Putting the Golden Rule back into Customer Service

On a recent trip I had a free day to be a tourist in Washington, DC, a city that I love and once resided in for more than 7 years. Unfortunately, it was expected to rain all day, so I decided like all the other tourists, to visit the museums and stay indoors.

My first stop was of course, the art museum, probably one of the most famous art museums in the country. The collection is world-renowned. It is revered in the museum and art community. How it came to be such a leader in the sector probably has more to do with name status, funding, location, and collection than anything else. So though we probably haven’t heard of them for their customer service reputation, I think most would assume that such a place would provide services worthy of its reputation. You have a certain level of expectation for such a famous museum.

After 15 years working in the museum sector I believe I have high expectations for customer service, but also a deep empathy and understanding of what is a reasonable expectation of a non-profit. I have high expectations for efficiency and service, but I also know that you can’t please everyone. As the Director of the visitor experience department and frontline team at a museum in a big city, I have the same high expectations of my own team. However, I know that we don’t always meet them. I know that my staff will take out their phone when they think no-one is looking. I know that my staff will on occasion say the wrong thing or provide sub-par service. I know this, because they’re human. We all have off days. I trust though, that we get it right more often than we get it wrong. I trust that the expectations that I have of my staff and the training I provide them with will far surpass the off days. The overwhelming majority of our visitors will get to see us at our best.

What I experienced at this famous art museum in DC, was, I hope, certainly not their best. I hope it was just an off day.

Photo by Erik Witsoe on Unsplash

After walking 3 blocks from the metro station, and stopping for coffee and a water bottle for my day in the city, I was met with a choice. Knowing that I couldn’t bring a coffee cup into the museum, do I walk a block out of my way to throw it in the visible trash bin, or do I walk inside to get out of the rain and hope that a bin is located within the main entryway? I took a chance and opted for the latter. I fold up my umbrella as I tumble inside, dripping wet, and umbrella in one hand, empty coffee cup in the other. “You can’t bring that in here!” I heard from my right. No greeting or soft intro like “Hi Ma’am”, “Excuse me”, or “Sorry, but”. Direct and to the point. I turned and said “Oh yes, I know. It’s empty. Is there a bin for it nearby?” “Here” she, I assume the visitor services greeter, points. Great. Thanks.

With that out of the way, I put my umbrella in a plastic bag so it wouldn’t drip everywhere and I start to walk toward Security. I got to the bag check station and opened my purse. The Security Guard barked back to me “You need to throw that away. No drinks in the galleries.” He was referring to the overpriced unopened water bottle I had purchased not 10 minutes before. I guess I’ve been in Miami too long, because restricting water would not work in 100 degree heat. Open drinks, soda, hot beverages, sure, I expect that those need to be kept out of the galleries. But water? I said “Really? I can’t leave it in my bag unopened?” “No, you can’t”. “Can I put it in coat check?” I asked, and he answered “Oh, yeah, that’s fine. It’s right there, I’ll watch you go in.” And he did. I’m nearly 40 and I’m under surveillance and in trouble for a confiscated water bottle. I wondered why he wouldn’t have provided the coat check option to me outright. Aren’t we trained in customer service to offer alternatives to just a ‘no’? Had he done that, I would’ve been grateful for the suggestion, not leaving the interaction feeling watched and untrusted.

Next stop was coat check. I walked in, took off my wet jacket and handed that and my umbrella to the woman behind the desk. I asked “Can I just put my water in the pocket of the jacket?” Well, I guess that question was too vague. “No, absolutely not. No water in the galleries, no exceptions.” And for the third time I was approached with what felt like angry suspicion. Listen. I understand that when you work with the public, you can sometimes feel like a record on repeat. You answer the same questions day after day. I believe one of the most important skills to learn in service is how to suppress that feeling and make every guest feel unique, like they are not the 50th one to ask you about a water bottle or where the restrooms are located. So even if this was a miscommunication, she could have just stopped and given me 10 additional seconds of her time and said “I’m sorry, do you mean to take it with you to the gallery? No, unfortunately we don’t permit that, but I can take it and leave it here for you until you return.” Doesn’t that sound nice? Doesn’t it make the guest feel like it was a unique interaction with them and not a recorded scolding? That didn’t happen. I asked it another way and let her know I meant that I wanted to leave the water in the jacket pocket that I was leaving in coat check. She said “Oh. Yeah, that’s fine.”

Within 5 minutes in the door, I had been yelled at 3 times.

My visit was already soured. What happened to romancing your visitors, slowing down to speak to them like humans and not using judgmental language laced with implications of guilt?

Inside the galleries I passed by 8 Security staff. Only 2 out of 8 were not on their phones. At one point I saw two guards standing together watching a video. One guard was having a phone call conversation on his apple watch. Another was trying to hide their phone with a piece of paper wrapped around it. This is one of my biggest pet peeves. If you work in customer service, and are in a public-facing position, you need to be available for your guests. If you are expected to be present and attentive to answer questions and protect the art, then you can’t be on your phone.

Two Security Guards on cell phones while on post in galleries.

