Browsing books at a bookstore. Watching a movie at a drive-in. Picking up your photos at the Fotomat. Reading a newspaper. Going to the bank. Eating out at a restaurant. Disco roller skating, for the love of Pete! All things that are now obsolete, or nearly. But we should be careful about the things we give up so easily because customer service may be next on the chopping block of history. And big box/big chain stores are at the ready to usher in the new era, ax in hand. What follows is a story from a colleague.
Real World Story: It’s been a long time since I’ve been inside a Home Depot. I needed a couple of light bulbs for a refrigerator and a utility knife for removing carpeting. Easy peasy, lemon squeezy, right?
It didn’t take long to get that old familiar Home Depot feeling that you’re being actively ignored. And to make matters worse, I had inadvertently left my glasses in the car. I was navigating the store blindly. It sure would have been nice to have an employee help me out.
In all honesty, I don’t think I was being ignored. There were just no employees to be found anywhere in the store to ignore me. So, I schlepped around the store trying to find what I needed, not quite sure I was finding the right items because I had many questions. It sure would have been nice to have an employee help me out.
First, I found a utility knife for $4.47. It looked sturdy and capable of getting my job done, and the price was unbelievable. But I was curious how this knife compared to the other more expensive knives, which all looked nearly the same. On top of that, all the knives were high up on the display wall. I had to get on my tippy toes, and with two extended finger tips was able to pry one package loose. It sure would have been nice to have an employee help me out.
When I got to the cash register, I noticed that all lanes were self-check-out. No employees required. Isn’t that nice, I thought. I ring up the utility knife, and it comes to nearly $12. Great. Who do I complain to or ask for assistance? It sure would have been nice to have an employee help me out.
Second, when looking for the two lightbulbs, I was completely lost. LED, HUE, Behance—what are these? Manufacturers or what the lightbulbs are intended for? I needed two lightbulbs for a refrigerator. I thought this would be easy, but I left the store with no bulbs. It sure would have been nice to have an employee help me out.
And yes, I eventually went on The Google afterward, punched in a few words into the search field, found exactly what I needed, and made my order. Maybe I’m just too old for Home Depot.
Strategies that Turn it Around:
- Create an experience. Back in the day, part of going shopping was the experience of receiving great customer service. It was wonderful having people around to ensure that we purchased exactly what we needed.
- Create a community. Back in the day, smaller stores were part of our community. It was about store owners and their crews helping people—and getting to know them. Today, there is no sense of community; it’s all about the bottom line. No matter what business you’re in, have people who can provide a great sense of community with your customers.
- Create a presence: Showing up is half the battle in customer service. If you don’t have employees on the floor, ready and willing to help your customers, then what do you stand for? It’s time that we went back to putting in the effort to create memorable customer service experiences. It’s easy. Simply have employees show up.
Remember: Customers want to be helped when they go out to spend their money. There are simply too many choices and too many new products and services out there for people to keep track of. So having a helpful person who is knowledgeable about what your organization sells will definitely set you apart from your competition.
How does your organization ensure that great customer service survives in the age of profits over people?