Etiquette

An article I just read reflecting on corporate governance after the banking crisis (in Belgium they coined a particularly cynical term to it - the code Lippens - yes that Lippens), states that "..in the end, each procedure needs to be developed and followed by..humans".

I had an interesting meeting today with a mystery shopping company. As one division of my dept is involved in measuring customer experience and satisfaction, we routinely unleash (trained) pseudo-customers on our point of sales to check how they receive customers, detect needs and drive sales.

Interestingly, introducing yourself properly, giving a warm welcome, developing a genuine interest in a customer, and - of course - making a lasting impression showing him/her the way out, are behaviors that require intensive training programs to institutionalize. The new trend in the automotive industry is even to have the mystery shopper reveal himself and provide feedback and coaching on the spot.

Wait a minute, "introduce yourself", "open the door" "show interest",.. ?? If you look at it, the company is actually paying to teach employees what our parents should already have taught us - basic etiquette. Food for further thought. For those unfamiliar with etiquette: I havent't introduced myself, so you can find your way out and take this along:

"Etiquette tells one which fork to use. Manners tells one what to do when your
neighbor doesn't"