Article 14
First class service
Edited
version published in Retail Jeweller
CREATING
A CUSTOMER SERVICE BUZZ!!!
By
Dr David Freemantle, best-selling author and international speaker
It
is not good enough to get the basics right, to excel at customer
service a retail store must really BUZZ!!!
You
can buy a diamond ring at any jeweller. Well not exactly!
In some places it is incredibly difficult. As a customer
you can stand around like a dummy whilst the front-line staff talk
amongst themselves and ignore you. At other places you can be studying
a lovely display of jewellery whilst the store assistants busy themselves
with other tasks - not having noticed your arrival. There
are jewellers where the service is so bad customers vow never to
go back - disinterest and indifference being the order of
the day. It is amazing how many customers will walk out of
a store and take their business elsewhere because of poor service.
Despite
all the talk of customer service over the last ten to fifteen
years it generally remains poor in most retail establishments for
the simple reason that most managers still focus on the task rather
than on the customer. Whilst it is important to ensure the
basics of ticketing, merchandising and paperwork are done
well this is not enough if a company is to excel at customer service.
The retail stores that provide exceptional service really
'buzz' because both their managers and their front-line staff are
'switched on' and focus primarily on customers. All other
tasks are secondary.
The
customer service 'buzz' comprises a number of critical intangibles
which customers feel when they enter a jewellery shop. There
is a warm welcome, the staff take a genuine interest in each customer
and make them feel special. The customers will leave the
shop having had an exceptionally positive experience rather than
the humdrum mediocrity we encounter most days when shopping.
The 'buzz' is essentially emotional and emanates from the team working
in the shop. Debbie Mangold (see photo) who owns and runs
a jewellery and gift shop in Cape Town, South Africa says
"Every time a customer walks thru' the door I feel POSITIVE. I try
to radiate this as POSITIVE energy. In this way the customer is
likely to feel POSITIVE."
Another
example is Rachna Balla who is a sales partner at the John Lewis
Department Store in Eldon Square, Newcastle. Rachna frequently
receives compliments from customers for the simple reason that her
cheerful outgoing approach creates a positive buzz which makes customers
feel good. There is an emotional connection as opposed to the emotional
disconnection that occurs when service is poor.
Emotions
are important when it comes to delivering outstanding customer service
and even more critical in the retail jewellery and watch business. Every piece of jewellery a customer purchases represents
a treasure trove of memories and positive feelings. Each ring, bracelet,
necklace, earring, cuff-link, watch or piece of crystal glass-ware
is symbolic of a moment in time when the customer was extraordinarily
happy by way of an important event, celebration or some token of
affection. The totality of that special experience
includes the hopefully positive memory of purchasing the
item.
The
purchase of an item of jewellery (or a watch or a gift) is an exciting
and life-enhancing process which at best can be enhanced by the
buzz created by the team in the store. It is worth answering
these questions if you work in a jewellery store:
• Do your staff share the excitement of a young couple choosing wedding
rings?
•
Are your staff thrilled to learn that a young man plans to get engaged
and is looking for that special ring for his fianc é e?
•
Are your staff delighted to learn that this customer's husband is
approaching his fiftieth birthday and is looking for a top
of the range watch?
•
Are your staff sympathetic when a customers returns an item
(such as a clock) which is not working properly?
• Are your staff genuinely interested when an executive wishes to
purchase some engraved glassware to present to an employee on retirement?
In
the retail jewellery business every transaction literally involves
an emotional dimension whether it be the request for a simple piece
of information, the handling of a complaint or the actual purchase
of a wonderful ring. The application of emotional intelligence
is thus crucial in creating the type of buzz that attracts and retains
customers.
Litsa
Roussos (see photo) a main board Director with the successful company
Adcorp in Johannesburg states: "Your visions and business strategies
are worthless unless your front-line people feel passionate about
them." Too many companies, especially retailers, are expert
at drafting all the fine words (mission statements and values) about
customer service but neglect, through their managers, to ignite
the passions of their people for what should be, especially in the
jewellery trade, an exciting business.
Progressive
companies in the UK like Virgin, Pret A Manger and Carphone Warehouse
have done just that. They have excited the passions of their
employees in such a way that a buzz is created which is felt by
customers. The same has happened at Selfridges - there is
a real buzz about the place.
Ultimately
most retail nowadays is theatre as opposed to the functional buying
and selling of life's essentials. The challenge therefore
is to create this theatre such that customers enjoy the experience
of seeing, touching, feeling and interacting with
the retailer's front-line performers - as well as of course hopefully making purchases in order to add to their displays and
to their treasure trove of memories.
