience for the customer, better sales success, better chance of a repeat visit ... the list could go on.

However, this simple step, which humanizes the employee, is too often ignored. Think about how weird it is that you can sit down to get your haircut and the the stylist doesn't give you her name, even though she's got her fingers in your hair. Retail service employees should have name tags, or, if that doesn't fit the style of the brand, they should introduce themselves.

Disagree?

Posted by Steve Yastrow at May 17, 2007 10:15 AM

Always better because:

It puts the customer at ease when they know how to refer to the service person. Much better to say "Betty" or "Tom" rather than "excuse me" (the most common surrogate for the person's first name!).

It puts the service person at ease when they are referred to by their first name (don't most of us feel the same way?).

It also keeps the "relationship" close and warm and helps prevent immediate emotional disconnects which lead to anger, frustration and escalation.

nuff said.

Matt
http://decisionvelocity.mattcharron.com

Posted by Matt at May 17, 2007 10:21 AM

I'm with Steve. Without names, people are just interchangable parts. That goes both ways, you should tell them your name as well.

I offer you the Cheers Theme Song

Sometimes you want to go
Where everybody knows your name,
and they're always glad you came

Posted by Wally Bock at May 17, 2007 10:58 AM

I agree with Steve and Wally, but must say that I don't like name tags. They're a crutch. People who wear them often rely on them instead of introducing themselves, which is just as bad as doing nothing. It's all about the energy, and there is no energy exchanged if I'm trying to catch a glimpse of the little piece of plastic pinned to your chest (or worse, your hip).

Posted by gayle at May 17, 2007 11:47 AM

1. ... vastly prefer knowing the name - as in " ... taking names & kicking backsides ... " & this especially effective with typically lazy/snarkie "front-liners" ...

Posted by sean_love at May 17, 2007 12:11 PM

What caught my eye in the postulate was "the customer learns the employee's first name" - I wonder if instead the employee should learn the customer's first name. Learning to me suggests that effort is put forth, studying even.

I find gayle's comment on energy to be insightful. Being personable - friendly, engaging, interactive - carries much more weight with me as a customer than, well, not.

Merely knowing someone's name doesn't guarantee a "better" experience, I've had unsatisfactory experiences in restaurants where the waitstaff has certainly introduced themselves (though I never learned them - maybe it is my fault) :-)

Posted by Jason at May 17, 2007 12:18 PM

I'm not sure it is necessary. The waiter or waitress walking up to the table stating "Hi, I'm Nancy and I'll be your waitress tonight" has become fodder for comedians for years.

Service employees run a very fine line between offering great service and intruding by being too personal, too quick. Very often the best dining experience is delivered by the wait staff that is almost invisible but right there when you need them.

Even in stores, how often do you feel accosted by over-friendly store employees who you have never met before. The simple "let me know if I can help you" seems to be the better approach.

I thought one of the best examples of balance on this topic was a hotel on Maui. All hotel staff were instructed to make eye contact and say hello or good day to any guest that was within 30 feet (use their best judgement). It made for a pleasant stay and you felt they really cared whether you enjoyed it.

I'm sure there will be many varied opinions on this one. The above is just mine.

Posted by Jeff at May 17, 2007 12:33 PM

I believe it mainly depends on the nature of the sought bond between the company and the customer.

One factor that comes to mind here is weather a company positions its self as a “more for more” company, or a lower market, price focused company. In the case of the former, the personal feel of knowing the employee personally, if nothing else, adds a sense of care and attention to the experience. For the latter however, the main focus should be on the consistency of the service.

A simple example is if you go to a Gordon Ramsey restaurant or the Ritz Hotel you’d expect the front line employee to introduce her self and deal with you in a personal manner. In McDonalds however, all you will care about is having your burger as you expect it “consistency” and as fast as possible.

So basically “better” could vary from a dramatic improvement to a mild enhancement that is almost unnoticeable.

But weather the name could ever make it “worse”, that is the question!!

Mohammad Almojel

Saudi.Marketer@gmail.com

Posted by Mohammad Almojel at May 17, 2007 1:18 PM

Hmmm... I don't go for one size fits all solutions so I'd say, "Yes, but..." For example, there are many cultures, especially Asian, where jumping in with christian names is plain rude.

Picking up on Gayle and Jeff's excellent points: isn't it for the better that the employee is trained to use a bit of discretion (no scripts, please!) and to know when a simple, "Good morning" or "Can I help you?" will do and when it's something deeper that warrants introducing him/herself.

