America may run on Dunkin, but Shelby, NC doesn't. The customer service at Dunkin Donuts in Shelby, NC is horrible. The worst part is the drive thru. The employees act as if taking your order is a chore. They are rude and snappy. If you ask what donuts are available, you are treated like a dummy because you don't know what donuts they have in the store at the moment. That can change by the minute! If the sighs of the employees didn't give it away, then the tone of their voice will tell you how much they don't want to help you.

There are countless stories of those who have been absolutely disgusted by the treatment they received at Dunkin. Just ask a resident of Shelby who has been a customer and they will tell you.

So, what can be done? It all starts with management. There must be better training for the employees. Help them to see what good customer service is and why it is important. Training videos can be used. Also, management should role play different situations with employees in order to show the right and wrong way to treat a customer.

Along with this, management should make use of secret shoppers. Once the training has been completed, managers must ensure that the training is being implemented. So, have secret shoppers come to the store and present different challenges for the employees to face. When the secret shoppers report their experience, management must see what still needs to be fixed and address the problems.

We all know that the customer service of local establishments is a direct reflection on the town. Do we want people in Shelby to be viewed as rude because a visitor has a bad experience at Dunkin Donuts? 

Shelby wants to run on Dunkin. Does Dunkin want Shelby to run on them? Only time will tell.