I was in line at Staples the other day. The cashier was fantastic. One of those “people person”, customer service oriented people you don’t even need to train to handle patrons. As we stood in a growing line, she called out over the intercom. “All cashiers to the front please.”

“I’m sorry guys, this thing is so slow!” The crème color of the terminal and look on her face gave away the age and the speed or lack there of on her station. “All cashiers to the front please!”

“This system gives me anxiety, you know.”

Visibly stressed, even though moments earlier, when it was calm, she was a rock star, I felt for her as she went through obligatory, “do you have a Staples card”? “Would you like one?” In her voice you could tell she hoped for a “No Thank You”, as she didn’t have the time nor the speedy process to get it done and keep the line moving.

I’m not saying all Staples are like this, I love Staples. Perhaps it was a slow system day. My point it is, I watched a fantastic asset to the company turn into a ball of stress, and even though still pleasant, not happy in her job.

Streamline and evaluate your workflow. It’s more than just the money saved or lost. It’s the talent you work so hard to find and train. And the customers, you so desperately need, to keep you in business.

Written by Bret Erickson of Passkey Computer Services

http://www.passkeyinc.com @passkeycs