Regardless of what a lot of people think, customer service is not dead. To prove my point, just take a trip to any Chick-fil-A or In-N-Out restaurant. The kids who work in these always-busy fan favorites are universally joyful, helpful and clean-cut. I don’t mind waiting in line at either place just so I can observe the service-with-a-smile interaction between these take-home-to-meet-mom kids and their delighted customers. Both restaurants must have terrific training programs and strict hiring standards.
The public sector, on the other hand, has a lot of catching up to do. When was the last time you said to yourself, “I have an appointment at the DMV. It will be the highlight of my day,” or, “I’ve got to take these boxes to mail at the post office. I should be home in two hours.” There are, of course, exceptions. My wife’s business requires me to take packages to the Creekside Road post office almost every day, where I stack the packages neatly on the loading dock. Several years ago we met Marco Alvarez on the loading dock and he has proven to be, in my opinion, the poster boy for excellent customer service at the U.S. Postal Service. He always greets us with a smile and a request to help us in any way he can. When my wife delivers the packages, Marco unloads and stacks the boxes for her. He is a true gentleman. He is this congenial and helpful with the public and his fellow employees, who love and admire him. I actually look forward to post office visits just to talk with my friend.
And Marco is not just a smiling face. He is good at what he does. Because of his hard work, the loading dock is immaculate and expertly organized. He seamlessly helps process thousands of packages every day so they arrive on time. He takes pride in his work and that reflects on the oft-maligned USPS. He gives the post office a good name.
Every business should be lucky enough to have a Marco Alvarez.
Larry Moore
Valencia
