The vending machine in our break room at work has a piece of paper taped over the dollar bill acceptor. It reads:
Snack Machine Coin Only
Sorry Sodexho
Sodexho is the company that manages food services here at my employer’s campus.
If you read the note without the comma, it could be construed as derogatory and critical of Sodexho. It might as well read: “Stupid Sodexho.” However, if you throw in the comma, the note reads a little more gracefully:
Snack Machine Coin Only
Sorry,
Sodexho
The fact that the note has been in place for quite some time is another disturbing issue. Remember that customer’s problems are your problems and that your company should work quickly to rectify any problem situations.
Fix the problem and the sign could then read well even without a comma:
Snack Machine Fixed
Stellar Sodexho
Use the Comma
Make sure you use the comma for more than just writing copy in your business. The comma is often used to indicate a pause. Use that effect in your daily business operations and pause to see what you could do to improve the customer experience.
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Dan
February 16, 2006
Excellent point about the difference a comma makes. But I have to say that a comma, by itself, doesn’t really fix what’s broken about this attempt at communication. Something that indicates a little bit more that there’s a process at work and that the vendor understands it’s dealing would help.
Joe Rawlinson
February 17, 2006
Dan-
I agree. They should have provided more information as you describe. However, if they insisted on lazy communication, they could have at least added a comma!