During the Thanksgiving Holiday I made a last minute decision to travel to Virginia. The mode of transportation? A bus via Greyhound.First off, the bus got me where I needed to go. On that note, did it have the most luxurious travel accommodations? Nope. Was that expected? Yep. But, could Greyhound improve their service? Indeed.

If they could do one thing to improve their service, what would would it be?  I’d start with customer interaction. There are two people customers will meet face-to-face. The attendant at the information desk and the bus driver. Both of these folks, in all stations I stepped through were incredibly stern and belittling. I understand they’re likely tired, and deal with all run of folks who don’t have a clue what they’re doing. But, for those who do have a lick of perception, and for those who don’t, there is one thing these folks could do to greatly improve the Greyhound experience. It’s only one word, and it makes the top of the list of most PR related “top 10 employee responsibilities” posters. What is it that could possibly be so important?

Smile.

It seems so insignificant. But, I really believe something so small would vastly improve the Greyhound experience. If the Greyhound employee takes the initiative to greet the customer with a smile, they’re likely to set a less somber mood; the number one problem hounding Greyhound.

They could also use some well designed signage, but that’s subsequent to smiling.