Have you ever been to someone’s home and, upon entering, you were not greeted by the host or offered a drink or a place to sit? It doesn’t feel quite as nice as when you are welcomed graciously and made to feel special for popping by. I find that most retailers and venues offering customer service practice the former philosophy. Not good. Now, I am an independent shopper who likes privacy as well. So, I don’t like service providers and sales people “in my face”, but I do like it when they are readily available and have a pleasant and open attitude. I also like to feel welcomed and “at home” wherever I go.
Following are three common mistakes many customer service providers make that downgrade their credibility as “good hosts”:
Wait for the Customer to Talk First
If your phone rings at home, most of us say “hello” before the caller says a word. If your doorbell rings, you open your door before the visitor inquires. The same holds true for customer service in a retail setting-if a customer enters your door, you too must be the first one to socialize. There are many times I enter stores, restaurants and other venues, when no one says a word to me unless I seek them out. Post offices, DMVs and Government Service Centers (e.g., Social Security Offices) tend to be the worst culprits. Maybe because they think customers need them and not the other way around. This may be true to some degree, but what’s wrong with embracing the spirit of good hospitality? Little acknowledgment and weak greetings make a person feel unimportant and certainly not special. You don’t have to pounce every customer that crosses your path, but a simple eye lock and smile is better than no acknowledgement.
The “It’s Not My Department” Excuse
Almost every time I go to Macys, it’s like a ghost town. I sometimes spend more time trying to find a person to execute my purchase than I do actually shopping. And if you have a question and are lucky enough to find a representative to speak with, he or she is “from a different department” and can’t help you. There’s nothing more annoying than this response. Even if you don’t have an answer or you aren’t familiar with a department, you should at least offer to help find the answer or another person to help.
Make your store feel like home.
The one place I never seem to have this issue is Bed, Bath and Beyond. There are always several people floating around the store “waiting in the wings” to help and there’s usually a person up at the entrance to welcome you upon entering and wish you well upon leaving. I never get the “it’s not my department” excuse at this place, and I am almost always escorted to the exact area I need. It’s one “home” I always feel welcome to visit.
A recent BusinessWeek article pointed out that The Home Depot is trying this strategy as well to revive its reputation for customer service (which had been trashed under former CEO, Bob Nardelli). It’s too early to tell whether Home Depot will succeed, but it will be interesting to see if the home improvement chain does improve customer service and whether higher profits and increased store traffic result from the fresh approach.
Tell us if Our Bathroom Needs Assistance
In Pleasanton, California, there’s a popular coffee house that has a hand-written sign inside their bathroom: “We take pride in our appearance. Please tell us if the bathroom needs assistance.” Note-their bathroom is probably one of the dirtiest bathrooms I’ve ever seen in a location that isn’t a gas station. Why should I, as a customer, have to remind store personnel that their bathroom is dirty and needs to be cleaned? That’s not my responsibility. I would never expect any guest in my home to tell me if my bathroom needs cleaning. Commercial locations offering a service or product shouldn’t expect this either.
Sometimes the simplest acts and practices are the ones that make the difference between okay customer service and great customer service. If more service providers and retail venues “hosted” their customers, more customers would be excited to visit. Anybody home?