Last week, I shared a real world story with you about a friend of mine leaving a Home Depot dissatisfied and vowing never to return. This week, her story continues…
Real World Story:
“I decided that I would give Home Depot one more opportunity to provide me with decent customer service. So, I decided to return and buy an area rug the day after my BAD first experience.
After buying and bringing home the area rug, I realize that it’s not going to work, and I must return it.
Two days later, I go back to Home Depot. I take the rug out of my car, carry the rug over my shoulder, and walk into the Home Depot. I walk through the front door and across the entire length of the store to the customer service desk. Luckily, there is no one waiting in line. I walk up to the counter and say, ‘I’d like to return this.’ The employee, with an attitude—here we go again—, asks, ‘Do you have the receipt?’ I reply that I do. Then the employee asks, ‘What door did you come in?’ This question perplexes me. What does it matter, I think to myself. So I answer, ‘The front door.’ She replies, ‘No one called me. They’re supposed to call me when someone has a return.’ She proceeds to call someone on the phone. At one point she says, ‘She’s wearing a brown sweater.’ Now I begin to get scared. Is the employee calling the police? Did I do something wrong? The employee continues with, ‘They didn’t see you come in.’ I retort angrily, ‘Do you honestly think I walked in, grabbed a rug from a shelf, and brought it up to you with a receipt?’ The employee says, ‘Next time you need to check in with the front desk person.’ ‘There’s not going to be a next time! Get me your manager,’ I say in disgust and disbelief.”
My friend was extremely frustrated and emotional when relaying this story, yet the incident had happened a month prior. After giving Home Depot a second chance to provide decent customer service, but failed, she has vowed to NEVER return to this store again. EVER!
Strategies that Turn it Around:
- Greet customers with a smile, make immediate eye contact, and say, “Hi. My name is _______. How may I help you?” or “Hi, I’m with this customer at the moment, but I’ll be with you shortly.” Acknowledging customers right away in one manner or another is highly important.
- When a customer says, “I’d like to return this,” reply with, “I CAN help you with that. To make this easy for you, do you have your receipt?”
- If customers are supposed to follow a certain protocol for returning a purchased item(s), make sure you display ample signage or have readily available personnel to explain the process.
- Assume the positive. Never, ever accuse customers of wrong-doing. Be aware of your facial expressions, body language, and tone of voice. Customers can sense when you’re annoyed. And that’s a sure way to start off a transaction on the wrong foot!
Remember: Whether buying or making a return, customers want to be helped in a professional and efficient manner. Customers’ opinions of customer service is largely based on their perception of how they are treated. If they feel they are being treated badly, they are. Don’t let bad perceptions kill your reputation and eventually your business.
What have your experiences been in dealing with customer returns—as either a customer or an employee? I’d love to hear your stories in the comments section below.