Legal Commentary

Get off your phone. Thank you.

By Patrick J. Lamb

Along the lines of my last post on lessons from a scoundrel, I urge you to visit Brains on Fire and read On the people right in front of you. Eric Dodd was visiting a coffee shop named the Ugly Mug in Ypsilanti, Michigan--I'll let him pick up the story here:

When I went up to the counter to get my fix, I noticed something that caught my attention and made me smile.

They had this little sign on the register that said: 'Get off your phone! Thank you!'

On first glance it seemed like all of the other notes taped on registers by employees that are annoyed with phone-distracted customers not ordering and slowing traffic down in the morning caffeine rush.

Or maybe it was getting at something deeper. Either way, it made me think.

You see, the Ugly Mug takes a lot of pride in their coffee, but they take even more pride in their baristas. I had a chance to meet one of them - he knew incredible amounts about coffee, matching tastes, roasting, tasting, testing and crafting incredible beverages. They don't just pour coffee and make lattes - they're experts. And they want to do everything they can to match a drink to your palette that will blow you away.

Okay, makes sense so far.  To provide a great experience, the baristas want to be able to talk to you so they can provide a custom experience.  Great.  Works for me.  But Eric goes further:

I think sometimes we get so busy staying connected to other people we know through the electronic devices that have become necessary in our lives that oftentimes we miss the people right in front of us. In fact, we don't only miss them - we miss out on them. Bad customer service aside, face-to-face interactions are one of the most powerful things we can experience - personally or when we're interacting with a brand. If I had been calling, texting, emailing, tweeting, etc. while I was ordering coffee, I might have missed out on one of the coolest baristas I've met - and consequently his guidance to one of the best espressos that I've ever had.

Let us focus on the value of personal contact.  Put the phone down.  Invest in real contact.

Full post as published by In Search of Perfect Client Service on March 07, 2010 (boomark / email).