Posted by Mark JF at May 17, 2007 1:24 PM

Mr. Yastrow,

By and large, in our culture here in the US, I think it is better.

Sincerely yours,

Mr Woodruff

Posted by Steve Woodruff at May 17, 2007 3:10 PM

Never assume would be my take on this. I ran a customer care workshop last week in a health care facility for 17 staff. One of the concerns patients had raised previously was staff referring to patients by Christian name without checking with the ‘owner’ of the name. If we are to have respect for each other – whether health care or retail or service - we surely cannot assume that and the least we can do is check by what name people want to be addressed. This is particularly true as Mark says in some cultures. Horses for courses on this as far as I’m concerned rather than strict rules and definitely not scripted please!

Posted by Trevor Gay at May 17, 2007 3:43 PM

Steve,

Being a veteran bartender, the only reason I had a busy bar was because everyone knew my name. Even better I knew theirs. In my experience all people really want is to trust the person they are dealing with and from a sales point of view, when I introduce my self there is an immediate connection and they always stayed longer, spend more & my favorite tip extremely well. Between all of the bartenders that would be working at any given night we would know the names of every patron.

Posted by Matt at May 17, 2007 3:47 PM

The Long Suffering Wife and I were out for dinner last night, and our waiter had a line I had never heard before. He didn't start off with the usual "Hi, my name is Bob and I'm your waiter.", to which I usually say "Hi, my name is Brian and I'm your customer." Instead, he waited until he had told us the specials and as he was leaving he said "My name is Bob, unless you don't like something, in which case my name is Kevin." It got a laugh out of both of us.

Posted by Brian T at May 17, 2007 3:58 PM

I am a hard core traveler like some here might be. In speaking with the in-flight crew of my preferred airline (Continental) it seems that the sentiment is to not have their FAA/TSA required flight ID visible for a myriad of reasons not the least of which is that if a passenger is angry about delays, a bumpy ride or getting a middle seat on a 12-hour flight they are very apt to complain to the airline and blamr the flight attendent or flight deck crew. Granted the airlines can determine which complaints against personnel are legitimate and which are just sour grapes - but each time their names are mentioned it goes into the 'file'...

As far as the canned, "Hi - my name is _____ and I'll be taking great care of you this evening...." that just turns me off especially after hearing it at the other 8 tables around me.

As for me - I have such a horrid short-term memory I must admit that I typically forget someone's name mere moments after meeting them. Sad, but true.

Thanks for a great Blog Tom!

Posted by Stephen at May 17, 2007 4:11 PM

Steve,

I agree with your postulate. As a retail customer I try to use a person's name when I see it on a name tag or when someone introduces himself to me.

Your post was a topic of discussion in my service marketing class today. One of the students, a sub sandwich assembler in a franchised shop, wears a company supplied name badge. He said he is usually surprised when some greets him by name. Being intrigued by the question, he plans to introduce himself to some customers on his shift this evening to see how they respond.

Greetings we give or receive are part of the intangibles of service transactions. I'm looking forward to the continued discussion.

Posted by Shular Scudamore at May 17, 2007 4:20 PM

Flexibility is the key... so org's need to provide their staff with this skill, name now, not in five mins, because it depends on the person, maybe the name is used a bit later in the conversation, "Hey how are you... great! you want tomatoes? good we have those over here, by the way I'm Wayne and I will be taking your cash in exchange for our premium tomatoes today..."

Posted by Steve Gray at May 17, 2007 7:11 PM

Hello Steve...

I personally repeat the name of the waitress/waiter when she/he introduces him/herself so I can learn it, and I introduce myself too... and obviously in a sincere way.

It is nice to see his/her reaction, as they are not used to this. Some waitresses/waiters even take some time later to drop by my table more often to check how are we doing and to chat for a little while.

Does having name tags help? well, at least you'll see the name in case you have a complaint about the service.

Now... what about having YOUR name (as a customer) forced out of you in order to serve you (a-la-Starbucks)?

G Salcido

Posted by G Salcido at May 17, 2007 9:24 PM

For me it depends if the person means it or not - if it is a corporate instruction then I am against it - it's not real.

Quite frankly I have absolutely no reason or desire to know the name of the person serving me. If I am being served food I expect the staff to be part of an invisible well oiled machine so I can enjoy the meal with the people I actually turned up with.

