Employees on the Telephone. Are You Kidding Me?

OK, brace yourself, this is a RANT!

Every now and then, something happens in a business situation that just makes me crazy. Sometimes it's the simplest thing—something that is so basic you would never even give it a thought if you were a business owner, yet it can affect the business in a profound way.

Let me ask you a question: "Do your employees know where they work?" Or should I rephrase that as: "Do your employees know where on the surface of the planet they are standing?"

Here's what happened to me: I was in a town that I was a little familiar with but still did not have a full knowledge of. I had been trying to buy a certain product from a certain store that I knew was the only one that carried it, but all the stores in that chain in my area were back-ordered. So while away, I took the opportunity to call information, get the number of the local branch and call them.

"Yes," the guy on the phone line said, "We do have that product in stock."

"That's great!" I said, "I'll be right over!"

This is where the whole thing fell apart: I asked him where the store was located. He replied, "I don't really know, I'm new in town."

I asked him how he managed to get to work and he said that he could find the place but he couldn't describe that to me! And there was no one else there with him that could assist.

This is a town of about 15,000 people—it's not New York! I was going to spend about $300 in that store but as I never found it, that sale was lost. Now this may seem basic, but shouldn't an employee, who is trusted, and supposedly competent enough to take charge of a retail store on his own, be expected to not only know the merchandise but where the hell the store is actually located?

When I got home, I looked it up on Google and guess what—the store was just two blocks from where I made the call! A stupid employee can really run your business reputation down and lose you money—so "hire" beware!

Does anyone out there have any stupid employee stories to share?