perhaps customer service is not dead? or not..........
For many years now we have all lamented the fact that with big box stores driving out local businesses and family owned mom & pop shops, customer service has gone the way of the dinosaur and we are at the mercy of companies whose only focus is the bottom line.... leaving the idea of customer respect and customer service in the dust.
In the last couple of weeks I have had reason to do some shopping (that I could not do with artists or artisans) and I ended up at a Target and a Pier I Imports. While wandering the aisles of Target we encountered an employee who cheerfully approached us and asked if she could assist us in any way or if we needed help. We laughed and thanked her and said that we were all set but thank you so much for asking (!!!!!!), and she carried on down the aisle.
Wow.
I was thunderstruck.
I was so surprised that I stopped and stood there.
I was so surprised that I commented on it.
Our shopping adventure continued for a few minutes more and we headed to the registers to wait in line, and a manager type with a walkie talkie stood surveying the checkouts and issuing instructions to team members who scurried away. Then he rather self-importantly bellowed into the walkie talkie something like the following, "at the top of the hour every team member make contact with a guest and offer assistance... at the top of the hour.... get ready..... counting down.... NOW!"
Are you kidding me?????
At the top of the hour?????
Darn. That manager type had burst my soapy bubble of delight with a vengeance.
I had thought that maybe, just maybe, a big box store had somehow found their soul and decided that in this economically challenged time when every dollar counts it was time to go back to the age-old idea of customer service.
Well, I guess they had in a way....... at the top of the hour.... and only at the top of the hour.
At the next stop, a Pier I Imports, they fared a bit better. Staff smiled and walked around engaging customers.... one staff member in particular made me smile........ No less than 5 times during our 20 minute visit she approached me rather vacantly and asked if I needed assistance... each time as if she had never seen me before. By the fifth contact I realized that she really had no idea that she had already asked me, she was just bouncing around like that little metal ball in a pinball machine... asking the same question of every human being she encountered. At least they tried.
During the holiday season, seasonal employees swell the ranks of retail workers, and that learning curve has got to be steep to not only learn the job, but to also deal with tense and frenzied shoppers. Having worked in retail, I can only imagine how tough that has got to be. How much training do seasonal employees receive? I honestly don't know.
So what does this mean? Do people care about customer service any more? Do you? Does big business? Are we willing to give up cheerful assistance and caring and respect if the prices are lower at our favorite store?
As much as I can I shop with artists and artisans, locally owned businesses and businesses like our local Ten Thousand Villages - whose manager knows me by name and hands out my show postcards to customers whenever I drop by with them and always asks how my painting is going. I try to target whatever dollars I do spend toward businesses who need and deserve them, and businesses who seem to value me as a customer.
I wonder what it will (or would) take for big business to go back to training staff to be polite and personable and helpful to every guest they encounter.... to plug in, to tune in, and to pay attention to making the customer experience positive and satisfying.... to make the customer feel like they matter once again. I wonder.
Some of you will have noticed that I have featured artists and artisans over the course of the last several days on this blog.... artists who are having open studios and holiday sales all around the country. I am on all of these artists' mailing lists, and they keep me informed of their activities, send out warm notes and monthly newsletters, and go the extra mile to engage me and encourage me to support their efforts as professionals and business people.
I too send out notes to customers and collectors, a monthly newsletter designed to engage and inform people on my mailing list about what I am up to and studio events and happenings. It is a lot of work, and it matters to me and my collectors.... they want to feel special and cared about, and they want to know what is happening without feeling harassed or pressured to buy. They are along on a journey with me, and I respect the fact that they care enough to want to stay informed, and I treat them like gold in my dealings with them, because without them I would not have a business.
In your very neighborhood there are similar artists, artisans, and small business owners who work hard every day to earn and keep your business, to go the extra mile and provide the best possible customer service they can give you. Check out their shops and their studios, get on their mailing lists, and drop by from time to time to see what they are doing. Get to know them well enough to be on a first-name basis, and take your friends to see them as well.
Life is all about relationships, and in our daily life we choose how to spend our time and our money...... choose wisely.
The 3/50 Project
In the last couple of weeks I have had reason to do some shopping (that I could not do with artists or artisans) and I ended up at a Target and a Pier I Imports. While wandering the aisles of Target we encountered an employee who cheerfully approached us and asked if she could assist us in any way or if we needed help. We laughed and thanked her and said that we were all set but thank you so much for asking (!!!!!!), and she carried on down the aisle.
Wow.
I was thunderstruck.
I was so surprised that I stopped and stood there.
I was so surprised that I commented on it.