After a bit of walking on my own, I joined a free guided tour. The guide was knowledgeable, but I wouldn’t say overtly welcoming or warm. She would finish a portion of her tour and then speed walk ahead of the group to avoid answering additional questions. We went into a room with a competing guide and there was an uncomfortable verbal exchange between them about who had a right to that space. While on the tour a Security Officer approached several of us and told us to wear our bags on our side. Not our front, like I had been doing for the past hour. Because I thought every museum I’ve visited before has asked me to keep my bag on my front. Nope, not here. A part of me was surprised but glad that a Guard actually said something. Of course, that also made me wonder why the 7 guards before him didn’t bother. (Funny enough, I visited the other large art museum in the city next, and they yelled at me for keeping my bag on my side. They prefer the front. I was 0 for 2 that day.)

Unfortunately, it seemed with the exception of the gift shop employee and the information desk volunteer, every other interaction that I had at the museum was negative. Each exchange left me feeling like I was doing something wrong. This is ironic, both because of my job and my rule-following life mission. I strive really hard to fall in line and fade to the background by following all the rules.

So what should you expect from one of the most famous art museums in the world? An amazing collection, healthy funding, a world renowned name and status? Yes. And what about a certain level of expectation for customer service? YES. Yes, I would expect that too. I think that the same high standard for the collection should be expected of your staff who are creating a safe space for viewing the collection. I don’t expect perfection. I do expect kindness, smiles, and proper communication.

So how could this experience have gone differently?

• A warm greeting, whether by customer service staff, Security, Volunteers, whoever. The first interaction should always be a pleasant one. “Welcome!” “We are happy you’re here!” “Thank you for thinking of us when we know you had other options!” That is the message that a simple smile and ‘hello’ can provide.
• Next, I understand the importance of security procedures and I wouldn’t expect going through that experience to feel like sipping warm hot cocoa under a blanket on a cold day. But do I expect Security at museums to treat us like we’re terrorists planning to hijack a plane and they are the TSA? No! Here’s a thought: let’s provide customer service training to our Security teams. Let’s expect that our Security teams treat our guests with kindness just like all other museum staff. I think it is possible for Security to do their job and do it well, without belittling our guests. Have you ever noticed that when the Boss/Director is in the room, staff will stand straight, look polished, with phones away, and are at their best. Why can’t that experience be the standard that we provide to all our guests, not just the boss? If Security approached every visitor with the level of respect that they provide to the head of the museum, then wouldn’t the experience be so much less daunting?
• Provide alternative solutions. I do this constantly in my work. “I’m sorry you missed the 11:30am tour because you hit traffic, but I’ll get you into the 12:30pm tour instead, will that work for you?” or “I’m sorry you can’t bring your coffee into the museum, you can finish it outside before entering and sit in our picnic area just to the right here, or you can leave it on the side next to the door and I’ll keep an eye on it for you.” You have to get creative and provide an alternative option for them. I get really annoyed when a customer service rep just says ‘no’ to me. I want all my options, and then I can decide which one I like best.
• How about rules and policies, how can we enforce that without assuming our guests are guilty of something? In my experience, 9 times out of 10, the guest doesn’t know the policy that they are breaking. When you approach them with accusations, they will go on the defense. If they didn’t know the policy, then how can they be expected to follow it? In this case, on my way out of the museum I saw a sign hanging in Coat Check that said “You are welcome to check water bottles, free of charge. Otherwise, please keep them concealed or contained at all times.” Uh……. excuse me, what? I got yelled at, TWICE, for having an unopened contained water bottle in my purse. Their posted rules say that I can keep it on me, but their staff say something different. It’s important to update signage and the website often. If you’re going to put it out for public view, then it needs to be updated. Do I need to see a sign that says “do not bring giraffes into the museum” to know that it wouldn’t be permitted? No. There doesn’t need to be a sign for everything, because how can we guess at every potential situation. But if the organization chooses to post a sign with policies, then that needs to be up to date. Otherwise, they’re just making it harder for their staff to properly enforce it.

Museum rules sign found in Coat Check upon exit.

• Staff need to be on the same page with enforcement. The first gallery Security staff I passed should have been present and alert and let me know without shaming me, that I need to keep my bag on my side.
• In customer service, words and tone are important. There is a huge difference between yelling across a crowded gallery “You, there. Keep your bags on your side, please” and walking over to the individual and privately saying, “Excuse me Miss, please keep your bag on your side to protect the artwork. Thank you.” In the first, you’re publicly embarrassing and shaming an individual for not knowing the rules. In the second, you’re being respectful to the individual and affording them the courtesy of not implicating guilt. This is so important! I once had a woman who emailed me to complain that a member of my team screamed at her for skipping the admissions line and embarrassed her in front of a long line of other guests. Instead of approaching her and having a private conversation where she could explain that she was struggling with a medical condition and was seeking a restroom asap, my staff person stayed seated, approximately 20 feet away and yelled, accusing her of skipping the line to avoid paying. The woman had an accident and couldn’t continue on with her visit. I was mortified when I heard about this. I felt so bad that she wasn’t treated with more kindness and understanding. Like a human, dealing with a human condition.

We all have off days and that’s ok. I think the customer service industry is having an off year, or year(s). That’s not ok. It seems like it never recovered after the pandemic. The service industry is changing and our expectations of service is not being met. Do I believe that the customer is always right? No. I do not believe that the customer is always right, but I do believe that the customer is always human and we in the service industry have to remember the golden rule, to treat them as we would like to be treated.