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Customer Service: Legends In Our Own Minds
Guest Author, Jim Foster - All Rights Reserved 

What is ‘Customer Service’? Is it the same for all of us? Are our expectations of what is good or great customer service the same as the person next to us? If it is, we must all be receiving outstanding customer service in every transaction we are involved in.

Correct? No! We all have different expectations when it comes to customer service.

Some of us expect to be waited on hand & foot from the minute we enter an establishment. Some don’t want to be approached until they are ready to complete their transaction. Others are somewhere in between. If you speak to someone in the service or retail industry, they too will perhaps have a different perspective on what is good or great customer service.

Over the years, I have come to the conclusion that there really doesn’t need to be huge differences in the customer service offered by different companies. The basics are the same.

I have been involved in several different retail companies, at various levels & have seen different definitions of what customer service is. I have been involved in studies where, through Mystery Shoppers, we observed the service offered by sales associates & then offered recommendations for improvement.

In every instance, prior to receiving the report, when the owners or the associates were asked to describe the level of customer service they offered compared to their competitor, without exception, the answer was ‘Our service is far better’, whether it was or not. Why? I think it is because we all TRULY BELIEVE we are offering the best customer service in the world! After all, we have the mandatory...

1. Greeting of every customer as they enter the store

2. 10 foot rule where every customer is greeted on the floor.

3. Offering of add-on products at the cash register to every customer

4. Using the customer’s name twice during every transaction.

5. Add another cahier when there are more than 3 customers in line

6. Answer the telephone in 3 rings or less.

7. Say 'Thank You’, using the customers name they leave the store.

What more could we need?  All of the associates follow the rules & never miss a step with any customer. What more can they do to improve their service?

The first thing is proper training of associates. For some reason, very few people are comfortable following the above steps. If we were, we wouldn’t have to make the steps listed ‘mandatory’. Everyone would automatically follow the steps because it would be second nature.

• When someone walks into your home, you automatically greet them without thinking. You don’t need your mother to tell you it is mandatory to greet people coming into your home, it is the polite thing to do & you do it.

• When you meet someone on the street, you automatically say hello to them because it is the friendly thing to do.

• When you come across a great deal, you want to tell everyone, don’t you? The same thing should be true when your customer comes up to the cash register. You have a great deal that you want to pass on to them, so it should be important to you that you tell every single customer about it so they are informed. It is their choice whether the deal means as much to them as it does to you.

• When you run into someone you have met before, you greet them by name, correct? Why not at the cash register also? With today’s electronic information gathering possibilities, your name comes up on the screen almost as soon as you step up, or it is on your credit card, so in most cases, there is no reason the sales associate can’t use your name. Everyone likes to hear their name being used. After using your name a few times, associates will begin to really recognize you. Most companies require associates to wear name tags, so soon you will know their names as well if you call associates by name.

• When someone is leaving your home, it is polite to thank them for coming & say good bye to them, usually using their name. It should be no different when a customer leaves a place of business. You should expect to be thanked for your business & using your name adds to the familiarity & makes you want to return.

So why don’t we get this type of customer service at every retailer if it is so easy? In short, most retailers have created ‘Task Oriented’ associates. They have placed enormous emphasis on getting tasks completed on time that associates are focused on completing their tasks first & waiting on customers second. Most retailers have cut their staff to the bare minimum needed to operate the location & expect the limited staff to accomplish their assigned tasks as well as wait on their customers. The associates have learned to ‘put up their blinders’ & virtually ignore customers in order to complete their tasks. Customers usually have to find an associate & then ask for help if they need it. Sales associates seldom offer help because it takes them away from their task & they fear they will not complete it before the boss comes back.

I am sure we all have seen this scenario. Three or four associates in a group talking, no doubt about business, while a line forms at the single cash terminal that is open. They all then disperse & go back to filling shelves or completing paperwork while the single cashier works their way through the line up. This means, not being able to greet customers, offer information about the outstanding deals they have at cash or thank their customers properly for shopping as they are so pressured to stay ahead of the line ups. Wouldn’t it be a lot simpler to have multiple cashes ready for times like these & bring people off the floor to assist as needed? Most stores have a ‘three customers in line & more cashiers are added rule’ but how many implement it regularly?

If all of these steps are so easy & should be second nature to all associates, why do companies have to make them mandatory rules? Training associates is the key! Make them comfortable interacting with their customers throughout the store. Teach associates how to make conversation with their customers, rather than the obligatory ‘Did you find everything you were looking for’. Through creative conversation & open ended questioning, associates would be better able to find what you are looking for, take you to the items & discuss the benefits of add on items that will compliment the item you came in to buy. Several things are accomplished through this training. You find the product you came in for, the associate added on some complimentary items to your purchase & through conversation, you both learned a little more about each other & became a little more familiar with each other. Do I dare say you may have found a friend? At the very least, hopefully you have found someone who will listen to you as you describe what you are looking for & you feel comfortable asking their advice & buying from them. On the other side of the coin, the retailer has found a regular customer who will shop more frequently & spend more money per visit.

In conclusion, while all the steps listed are important, it is also very important that each associate is trained in a manner that makes it possible for them to comfortably follow each step because they know it is the correct thing to do & that they are doing their customers a disservice by missing any of the steps. Everyone needs to look at each customer, not as a sale but as a friend returning to visit & hopefully make a purchase. It will be a ‘win, win’ proposition for both sides. The customer will be more confident in asking & accepting advice from the store associates & will spend more money per visit & the store will continue to be successful.

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