By the way, are serving staff trained to ask you if you are enjoying your meal timed to the exact moment that you have just taken a huge mouthful?!?

Also - I hate cold callers for instance believing they can use my christian name.

Posted by PaulH at May 18, 2007 2:38 AM

My perspective is that there is no better way to live life than on a personal level with all I come in contact with. That means knowing a persons name . . . and as much about their personal life as they feel comfortable revealing to me. I find that taking time to introduce myself to any person serving me in any capacity - and asking their name so that I can address them on a personal level - creates mutual respect and a bond that lasts through the relationship whether it is short . . . or long term.

Posted by Al at May 18, 2007 2:51 AM

Well said Paul H - agree with your every word – realism rules!

Two more things that mildly irritate:

1 Those allegedly ‘helpful staff’ in clothes stores who approach me when I’m obviously trying to browse only and I’m doing my level best to avoid eye contact. They still insist on asking ‘Can I help you?’

2 Those staff behind the counter who look me in the eye and say ‘Next please’ as I stand in an orderly queue anyway … I can work it out without being told .. honest … I really can!!

I guess I really must get out more :-)

Posted by Trevor Gay at May 18, 2007 4:20 AM

I think it's a brand and culture thing rather than a universal truth. Why does providing a name make anything "better"? True good service should not depend on a quasi-personal relationship, just on doing a great job of anticipating what the customer wants and providing it excellently. If your brand is built on a high degree of "chat" with customers, by all means stress the first name bit. However, unequivocally (as in simply miles ahead of the rest) the best service I've ever had in a restaurant - in France - was done on the basis of Mesdames, Messieurs, M Le Patron, Garcon. No names, and yet the perfect attentive experience.

Posted by Rob at May 18, 2007 5:35 AM

I think it helps. Though I'm not very fond of being interrupted, as Trevor argues,or being treated as if the employee and I were intimate friends, it is thankful to know the name of the person.

Posted by Felix Gerena at May 18, 2007 7:11 AM

Another consideration is the experience of the person wearing a name tag. Unless the entire organization embraces and practices the philosophy of approachability by wearing name tags themselves, those on the "front lines" often feel dehumanized by the name tag.

I learned this as I am wearing a name tag every day this year as I founded the The Name Tag Project. A technique I use to humanize the experience as a too introduce myself first. I level the playing field and help foster a positive experience for both. A customers experience also has a lot to do with the customer.

Joseph Porcelli
www.thenametagproject.com

Posted by Joseph Porcelli at May 18, 2007 8:54 AM

Just to contradict what I wrote above there are exceptions

I used to go to a pie shop/restaurant called Sweeny & Todd. It was a pretty basic establishment (good nosh and plenty of it) The person serving would sit on the bench next to you and start with "right my darlings what do you want" - That worked - it was her larger than life personality - above all it was real.

Posted by PaulH at May 18, 2007 9:47 AM

As I said before Paul - your 'realism' is refreshing - thanks. BTW I know pie shops like Sweeny and Todd - for instance have you been to 'Filthy McNasties' Dartmouth, Devon?

Posted by Trevor Gay at May 18, 2007 10:39 AM

"Better" is loosely coined. Name tag's mean nothing, but is useful in certain cultures.

I think regardless of where one is and local culture. I can bet you a dime, that a smile is welcome sign in any language and culture :)-

Teaching people to genuinely smile is not possible. It just comes from the heart, and that's why service orient/ front line staff need to have that 'helpful, cheerful' attitude, which makes a smile - positive , warm and welcoming.

Name tags can;t do that !!

Posted by /pd at May 18, 2007 11:02 AM

An interesting coincidence on energy and customer relations:

Yesterday I happened to be in a Bon Ton store (in NJ, USA) picking up a gift for my husband. Large box, heavy, prices not marked so I needed help. While the employee was definitely helpful and did everything technically correct (located the item, looked up prices, rang me up and carried it to my car), it was like talking to a sheet of cardboard. No energy, no smile, no personality of any kind. Certainly no introduction, and no name tag. Did my best to be enthusiastic (not bouncy), maybe somehow I could make his day. Not sure if it worked, but you can't go wrong with putting good energy out.

PS... the canned, required "hello my name is" is not good energy. It has to come from good intention, or else the recipient will realize it is false. You can feel it, we've all been there.

