I did a bank shop last week that required sitting with a CSR to get information about bank products and services. The young lady I met with was professionally dressed, ever so earnest,and thorough but rather mechanical. She read through her questions for me right off a check list/questionnaire. I rated her appropriately for that: not bad, not great, no rapport built, possibly needing additional training in how to make a meeting less of an interrogation and more like a conversation. But here was the part that gave me pause after having done probably 300 mystery shops in the past 7 years: when she shook my hand to say goodbye, her handshake was completely limp and her hand was absolutely soaking wet, as if while I sat there for 20 minutes she had her hand in a bowl of warm water. It was all I could do not to wipe my hand dry right in front of her. All I could think of was getting to my car to clean my hand and never wanting to shake her hand again. I really was "squicked" by the handshake. :::shudder:::

What would you have done? And how would you have reported this, if at all?

Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 02/08/2016 05:52AM by LKNJ08873.

I would have reported it exactly as you've written here. The client needs to know. Her limp and sweaty handshake could be costing them a lot of money. If they know, she (and others) can be instructed on a proper business handshake and to keep wipes handy if they are prone to sweating. If you were a real customer, you probably wouldn't have gone back, would you? The client is the business, not the individual. What helps them?

What would she say about your handshake if she were required to report on it? If she is as professional as you indicated, she probably would keep this in perspective and provide a comprehensive commentary in which your handshake is but one factor.

I would say, "Her handshake was weak, and her hand had a significant amount of perspiration." It would be up to the editor(s) to decide whether he/she/they were to include it in the report.

Could it be that this was a new employee and terrified? As a former employee trainer, this sounds like a classic example of a new employee that is unsure, is not used to presenting information to strangers, and, is scared to death. If she isn't new, she needs to be in a different field. Report the facts, maybe she will get some additional training to help her over her frozen presentation. Good CSR's are not born, they are made by training. If they can not learn, they go into a new career path.

If the bank shop is one that has a summary narrative, I'd report it as part of your experience, factually, using wording many have suggested. If they want to know your opinion or how you "felt," I'd be honest. No, you wouldn't return to that bank, or that the CSR seemed so unsure of herself that you would hesitate to open an account there. It sounds to me as if she probably is still in need of her trainer or mentor while she's meeting with prospective customers (not that you'd include that in your report), but I'd think the bank would want to know that.

I've done a lot of similar bank shops.

Yeah, I'd definitely include the handshake details in my report. If her handshake gave you the heebie-jeebies, it would give just about everyone else who experienced that handshake the heebie-jeebies, too, and the bank wants / needs to know this about an employee.

I've had employees from cell phone shops to bank shops shake my hand and it felt like a limp, wet noodle. No eye contact, no firm grip, no confidence in the shake. I have to say it makes me want to draw my hand away and wipe my hand on my pants. (but I don't want their sweat on my pants) A yucky feeling.

I think the handshake along with the other indicators of insecurity need to be mentioned. I would, however, look for any positives in her performance because like others, I suspect she is new and nervous. So I would make a point of mentioning appropriateness of professional attire, quality of eye contact, pleasantness of greeting, understanding of what I was inquiring about, eagerness to help, etc. I have been on shops where the banker was supposed to touch on 5 topics regardless of the nature of the inquiry. I have noted experienced bankers glancing at the little advertising Lucite stands on their desk that on the customer side promote some bank product or service. When one was out of the room I turned around the Lucite stand and there were the 5 topics to be covered as a little reminder. Your gal was just a couple of steps away from that.

The CSR reading along with the brochure is fine, as long as she asked you questions to help select the right account. Most of the CSRs view this with you in regards to the types of accounts. I would give her credit for her thoroughness. The handshake I would mention, but not discredit her for this. I have shopped over 2000 banks and most CSRs use the materials.

Handshakes are also culturally dependent. Handshakes in Japan are almost always limp, whether provided by a man or woman. Whether eye contact is made is also very culturally dependent. That having been said, there are expectations for both in the US which if not met raise concerns and issues.

Gosh, what if she has palmar hyperhidrosis? That's a medical condition that's not always associated with nervousness. I would give a limp handshake too if I knew that my palms were sweaty. Or, I would maybe offer a bow or head nod instead of a handshake...I don't know. I think if I knew I had sweaty palms I would try to avoid the handshake.

According to Cedars-Sinai, less than 1% of the population suffers from hyperhidrosis. There are treatments available that range from applying antiperspirant to outpatient surgery. In the business world in the US, you can't avoid handshakes.

Thank you for the thoughtful responses. I asked the question to provoke discussion and this certainly did. In the narrative "Other comments" section of the report I submitted that day, I wrote honestly about the handshake and my reaction to it. I hope the editors pass the info along to their client, and the banker is made aware by the client (in the most positive way possible) that this is an issue that WILL hamper her professional development.

Actually you CAN avoid them pretty easy. Many reasons medically not to shake from simple shoulder surgeries to severe.

@GMooneyhan MBSC wrote:

According to Cedars-Sinai, less than 1% of the population suffers from hyperhidrosis. There are treatments available that range from applying antiperspirant to outpatient surgery. In the business world in the US, you can't avoid handshakes.

