Testing Courtesy

Testing Courtesy

The generally accepted theory today is that the common courtesy of yesteryear has faded in direct proportion to the rapid increase in our schedules.  If you could identify that a high level of courtesy at your place of business would give you a competitive advantage, would you train your employees for it?

In general (non-scientific) terms, I submit that courtesy remains healthier in the small towns than in large centres.   Yes, we all know each other and therefore we are obliged to say hello on the street or wave to every vehicle we recognize, but does this carry over to newcomers or those passing through?  I am going out on a limb here and maintain that we still rank higher on the friendly scale than our city cousins, but there has been a decline overall.

However, there are common courtesies that we should all practice daily, and if they become habits they will have a positive effect on those around us (enthusiasm and friendliness are contagious) and the spinoff is that people will want to be around us more frequently and will remember our businesses as having offered quality products with exemplary service.

The following common courtesy ideas (reminders) are not intended as admonishment for a past infraction – as my girls will attest, they were commonly read the riot act from our 753-page Etiquette Book if they were caught licking a knife or (ugh!) drinking from a bowl – it is more a checklist of the basics that are most apt to fall by the way as our lives become more hectic and impersonal:

·      noticing when someone is approaching a door to a building at the same time as you and holding the door open for him/her to enter first

·      giving compliments when another has done a good job

·      returning phone calls and emails in a timely manner (whether it is “no thank you” or “yes, maybe”)

·      being available to others without making them feel like they are imposing (it only costs time!)

·      thanking your customers

·      arriving on time or early for meetings and appointments (when I worked at The Brick, we were considered late if we did not punch in 10 minutes early – Vince Lombardi time, google it)

What other basic principles of courtesy were you taught (it occurs to me that my girls may be the only ones in the community able to differentiate between the uniforms of a butler and a chauffeur, thanks to Elizabeth Post.)  See how I thanked her there - that was me being courteous…let’s all brush up.  Hey, it might rub off on our city cousins.