Photo by Lukas from Pexels
Have you ever shopped online for a much-needed item and were super excited to find what you were looking for, but were disappointed when you show up to the store and your item is nowhere to be found? Worse yet, no one at the store cares to figure out whether or not the item is indeed in stock? A colleague shared the following story with me.
Real world story:
It was going to be a very busy workday, so I was looking forward to completing a ton of work. I sit at my computer, only to discover that my computer’s keyboard is dead. New batteries don’t work. Restarting the device doesn’t work. Okay, let’s see if I can find a replacement keyboard that I can purchase AND pickup now. I go online and find what I’m looking for at my local Walmart. Its website says it is in stock, so I drive down to purchase a new keyboard. Yay, my workday is salvaged!
But when I show up at Walmart, I cannot find the keyboard that I’m looking for, and I’m walking back and forth looking to see if it’s in a different section. Meanwhile, several store employees have passed me by. I know they know I need help, but no one offers any. Finally, I go to the counter and find an employee looking down at his phone. When he eventually looks up, he starts to help another customer who just walked up next to me. What? So, now frustrated, I go around the counter where I see another employee. He says that he’s not an actual Walmart employee, so he cannot help me. What? I head back to the first counter person, but now he’s gone. So, I just stand at the counter and wait and wait and wait. Finally, a third employee pops up behind the counter. I show him a photo of screenshot that I took of the keyboard that I’m looking for and tell him that I don’t see it anywhere on any shelves, even though that store’s website says it has two in stock. He says, “Well, I don’t know.” Then he just stares at me. He doesn’t offer to look up the item. He doesn’t go looking for the item. He doesn’t volunteer to go to the storeroom to see if he can find the keyboard. Nothing.
So I go across the street and buy my much-needed keyboard at Staples.
Strategies that Turn it Around:
- Be attentive. When you are at work, be at work. That means paying attention to customers, paying attention to picking up the phone when it rings, paying attention to wandering customers who need help. It does not mean playing on your phone, chatting with coworkers while customers wait, ignoring customers who obviously need help.
- Be helpful. Customer service is about people helping people. That means helping your customers resolve whatever problem they have. If a customer tells you that your online inventory indicates that you have an item in stock, take the time to search for the item. That means checking your in-store inventory system, physically looking on shelves, and taking a walk into your storeroom to see if you can locate the item. Don’t just stare blankly at customers after telling them you don’t know what the problem could be.
Remember: Customers have many, many options where they can spend their money. With very few exceptions, you’re probably not the only game in town. So why not offer the best service possible to ensure that your customers are happy customers who keep coming back to you time and time again?
How do YOU handle customers who can’t find what they are looking for to ensure a great customer service experience?