Unprofessionalism

[Mark]

As I've had to endure the unprofessionalism of about six different individuals/companies in the past ten days or so, I thought I'd take this opportunity to vent spleen about what is arguably my biggest pet hate.

It's always been my belief that when one is in business of any kind, one should endeavour to be as professional as practically possible. Yet, mystifyingly, in today's world, professionalism appears to be in short supply, in hiding, or in decline. This seems to be as true when one is an aggrieved consumer seeking recompense for the inconvenience caused by the incompetence of a firm, as when one is in business for oneself and has to deal with the laziness/stupidity/ignorance/disinterestedness of one's partners or suppliers.

Why should this be? If one advertises a service, one should be able (and willing) to fulfil their obligations in respect of their advertisement, no? Clearly not. The watchwords of today would seem to be 'pass the buck' ... or simply 'stall and hope they forget to chase you'.

I shan't bother you with the details of the various unprofessionalisms I've encountered recently, but I'd be interested to hear whether or not any of you get as tightly wound up about this subject as I. I know it shouldn't bother me, but I keep returning to the idea that if I treated my clients the way some of them (and a good number of businesses, large and small) have treated me over the years, I'd be destitute in about a month. Why can't businesses deliver on their promises without fobbing you off when things go wrong? Is honesty and a good old-fashioned 'sorry', plus a commitment to rectify the situation, not acceptable in today's world? It appears not, at least in the cases of some individuals and organisations.

[head-case]

With no information about what sort of unprofessional behavior you have experience, your complaint has no tangible meaning.  Who would argue that businesses should be unprofessional?

[Mark]

With no information about what sort of unprofessional behavior you have experience, your complaint has no tangible meaning.  Who would argue that businesses should be unprofessional?

Everything from people saying they'll complete work by a certain date, to firms not settling my invoices long after they're due, to companies apportioning blame to each other because the wrong goods were sent to me, to other companies not bothering to answer my questions about their shoddy service, to ... the list is endless.

[Great Gable]

Everything from people saying they'll complete work by a certain date, to firms not settling my invoices long after they're due, to companies apportioning blame to each other because the wrong goods were sent to me, to other companies not bothering to answer my questions about their shoddy service, to ... the list is endless.

Nothing new there Mark. It's all part of the general malaise of "I couldn't care less"

[Mark]

Nothing new there Mark. It's all part of the general malaise of "I couldn't care less"

Tell me about it.

[Gurn Blanston]

May I suppose that this is a practical application of Sean's Law then?   



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Now playing:

Moscheles Piano Concerti - Tasmanian SO / Shelley  Shelley - Moscheles Concerto #3 in g for Piano Op 58 1st mvmt - Allegro moderato

[Mark]

May I suppose that this is a practical application of Sean's Law then?  

Sean's Law being ...

[Gurn Blanston]

Sean's Law being ...

Ah, you've been somehow fortunate enough to miss the "World is going to sh!t" thread then? Lucky git!



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Now playing:
Moscheles Piano Concerti - Tasmanian SO / Shelley  Shelley - Moscheles Concerto #3 in g for Piano Op 58 3rd mvmt - Allegro agitato

[Mark]

Ah, you've been somehow fortunate enough to miss the "World is going to sh!t" thread then? Lucky git!

Saw it, passed it up.

[knight66]

I saw that thread also. Grim reading really. Mark, yes, I can empathise. I have a lot of time wasted by at least one outfit that makes constant errors that I have to chaise up. Teeth grindingly frustrating.

Mike

[RebLem]

Mark,

My niece and her husband live in Amherst, NY, a suburb of Buffalo about 15 mi from the Canadian border.  It took them a little over a year to get their kitchen remodeled after they bought a house and hired a contractor.

I don't know the reason these things happen on your side of the pond.  Probably the same as here, though.  You might be dealing with a total ripoff artist who is bent on fraud, but usually that is not the case.  What usually happens here is that the contractor is undercapitalized and taking too much money out of operations for living expenses, perhaps also taking too much personal time off and having to hire people to work for him, which raises his costs.  The usual deal here on a remodel project is half the money up front, the rest on completion.  So what they do is they use the money you give them to finish somebody else's job, then use the payoff money from that to help you, or, at least, the next person in line that they have waiting.  Usually, they'll do a little bit of work every week to assure you they are not total fly-by-night artists, but lots of time it takes over a year to do something which really wouldn't take more than a couple weeks if they were working only on that.

[George]

Why should this be? If one advertises a service, one should be able (and willing) to fulfil their obligations in respect of their advertisement, no? Clearly not. The watchwords of today would seem to be 'pass the buck' ... or simply 'stall and hope they forget to chase you'.

For whatever reason, many people (all over the world apparently) cannot be counted on. One of the reasons why I would help you (and a number of other members here) at the drop of a hat is because I know you would do the same for me. To put it plainly, no matter what you are doing (from what I have seen) you simply don't fuck around. Unfortunately, the majority of people I meet just aren't like that. Call it a decline in maturity, poor work ethics or just plain not caring about what one does, the result is the same, shitty work. I read once that people are expected to act mature (you could substitute professional here IMO) but not actually be mature. I certainly empathasize with you and hope that you don't become discouraged enough to join the half-asses, as I like to call these people. The world needs people like you, Mark. 
 

