Customer Service
Rajnish Kumar
Customer Service is inspired
Comes from the heart
• Johnny’ s Thought of
the day
• Peters Telephone call
• What do they tell us ?
• Pause and think and
we can start the class
Customer Touch Points
Wherever the customer comes in either Physical or mental contact with the store
Can be termed as a customer touch point. The customer touch points are key in
defining as well as sustaining the relationship between the retailer and its customers.
They can create a ‘WOW’ and bring them back again and again or can sometimes
be the single biggest factor is chasing away clients to competitors.
The ‘touch points’ are thus the single most important factor in customer service.
The multiplicity as well the sensitivity involved keeps retailers challenged at all times
and a superior customer service invariably involves great customer experience within
and outside the store.
Parking
-Safe
- Spacious
-- Well Marked
Security
-Courteous
-Professional
- Trained
Layout
- Wide Aisles
-- Convenient
-- Trial rooms
Ambience
- Music
-- Smell
-- Colors/Mood
Signage
-Direction
-Location
--Security
Talkers
-Price
-Promo
-Size
Associates
-Trained
-Knowledgeable
-Attitude to help
Hygiene
-Clean Toilets
-Clean CSA’s
-- Clean Fixtures
Merchandise
-No Stock outs
- Well organized
Services
-Valet
-Home Delivery
-- Free gift Wrap
Extra Services
-Drop box
-ATM
-- Alteration
Payment
-Credit Cards
-- Cash Tills
-- Meal Vouchers
Check out
-Express Tills
-Q Busters
- Baggers
Complaints
-Clear guidelines
- Courteous
Claims/Returns
-No questions
asked
-- Attitude
Refunds
-Prompt
-- Cash
-- Cancellation
charges
Communication
-Clear
-Honest
-- Correct
Cafeteria
- Economical
-- Veg + Non veg
-- Variety/Options
The Ten Commandments of Customer Service
Know who is boss.- Never forget that the customer pays our salary and makes your job possible.
Be a good listener- Listen to their words, tone of voice, body language, and most importantly, how they feel. Beware of
making assumptions - thinking you intuitively know what the customer wants.
Identify and anticipate needs. Customers don't buy products or services. They buy good feelings and solutions to
problems. Most customer needs are emotional rather than logical. The more you know your customers, the better
you become at anticipating their needs.
Make customers feel important and appreciated. Treat them as individuals. Always use their name and find ways to
compliment them, but be sincere. People value sincerity. It creates good feeling and trust. Thank them every time
you get a chance.
Help customers understand your systems. Your organization may have the world's best systems for getting things
done, but if customers don't understand them, they can get confused, impatient and angry. Take time to explain how
your systems work and how they simplify transactions.
Appreciate the power of "Yes". Always look for ways to help your customers. When they have a request (as long as it is
reasonable) tell them that you can do it. Figure out how afterwards. Look for ways to make doing business with you
easy. Always do what you say you are going to do.
Know how to apologize. When something goes wrong, apologize. It's easy and customers like it. The customer may not
always be right, but the customer must always win. Even if customers are having a bad day, go out of your way to
make them feel comfortable.
Give more than expected. Since the future of all companies lies in keeping customers happy, think of ways to elevate
yourself above the competition. Consider the following:
What can you give customers that they cannot get elsewhere?
What can you do to follow-up and thank people even when they don't buy?
What can you give customers that is totally unexpected?
Get regular feedback. Encourage and welcome suggestions about how you could improve. There are several ways in
which you can find out what customers think and feel about your services.
- Listen carefully to what they say.
- Check back regularly to see how things are going.
- Provide a method that invites constructive criticism, comments and suggestions.
Treat employees well. Employees are your internal customers and need a regular dose of appreciation. Thank them and
find ways to let them know how important they are. Treat your employees with respect and chances are they will
have a higher regard for customers. Appreciation stems from the top. Treating customers and employees well is
equally important.
MTR Example
The Service Profit Chain
Profitability and Growth
Loyalty
Customer
Satisfaction
External Service
Value
Retention + Productivity
Employee Satisfaction
Internal Service Quality
Store Associates …
•
Sam Walton had a “10 foot rule” which simply stated that a store associate must greet
the customer with a smile as soon as they are 10 foot apart and later Wal Mart also
introduced a concept of store greeters who would stand at the entrance and greet
every customer who walked in with an offer to help with a trolley.
•
It is almost critical to the success of any Retail operation that its “troops” believe in
serving the customer as the most important entity of the business and go out of their
way to add that extra bit.Over a period of time you find that you as well as your
competition are selling the same stuff at similar prices but what is going to make a
difference is the service the customer gets at your store.Just imagine the bond it will
create if the store associates asks “What can I do for you Today Mr. Kumar”.It not only
tells the customer that we are ready to offer help but also acknowledges the fact that
we know that you are our valued customer.
•
Keeping the store Neat,clean,well organized and In stock is also a function of
employee motivation.No amount of supervision can achieve these simple objectives
and you can hear excuses as to why it was the way it was.The fact is that customer
would reward the store that is well kept and makes shopping a pleasurable
experience,albeit sub conciously.
•
The store associates if well informed and motivated can double the sales by upselling
and cross selling – the customer needs someone who knows better than him and if
the trust is developed he is most certainly going to listen to advise from a good friend.