That Could Have Been Easy

I got a few things printed at Staples the other day.

I used their convenient same-day printing option and though I didn't get an email saying my items were ready, I did call and ask, and they said they had my stuff.

When I walked into the store—I've been there many times before—I headed straight for the print area.

When I got there, I noticed there were two separate lines, and only one person was working at the time.

Let's bookmark this as opportunity one.

I stood in the shorter of the two lines and waited.

Shortly afterward, another employee came and started to help the folks in my line.

I didn't hear what the person in front of me asked, but all I noticed is that he asked a question and then went and stood in the other line.

When it was my turn, I said I was there to pick something up, and the employee said that I was in the line for "shipping" and that I needed to be in the other line.

Opportunity two.

After waiting for a while, I was next in my new line.

Then yet another employee came over (three in total now) and they asked what I needed help with.

I said I was there to pick up a print order, they asked for my last name, opened a drawer directly in front of them (less than two feet from the first employee I interacted with), and handed me the package.

They then asked me to check that everything was ok and sign a piece of paper after I had verified everything. They then let me do that while they turned to the next customer.

The next customer needed something laminated, so they took the item over to the lamination machine, during which time I was done my verification and now just left standing there in limbo, waiting for one of three possible employees to just look at me so that I could hand them a piece of paper and leave.

Call this opportunity three.

Eventually, the employee I hadn't interacted with yet finished helping a customer, and turned to me for a half second. I took my chance, said I was done, and they gave me the all clear to leave.

All in all, I would not categorize this as a poor customer experience. Everyone who I interacted with was nice enough and I wasn't in a massive rush.

I would however, categorize it as a failure in empathy.

***

Let's look at each opportunity in turn.

Opportunity one: Don't you find it highly ironic that a store literally known for printing things, couldn't print a simple sign denoting which line is for what? There was no signage to be found in either line.

Opportunity two: The employee knew I was there to pick up a print order and I am simply not willing to believe that they didn't know how to retrieve print orders. Mine was literally sitting two feet from their hands, in a drawer, with my last name on the package.

Opportunity three: If the employee helping me had waited an extra 15 seconds before turning to the next customer or even before turning away from me and heading to the lamination machine, they could have easily avoided me experiencing that strange limbo period.

***

Empathy is looking through someone else's eyes and trying to imagine how they might see the world.

It sounds complicated.

It doesn't need to be.

Try it.