This is a story about two vastly different customer service experiences where technology either triumphed or crashed and burned.

On a recent trip out of town, in need of a good breakfast and coffee, we found a good-looking place with a warm-looking atmosphere. Great, I think. Let’s go in…

There was not a person or a sign telling us whether to sit or wait to be seated so we found our own table and sat down. Shortly after, a woman came over and as I started to ask for “Two cups of coffee, please”, she pointed to the placard in the middle of the table as an answer to my question.

Wow… now what?

On the placard was a QR code to access the menu and place an order. Again, I asked for coffee, and this time, she said, “You can put the order in on your phone and we will get it.”

I was thinking, can’t you just go get the coffee? And I’ll promise to add the coffee to our breakfast order when we place it via QR Code and phone? Because next up was ordering.

I scanned the QR Code and began scrolling through the tiny screen, trying to figure out what to order, selecting our items, and then checking out with—get this—the tip included in the order. Up front. It’s like being blackmailed, but based on an experience you haven’t even had yet. What if it’s not enough of a tip? Will they still bring me my food?

The food arrived, and at no time were we checked on by the staff to ensure everything was good. We instead received a message via text stating that if we wanted something else, to make the request via…the phone.

I could see the staff standing around, looking at phones, receiving and sending messages.

I kept thinking: When you are in the middle of eating a meal or having a nice conversation, do you really want to pick up your phone to make every request, like asking for creamer? BTW, there were eight customers and six staff present.

The food was eh, okay. Mediocre but not bad: 2 eggs that looked like they were from baby quail and some other breakfasty stuff.

Finally, it was time to leave. With nothing additional added to our tab, we hit “submit” and left, quietly and anonymously.

Now, in preparation for this trip, I needed some maintenance done on our car.

It occurred to me (late at night, of course) that I was in need of an oil change and some other car maintenance stuff. I went on (the) line and booked my appointment at a Bill Marsh Service Center, BrakeAndAlignmentPlus.com. It was easy and the following morning I received a confirmation text that my appointment was set with a phone number to call should I need to make a change.

I wanted to “check in” in person, as I tend to be particular about my repairs. Some call me “High Maintenance” which I’m sure is a compliment.

When I arrived for my appointment, I met the service person, discussed my needs, and left.

Later that morning I received a text with some information about the repairs and a quote for the time it would be completed. I had questions so I called to ask them and then approved the quote.

That afternoon, I received yet another update (while sitting in yet another boring meeting) that the repairs were running on time.

Finally, I received a message saying the vehicle was ready for pickup. And…an invitation to pay via text and pick up anytime, day or night, with a lockbox number and code assigned just for me.

To be honest, it was so…EASY.

I got to choose whether or not I wanted to communicate face-to-face, via phone, in person, or a combination of those that worked best for me.

I wish that breakfast restaurant would have been thoughtful enough to give me a choice, or at least get me a cup of coffee while I tried to figure out how to do business their way.

So, kudos to the team at Bill Marsh and Brake & Alignment Plus+ for helping this guy get what he wants the way he wants it.

I’ll definitely be back.

Oh, one more thing. The Brake & Alignment Plus+ team actually did offer me coffee IRL, with no QR Code scanning or text messaging required. **smiley face emoji**

Be safe and keep it movin’…

– Rusty Fender