What? He’s the only guy on the bus I know.

Familiarity doesn’t breed contempt, it breeds hospitality.

When people are better friends, better service happens naturally.

Because it’s not a nametag, it’s a permission slip.

It’s funny, companies stress the importance of having employees wear nametags. But what if their customers wore nametags? That would add a whole new layer of humanity to the interaction.

Reminds me of riding the hotel shuttle during a snowstorm. It was midnight. The weather was unbearable. Everyone on the bus was delayed. As the last passenger lugged his bags onto the rack, he noticed there was only one seat left. Covered in snow, the guy said:

Scott, do you mind if I sit next to you?

Everyone on the bus laughed. And as the man sat down, he looked up and said this.

What? Scott’s the only guy on the bus I know.

Proving, that names reduce the distance between people. And with a nametag, it’s an unmasking. It assures that the customer is no longer just another face in the crowd. It humanizes them. And it makes it easier for employees to treat that person with dignity, respect, and compassion.

It’s an invitation for personalization.

Most companies miss this. They obsess over offering better customer service, but fail to see the big picture about the actual relationship. The purpose of a nametag isn’t to enable customers to tattle on someone who gives poor service. The purpose of nametag is to reduce the distance. To help service providers become better friends with customers, that way better service happens naturally.

This happens to me on a daily basis. Everyone from bartenders to flight attendants to baristas to cashiers at the adult toy shop. My interaction with them, when compared to the other anonymous customers, seems to be more connected, more joyful and more efficient.

It may just be my sparkling personality, but in a double blind study, my guess is that labeled customers would receive better service than unmarked ones. 

LET ME ASK YA THIS…
What if you were the only guy on the busy they know?