Words mean something.
Words matter.
What we say has important outcomes.
The curmudgeon in me may be coming out here, but I’m seeing a sad trend in human interaction: The Not a Problem Syndrome or NAPS. It afflicts the more youthful members our society although it is creeping into the more senior members as well.
What is the Not a Problem Syndrome or NAPS? It’s the default response between two people where when one person says “thank you” the other responds with “not a problem” or “no problem.”
The beef I have with this issue comes when a representative of a business says this to a customer. I was raised to be polite. I’ll often say “thank you” to an individual from whom I’ve purchased a product or service. Nine times out of ten these days I get the NAPS response from them.
I’m the customer—of course it’s not a problem!
“Not a problem” is an appropriate response if I’ve asked someone to do something for me in a non-business/customer setting where it does require something from him or her. If I’m purchasing a product or service from a business, it’s not an inconvenience. Providing that product or service is the reason the business exits.
Create a Culture That Prohibits NAPS
Enterprise Rent-A-Car and Chick-Fil-A are examples of two companies that have created a culture that serve customers the right way. They both employ young people, but I haven’t heard any of their employees respond to a customer with NAPS.
I rented a car from Enterprise last week at the Des Moines, Iowa airport. The employees were warm, polite, and enthusiastic. They acted like they genuinely appreciated my business. When I habitually said thank you, they gave me a hearty “You’re Welcome.”
Chick-Fil-A has created a culture for customer-employee interaction that far exceeds their competition in the fast-food industry. You’re considered a guest and are treated like one. If you say “thank you” to a Chick-Fil-A employee the response you get is “It’s my pleasure!” Wow!
Do you want to stand out from your competition? Take a huge step in that direction by creating a culture that eliminates NAPS and focuses on enthusiastic, positive words that make customers feel great. Words matter. Words mean something. What words represent your business?
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