Richard Killoran, when he was General Manager of the Austin Reed
flagship store in Regent Street, London gives an example of a young
couple who came in shopping for casual clothes to take on
honeymoon. The store assistant, taking an interest in the
young couple, discovered they were about to get married. She fetched
a bottle of champagne from the fridge and cracked it open so that
the couple could walk around the store sipping champagne. Companies like Austin Reed are continually trying to push back the
boundaries to create this buzz. Thus they recently opened a plush
lounge for personal shoppers on the third floor of their Regent
Street store where account customers and personal shoppers can go
and relax and enjoy complimentary refreshments.
However
in creating this buzz one should never neglect the simple basics
of retailing such as:
•
Minimising wait (or queue) times
• Answering telephones within five rings
• Keeping the store clean and tidy
• Ensuring effective communication (so that a customer knows what
is going on)
• Ensuring accurate information (about pricing, about product etc.)
• Minimising out-of-stock situations
• Motivating staff to be friendly and courteous at all times
• Efficient processing of the purchase transaction
• Eye catching merchandising
• Having staff with a high degree of product knowledge expertise
As
stated at the beginning you can buy a diamond ring anywhere. It
is relatively easy to compete on product and price but what will
differentiate a successful retail jeweller from a less successful
one is the buzz that front-line staff can create in terms of a positive
and dynamic approach to service.
This
can be generated by attention to getting many little things right. Invariably I state on my training seminars: "Little things
make a big difference." One retailer I worked with came up
with a "Make a Difference" group in order to ensure that
their service provision was differentiated from their competitors.
Such difference comes from such 'microbehaviours' as (i)
eye contact (ii) the warmth of the welcome (iii) initiating conversation
(iv) the choice of words (v) which side of the counter
you position yourself.
To
create a buzz requires a clear management strategy together with
an investment in training. In this way everyone can learn how their
everyday behavioural choices can have a positive impact on customers.
Summarily,
for most customers the purchase of a piece of jewellery
is a special event which can be made even more special by the positive
buzz created by the people in the store.
10
TOP TIPS ON HOW TO CREATE THE BUZZ!!!
•
Initiate the interaction
Get
to the customer before the customer gets to (or gets at) you.
Extend a warm welcome, offer your hand, smile and really
make the customer feel important.
•
Take a genuine interest
Find
out something interesting about each customer. Start doing this
by asking innocuous questions (one should never be personal).
•
Listen carefully and understand
Refrain
from interrupting and rushing the customer. No matter how verbose
they are it is important to hear them out and try to understand
their exact requirements.
•
Be curious
Keep
learning. In every retailer there is constant 'churn' with
new offers, new products and new campaigns. The most successful
people who create a buzz are always curious about what is going
on and want to learn.
•
Make customers feel special
Every
interaction with a customer is an opportunity to make that
person feel special. It might be cracking a little joke,
passing a positive comment ("I do like that tie you are wearing")
or injecting some genuine emotional warmth into your conversation
•
Make a difference
Avoid
getting into routine when interacting with customers. Try doing
many of the little things in a different away. For example avoid
the monotonous introduction "Can I help you". Try something
different such as "Just to let you I'll be over there should
you need my help".
•
Express emotions
If
you are delighted to see a customer a customer will be delighted
to see you. Discover some positive emotions when dealing
with customers and show them. It might be delight, excitement, compassion
or even anger (if a customer has been treated badly elsewhere).
•
Give customers time
If
you haven't got the time of day for your customers they won't have
the time of day for you. It is essential to give customers time - especially when they are intending to make one of the most important
purchases of their lives.
•
Remember: you are on show and part of the
story
Before
the engagement ring goes on show you are on show too. Before
the engagement is admired by friends, neighbours and family alike
you, the front-line sales person needs to be admired too. You are part of the story.
•
Focus on customers
Whether
you are a manager or front-line person you only have one option:
focus on customers. If you focus on task and procedure at
the expense of customers you will fail. If you focus on maximising
revenue at the expense of customers you will also fail. The
focus on customers means giving them all your attention such that
you can build a positive relationship with them, understand their
real needs and do your best to meet them. In this way they
will walk out of the store BUZZING!!!
Dr
David Freemantle is an international expert on customer relations,
motivation and leadership. He is renowned around the world
for his inspirational and thought-provoking BUZZ!!! seminars.
He is the author of fourteen best-selling books including
the recently published HOW TO CHOOSE (Why our greatest successes
are a reflection of our small every day choices) - Prentice Hall,
Business. His latest book THE BUZZ (50 little things you
can do to create outstanding service) was published in November 2004.
He can be contacted by e-mail at: team@superboss.co.uk
Or check out his web-site at www.superboss.co.uk
Copyright
© Dr David
Freemantle
Superboss
Ltd
P
O Box 813
Windsor
SL4 2XU
Tel: 01753 833226
Fax:
01753 863412
e-mail: team@superboss.co.uk
www.superboss.co.uk
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