customer service, revisited

A while back I posted about my experience with Comcast and their customer service, Within moments of that post going live they had responded to my commentary on their organization. I was shocked (hello, I only have 5 readers!) and surprised and impressed that they would take the time to comment on a blog post regarding their organization. But, more importantly, they proved to me that even if I have had many frustrations with Comcast (honestly, that last post only skimmed the surface of my frustration with them) they are at least paying attention to what is being said about them. I'm amazed at the number of businesses that aren't aware of what is being said about them.

Until yesterday, I had never been to Spark--a Provo establishment that has been getting quite a bit of buzz. I've read reviews, heard good things, but just had never given it a try. Well, the other day I finally took the opportunity to try Spark. Let's just say I was underwhelmed. From the moment I arrived, I felt as if I was more of a nuisance than a guest they were glad to have.  (You'd think that with fewer than 10 people dining there in the close to 2 hours I was at lunch, they'd be thrilled to have some patrons--apparently, the rest of Provo knew something I didn't). I arrived a couple of minutes after my dining partner and we were the only two people in the restaurant. Yet, it still took the only worker (part hostess, part server) 5 minutes to come over and acknowledge us and finally offer us a table. When she did offer a table she mumbled and gestured toward an area of the restaurant as she walked past us to grab some menus. When she came back by, I told her I had no idea what she was saying or where she was gesturing for us to sit. I finally figured out that she was trying to tell us that we could pick a seat near the pillar, but that was certainly not clear to me from the beginning. While I appreciate being able to select a table when the restaurant is empty, it is still nice to feel like you are at the very least welcome in the restaurant (I didn't then or ever during that meal feel welcome at Spark) Needless to say, this lunch was off to a rocky start!

We were seated, poured water and given a few minutes to review the menu. Because I will typically do a quick internet search of a new restaurant before visiting, I knew Spark offers a daily 3 course lunch special. Our server didn't mention to us 1) that there was a lunch special or 2) what that day's special was--apparently, it was on a board in the front of the restaurant (and upon entering the restaurant, I walked right past and didn't even notice). My dining partner, on the other hand (who had dined there before and was obviously more aware of the strange protocol) told me what the day's special was (my dining partner, NOT our server; a task I would expect of any good server) and we both decided to go with the lunch special. The first course arrived--what we were told was apple soup. When we both inquired if there was butternut squash in the soup, she informed us that she honestly didn't know what was in it and said, more than once, "oh, its apple soup!"  (As a foodie, trust me there was some sort of squash in that soup!) The remainder of the meal proceeded without incidence. Our server was polite when we moved tables because of the horrible glare from the large windows overlooking University Avenue (however, since we were the only people in the restaurant when we were seated, it would have been nice if she would have seated us away from the glare! But, I forget, she didn't actually seat us nor recommend an ideal place to sit) Overall, it wasn't a terrible experience (the company was at least fantastic!), but it certainly wasn't a great experience either. Immediately after finishing my lunch, I posted to my Twitter account questioning if I should or shouldn't try Spark again.

had lunch @sparkprovo today. first time there & not very impressed. poor service & the food was only ok. is it worth another try? 2:44 PM Apr 27th via web  

Now, I don't have a huge Twitter following, so its not like my opinion is truly going to make or break their business. However, I did get one reply from a friend stating that now she didn't see the need to ever try Spark. And, there's no telling how many people who didn't reply to my Tweet will never try Spark based on my 140 character review; or the number of people they will tell of my Spark experience.

The funniest part, I actually tweeted my experience at Spark as a bit of a test. I wanted to see what kind of response I got from my Twitter followers--had someone else tried Spark and loved it and I just went on a bad day? Was my experience "the norm" and I definitely shouldn't give them another try? And, I intentionally found Spark's Twitter handle and mentioned them via Twitter protocol to see if they would even notice and respond to my "unimpressed" discussion of their restaurant. Well, as I expected, I received no response from Spark. I shouldn't be shocked, because as I (and many of my friends) have noticed, customer service seems to be dead! While it would have been nice for them to take notice of my mediocre review I truly wasn't expecting. However, it does make me wonder are other people posting bad (or even good) reviews of this place and they aren't taking notice? After all, if you're going to have a business Twitter account shouldn't you be monitoring it and using it for the betterment of your organization?

There is a chance I'll give Spark another try, but I'll likely have to be talked into it by someone who's had a much better experience there than I have!