Customer Service in Education

Why every interaction matters to your students

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I know customer service.

It’s in my blood.

For 22 years, my parents owned several grocery stores. I’ve seen just about everything:

• shoplifters (too many to count)
• the “regulars” who always buy the same things (plus scratch tickets!)
• spring breakers who take over the beach
• homeless people who live in the back woods
• awesome people
• total jerks

There’s a lot more, but we’ll save that for another time. However, the one thing I was keenly aware of was customer service, both good and bad. I stressed this to the employees there, and you could tell who understood it and who was just there to take up space. Unfortunately, there were too many “warm bodies” in the grocery store business.

We did have some all-stars, though. They were rewarded with raises and recognition. I strived to take care of the customers as if they were my relatives. I wasn’t perfect, but I made it my mission.

I miss that store.

From 2006–2018, there was only one store left. The one on the Fort Myers Beach. We made a lot of friends and enemies there…