[Mark]

Y'know, George, even when I used to work in a low-paid retail job, I always had it in my head that once you sign an employment contract agreeing that you'll do X, Y or Z during your working day, then you DO X, Y or Z. My answer to those colleagues who couldn't care less and just wanted a wage was always the same: 'If you can't do the job and don't like what you're being asked to do, you shouldn't have signed the f**king contract.'

[Montpellier]

Completely in agreement.  When you sign your acceptance of a job you sign your willingness to submit to the organisation's rules.

"Service" has been erased in the interest of profits.   The Service Industry is about standardisasation, providing it on a conveyor belt (that is, a call centre staffed with lowly people who by their position in the outfit can do almost nothing except change details on a computer screen).  That's why the hopelessly inefficient privatised public utilities in the UK are claimed more efficient than the originating public public utilities.  How can 20 water supply companies with their separate boards of directors, senior management teams, billing systems, IT departments, be more efficient than just one board, one IT system and department and so on?   There are several answers but the big one is the erasure of customer service.   Pre-Thatcher, customer service cost around 50% of the utility's outgoings - it had shops in the High Streets of all major towns.  One could visit the shops, pay bills, raise queries that (from what I hear) were usually sorted out; buy related products, make special arrangements, a hundred things that can't be done reliably via call centres.   So that's where service has gone: cut it out and you save about 50% of your operating costs.  Efficiency has nothing to do with privatisation as such.

Here in the UK we hear reports that customers (if that word continues to have meaning) on hold on the phone for 8 hours trying to contact British Telecom about their telephone service; engineers failing to turn up at the appointed time, billing errors.   There was a time one could dial 100, reach an operator, be connected to people who could help... no longer.   BT is not alone.   

I've never thought it professionalism as such, simply people meeting the terms of their agreements plus a little good will.  At times I've read the terms and conditions of a supplier - I always do - and wanted something changed which they inevitably refuse.   So I don't buy it.   If they can't meet my terms and conditions of purchase then I go somewhere else or simply don't buy the merchandise.   There's always an alternative.   

Another annoyance is commercial swindling underlying service.   There's a bike service garage close by that is known to introduce future faults to ensure future business.  The repair will be done....then a month down the line you find some new fault.  On inspection you realise it's probably been set up. 

Recently I sat in on an new intake induction in a retail outfit.  The HR person running the introductory session invited participant views on several matters.  One was "what do you think of customers?"   Not one person articulated anything like customers were the most important people in the business.  Without them you have no business.

The Luddites were right.  Give people artisanship, a role in society, work of which they can be proud.  Then we'll get service. 

   

[Mark]

Excellent post, Anacho. I particularly agree about the 'erasure of customer service'. How true, and how sad.

I, too, have my own terms and conditions. When I see something advertised that is of interest or of use to me - a service or a product - I expect to get what I pay for if . It's naive, but I trust that the promise will be fulfilled. When it isn't (and this is happening more and more these days), I complain, then judge the product seller or service provider on how well and how quickly they rectify the problem. Should I be satisfied with their correction of any given issue, I'll use them in the future. If I'm left severely wanting, I vote with my wallet and go elsewhere. And on top of this, I never go back - and I also make sure as many people as possible hear about my experience. Which brings me on to my own retail training: we were taught that if a customer receives great service, they'll tell up to four people about it. If they receive shitty service, they tell twice as many. It makes good business sense, therefore, not to promise what you can't deliver ... or, where appropriate, not to properly rectify your mistakes when these occur. But no, businesses these days seem to confuse turning a profit with taking the piss. Trust me, they'll pay for it in the end.

[маразм1]

project managers are unbelievable ditzes!!

[Great Gable]

we were taught that if a customer receives great service, they'll tell up to four people about it. If they receive shitty service, they tell twice as many.

Someone needs to advertise that fact more widely methinks

[Mark]

Someone needs to advertise that fact more widely methinks

To be honest, I thought this already was common knowledge. I was taught it back in 1990.

[Montpellier]

You hit it right on, there, Mark.  In the longer term it matters: an offended customer has 20 friends - so does a satisfied one.  I also agree about judging a supplier on their ability to recover a problem.  Important to the small business.

Not so sure about the mass market though - is it due to the "world" becoming a more bewildering place, or because clients are afraid to complain or simply don't care, that these values seem to apply far less?  Could it be that people talk to each other less so don't discuss their interactions with business?  Considering an outfit such as (for the sake of propriety here, let's call it) Computer Planet - they have a continual stream of customers yet their aftersales service is crap, as is their interest and concern for customers getting what they need.  So I suppose computers are exceptional - buyers are probably bewildered and unwitting.  When something doesn't work as specified they aren't in a position to formulate questions.  So they let it go. 

A sad world indeed where many clients are puppets dominated by the consumerist high-priesthood.   But that takes me into the world of marketing/advertising so I'll push my soapbox back under the sofa tout de suite!     
 

[greg]

  How can 20 water supply companies with their separate boards of directors, senior management teams, billing systems, IT departments, be more efficient than just one board, one IT system and department and so on? 

i think that explains most of it...... if it's a big company with tons of employees, most likely most of them won't really want to work there, making hard to care about their job. So they give up and don't care at all, which is of course wrong, but i'm just saying it's harder to want to do their job in the first place, which leads to the possibility of carelessness.