A lot of women shake hands with limp handshakes. As a woman myself, I don't like it, and I usually use a firm handshake. But I think some women are trained this way. It's probably good that you mentioned it in case they have expectations about the handshake she is supposed to be giving.

The customer is always right. Did your instructions ask you to report your opinion about the strength of her handshake or the moisture content and temperature of her hand?

@Michael C wrote:

The customer is always right. Did your instructions ask you to report your opinion about the strength of her handshake or the moisture content and temperature of her hand?

Of course they wouldn't, though many bank shops ask about whether the CSR stood to greet you, asked for your name, used your name, stood on your departure and offered a handshake. If the CSR was in a wheelchair the answer to whether they stood to greet me would have to be 'no' but I would comment that they were in a wheelchair so they were not marked down for the inability to stand to greet me. If they were 'professionally attired' but reeked of cloying perfume I would mention that if it was annoying to me. If they 'wore a nametag' that had no name on it I would need to mark 'did they wear a nametag' yes, but would explain it had no name.

There are standards that are expected in the banking industry and those all revolve around giving the customer confidence that the bank and banker are competent professionals. There are many parts and pieces to looking and being a competent professional. They range from hair styles that are conservative, minimal but 'good' jewelry, clothing that is not too tight or too revealing and that is just in the realm of personal attire. In personal behaviors, competent hand shakes, orderly desk, speaking clearly and without slang or excessive 'place holders' (such as 'you know', 'right', 'uh' etc.), staying on topic and not gossiping are important. Anything that makes a customer or potential customer uncomfortable about your professionalism will encourage them to take their business elsewhere.

I went into a bank and was invited into the banker's office. He had his desk against one wall and by an adjoining wall there was a table and chairs. He offered me a seat at the table and then went and sat at his desk, where he swiveled his seat sideways and crossed his legs to talk to me from about 10 feet away. My impression of his professionalism would have been significantly improved had he also taken a seat at the table with me or even if he hadn't crossed his legs such that I was staring at his shoe.

@Michael C wrote:

The customer is always right. Did your instructions ask you to report your opinion about the strength of her handshake or the moisture content and temperature of her hand?

Michael, the instructions asked me if I would do business with this banker, and why or why not. When one cringes in disgust at the handshake and can't wait to leave as a result, that's an issue that a) the MSC's customer needs to know about and b)can be remedied by the employee who otherwise has the potential to be very good or even exceptional at her job.

Seriously, are you implying that this should not have been mentioned in the report? Put yourself in the position of the end customer: they have an employee whose job it is to promote the company services and products, and an extraordinarily high percentage of those prospective customers that employee meets with never return or convert to active customers. You wouldn't want to be aware of the issue??

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/13/2016 10:36PM by LKNJ08873.

Her handshake was limp because she knew hand was wet. It's a medical condition. You may say her handshake was wreak but I am not really sure it's appropriate to mention hey hand was wet She couldn't help that.

Sweaty palms may or may not be a medical condition. It can also be a bad case of stage fright type nerves. I remember as a kid getting stage fright before music recitals. My instrument needed a major wipe down once I got off stage as it was sopping wet from being held. I remember making notes in fountain pen for a speech in 7th or 8th grade that once on stage I couldn't read my note cards because the sweat had blurred the ink and my hands had turned blue. Experience is what makes the stage fright eventually go away.

Assuming a medical condition is just that, an assumption. As is using it as an excuse for a half assed hand shake. It's a shame some women's still don't know how to shake hands. I cringe when someone presents their fingertips. Sorry, I ain't kissing your hand. Take away the sweaty palms and my opinion of a business person will still change if presented a limp handshake.

Yes, and seriously, I was implying that I would only answer the questions I was asked. The end customer chooses the questions you are to answer. What is important to us generally doesn't matter. After seeing pages of what ~I~ thought was important to the end customer mass deleted by editors, I finally figured that out. That's how I mystery shop. As far as how I feel about a handshake, we've all botched a handshake, even me. I would not let someone's hot flash, stage fright, or sh!t cramp cause me to write off an entire corporation.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/17/2016 04:02PM by Michael C.

I understand your thoughts, Michael, and to a great extent I think it goes back to the company we are working with. We know that some companies want only what they ask for while some companies actually are sending us into a place with the thought that we will use their questions as a framework to tell them about a customer experience. I recently did a restaurant shop that asks nothing about sanitation, but when I saw something that made me go 'yuck', it became part of my narrative because although it probably was not a source of contamination, it LOOKED wrong. Experience with the client and company tells me that on my next visit I am likely to see changes because they use shops to improve, which tells me that observations are sent along to the client. Then I did a restaurant where the place is supposed to be 'a loud, fun place' and the noise level prevented it from being 'fun' for me because it was too loud to have a conversation at the table without yelling. Because of both the client and the company I doubt seriously that my comments will even get to the client.

I would report with caution, especially if it is not something you are required to grade her on because I think that is a medical issue. I cannot think what it is called so while I would definitely note it, it may not have been attributed to her being hot or nervous.

I wish they would do away with the handshakes all together. It just doesn't seem natural any more in this day and age...