Posted by Gayle at May 18, 2007 12:19 PM

One last thing on nametags and approachability:

Check out
http://hellomynameisscott.blogspot.com/index.html

I'm sure some of you have visited his site.
Scott Ginsberg has made a career of wearing a nametag and lecturing/authoring on approachablity. He's even gone to the extent of tattoing a nametag. Yikes!

Posted by Gayle at May 18, 2007 12:28 PM

Not always a good idea. I was at a big box computer store last week. The tech who helped me decided to add a bit of "flair" to his nametag and had become "dirty Sam". Not exactly the image the store was hoping to promote.

Posted by .sly at May 21, 2007 6:48 AM

I know I'm a bit late to the party, but I couldn't resist...

I'll echo Matt's sentiments about being a bartender. Having tended bar for some time, I, too, came to know the names of nigh every guest that would be in the restaurant. However, this was not done with nametags, or scripted introductions. I tried with every interaction to get them to want to know my name, and ask. At that point, it was perfectly acceptable to ask them their name (which also let me know how they preferred to be addressed). Additionally, I was always shooting for the goal of them asking what other nights I worked, so that they would be sure of having me as their bartender the next time they showed up.
I do feel that it is a tricky situation, and not always appropriate, to be on a first name basis. Not to sit on the fence, but I have to agree with the situational approach. If I were to lean to one side, I prefer the deeper feeling of connection that one gets from knowing a name (as opposed to anonymous service), but only when appropriate.

Just thought of another question: how many people know the first name of their doctors/dentists?

Posted by Nick Adams at May 21, 2007 7:22 AM

Surely, this topic has a cultural base.

In some countries, using each other's first names would be completely inappropriate. Some would even regard ANY reference to names as appropriate or even downright offensive.

But what might be more interesting, is to look at the conditions under which, actually knowing the sales- or serviceperson's name would be relevant.

WHEN is knowing the name valuable or just relevant to me?

The way I see it, it's only relevant should I need to reference this person in a conversation with a third party.

I can think of 2 situations where I would find it relevant to speak about a salesperson with a third party:

1) If that person was incompetent beyond belief - in which case, knowing the name is NOT beneficial to the company.

2) In case of EXCELLENT service, in which case the name is extremely relevant.

My preference is introducing yourself AFTER the sales- or service-situation, when some level of trust has already been established and the customer has already experienced some measure of satisfactory treatment.

Giving your name at first encounter does not build trust - not with me, anyway. A possible exception would be at a store where others have already built that trust, and this "new" person is standing on their shoulders.

The key is, that building trust generates a platform for selling that trust again!

"Hi, I'm Alan ... how may I help you?"

I don't need a friend at this point. I need somebody who can help me, and in a few seconds, "Alan" will explain, that since I'm looking for multicoloured Whatsamacallits, I need to talk to his collegue "Peter", who unfortunately is on the phone right now, but perhaps the floor manager "Lisa" can help?

I'm now stressed already, because I not only lack the proper assistance, but I am also expected to remember who is who in this company.

I don't need that.

"Thank you, sir. I hope you enjoy your stay/purchase. If you need anything, please dial extension 66 and ask for Alan"!

That sentence tells me that ...

a) All has been taken care of.
b) I can expect, that everything will be taken care of.
c) IF something - quite unexpectedly - HASN'T been taken care of, call ME, and I will make SURE, that things will be taken care of.

Focus on actually giving the customer a good experience, not pre-defining what a "good experience" is.

Posted by Lars Olufsen at May 21, 2007 7:45 AM

I always make a point of "reading" the name tag of someone attending me, and then thank them using their name..

Which is really rewarding.

I did that at Abu Dhabi Airport to one of the immigration officials.. and got a big smile and a "Welcome to Abu Dhabi" from her. I assure you, this does not happen often with immigration officials.

Posted by Arun Sadhashivan at May 21, 2007 9:00 AM

I was in a Carrabba's restaurant (informal dining) where the waitstaff is instructed to write their name on the paper table covering. They can use a marker, pen, pencil or crayon, thus allowing some personality to come out in the signature. This way, if we should need the name, it is there.

I enjoy service that puts a little emotion and flair into their offering. I do, however, agree that name introduction is situational. I don't really want every salesperson at the car dealer coming up and introducing themselves, but I sure want to know the service manager's name when I take my care for service.

Posted by Rick Garcia at May 30, 2007 1:53 PM