justplainbil

Just Plain Bill

I Have a Problem with “No Problem”

As conventions of speech continue to undergo changes, I’d like to take a stand against the all-too common response to “thank you” - the ubiquitous “no problem.”

As a member of the rapidly shrinking generation known as the depression or traditional generation that was born before 1945, I was brought up to respond “you’re welcome” to a word of thanks, but I can count on one hand the number of times I hear that response on the airways or in public on any given day.

I propose that we start a trend of using “my pleasure” (MP), instead of the worn-out “no problem” (NP). I’m wondering what it will take to make inroads in transposing the response NP to MP.

In a society focused on providing exceptional customer service – or proclaiming to – this simple change in response would change the dynamic of the employee/customer interchange for the better. After all, if I am the customer in that interchange and to get an NP to my thank-you, the employee has just implied that I have not disrupted the order in his or her day. Why would I or my transaction be a “problem”? Isn’t the employee there for one purpose only which is to serve me? I don’t like the feeling that I was just given a pass for maintaining the employee’s work/life balance. I prefer the courtesy of a simple acknowledgment by the employee that our transaction was appreciated as well, and that he or she would gladly serve my needs again.

Do you think it might work, or would the response be an effortless “no problem”?

As for conscientious managers everywhere – my pleasure!