For years, every time I headed west on I-70, I would stop at the Dairy Queen in Quinter, Kansas. Upon entering was this little bald guy, named Leon, and his wife Char, who would always greet me with a smile. Service was above and beyond the call of duty, and whether I ordered a full meal or just a vanilla cone, I felt like I was the most important customer in the joint. Upon leaving they would always thank me for coming in, mention how much they appreciated my business, and always ask me to come back. I remember always feeling good when I left.

In Hays, Kansas there’s a little donut shop on 8th street that my wife, Ruth and I frequent every morning. I know that Brenda is up at 4 a.m. each day, and many times there’s sweat beads on her forehead from the toil of her work. But, again, there’s always a smile on her face and a cheerful “Good Morning.” Picking up coffee for my wife is sometimes a challenge for me, as not being a coffee drinker I cannot always remember what she orders. No problem- Brenda knows, and “Hold on just a minute, I think Ruth likes a little more cream in her coffee.”

I have seen Brenda treat each customer the same- many times addressing them by their name, knowing exactly what they want and exactly how they like their coffee. I would also imagine, Leon, back in the day, had the very same respect for every customer that walked through his door-Very impressive!
I choose to mention this because there are many places I go where this is not the case.

In a world where people have many choices as to where they do business, including Internet services, it is so important that employees are properly trained to treat their customers with respect. “Yep” and “Nope” many times have replaced the more respectful “Yes Sir” and “No Ma’am.” Whether it is at a hospital, restaurant or retail store, it’s very easy for a customer to realize who is there just to clock in and out for the day, and who is genuinely concerned about who walks in their door.

Even simple things like eye contact seem to be a thing of the past. But rather than mention any of the bad experiences I’ve personally witnessed, I hope owners and managers of businesses will take the time to visit with their employees and discuss how to properly conduct business with their customers. Otherwise, there may be a time that that business is no longer in business and that’s not a good thing for our local economy.

Tim Schumacher represents Strategic Financial Partners in Hays.