Our shopping adventure continued for a few minutes more and we headed to the registers to wait in line, and a manager type with a walkie talkie stood surveying the checkouts and issuing instructions to team members who scurried away. Then he rather self-importantly bellowed into the walkie talkie something like the following, "at the top of the hour every team member make contact with a guest and offer assistance... at the top of the hour.... get ready..... counting down.... NOW!"
Are you kidding me?????
At the top of the hour?????
Darn. That manager type had burst my soapy bubble of delight with a vengeance.
I had thought that maybe, just maybe, a big box store had somehow found their soul and decided that in this economically challenged time when every dollar counts it was time to go back to the age-old idea of customer service.
Well, I guess they had in a way....... at the top of the hour.... and only at the top of the hour.
At the next stop, a Pier I Imports, they fared a bit better. Staff smiled and walked around engaging customers.... one staff member in particular made me smile........ No less than 5 times during our 20 minute visit she approached me rather vacantly and asked if I needed assistance... each time as if she had never seen me before. By the fifth contact I realized that she really had no idea that she had already asked me, she was just bouncing around like that little metal ball in a pinball machine... asking the same question of every human being she encountered. At least they tried.
During the holiday season, seasonal employees swell the ranks of retail workers, and that learning curve has got to be steep to not only learn the job, but to also deal with tense and frenzied shoppers. Having worked in retail, I can only imagine how tough that has got to be. How much training do seasonal employees receive? I honestly don't know.
So what does this mean? Do people care about customer service any more? Do you? Does big business? Are we willing to give up cheerful assistance and caring and respect if the prices are lower at our favorite store?
As much as I can I shop with artists and artisans, locally owned businesses and businesses like our local Ten Thousand Villages - whose manager knows me by name and hands out my show postcards to customers whenever I drop by with them and always asks how my painting is going. I try to target whatever dollars I do spend toward businesses who need and deserve them, and businesses who seem to value me as a customer.
I wonder what it will (or would) take for big business to go back to training staff to be polite and personable and helpful to every guest they encounter.... to plug in, to tune in, and to pay attention to making the customer experience positive and satisfying.... to make the customer feel like they matter once again. I wonder.
Some of you will have noticed that I have featured artists and artisans over the course of the last several days on this blog.... artists who are having open studios and holiday sales all around the country. I am on all of these artists' mailing lists, and they keep me informed of their activities, send out warm notes and monthly newsletters, and go the extra mile to engage me and encourage me to support their efforts as professionals and business people.
I too send out notes to customers and collectors, a monthly newsletter designed to engage and inform people on my mailing list about what I am up to and studio events and happenings. It is a lot of work, and it matters to me and my collectors.... they want to feel special and cared about, and they want to know what is happening without feeling harassed or pressured to buy. They are along on a journey with me, and I respect the fact that they care enough to want to stay informed, and I treat them like gold in my dealings with them, because without them I would not have a business.
In your very neighborhood there are similar artists, artisans, and small business owners who work hard every day to earn and keep your business, to go the extra mile and provide the best possible customer service they can give you. Check out their shops and their studios, get on their mailing lists, and drop by from time to time to see what they are doing. Get to know them well enough to be on a first-name basis, and take your friends to see them as well.
Life is all about relationships, and in our daily life we choose how to spend our time and our money...... choose wisely.
The 3/50 Project
posted by Judith HeartSong at 8:15 AM
3 Comments:
Very timely post! I'd been noticing the same, where I was neglected in many box stores suddenly every employee was wanting to assist. I decided the economy was so poor that employees were stressed to the max by management the importance of customer service. The manager ruining your experience so openly, a bummer.
Like you, I try and visit mom and pops and small businesses whenever possible. We artists know the importance of supporting the self employed!
Great post, Judith!
In a rare visit to Target that became the last I made, the checkout person was unable to determine the price of an item and tossed it under the counter, figuring that if it didn't bear a price tag it couldn't possibly be for sale. When I pointed out that I wished to buy the item, I received the reply, "No, you don't; it's not for sale." I made a principle of buying that item that day.
There is no justifiable reason for tolerating such behavior, at whatever level. Clearly, some customer service managers also need training in the art of modeling appropriate behaviors for their staff.
Recently on a trip to Philly Rob and I stopped by a chain of restuarants Popeye's. The customer service was so amazing that on our drive home we both commented on it and have told everyone we know because it was so unusual. I have made it a point this year to go to local businesses for several of my purchases. I have also found I got great deals. At least six gifts were purchased in small shops where they were put in gift bags or wrapped for free as well. I plan to do more shopping at those places in the future. I have also made it a point to write letters about bad customer experience in the larger stores or other businesses.
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