Small Business – How’s Your Service?

I tear out interesting articles that apply to what I do or
what one of my clients may do and save them.

I was going through the file the other day and this article
just happened to hit me at the right time.

The article was in the Feb. 04 issue of Fast Company. It
was about two sisters; Cindy Lewis and Marian Brzykey that
were so dissatisfied with customer service that they decide
to do an informal survey of customer service.

They shopped at almost 500 retailers and spent $5,000 to
get their results. Here is what the found.

Only 3% of their store visits left them very satisfied!
97% of their store visits failed on the basics. You know
those same basic things you expect when you go shopping.

I was at my local grocery store the other day I walked up
to the casher and she didn’t even acknowledge that I was
there. She was carrying on a conversation with the girl at
the customer service counter, they were yelling back and
forth.

Then she rang up my stuff, still talking to the other girl,
she had the total on her cash register, but did tell me what
I owed her she was to busy talking. I could see the total
so I took a fifty out of my wallet and set it on the counter.
Still nothing! So I picked it up and waved in front of her
face while she kept talking. Finally she took it gave me my
change and then she said it, “have a nice day”. I kid you
not this really happened!

I’ll bet you and I could share stories all day about lousy
service. So here is the big question. What are you doing to
train your employees in even the basics of how a customer
should be treated?

Don’t assume that the basics are understood, they are not
anymore, if you doubt that just go for a drive and watch
how people drive and the ensuing road rage.

If your employees don’t treat customers they way they deserve
to be treated you will not get the customer back again.

There are six places to buy groceries within a 2-mile radius
of my home I do have choices.

To be honest with you I think this is one of the harder issues
you face as an employer.

Now go sell something,
Blase

P.S. Would you do me a favor? If you know a
business owner would you tell him/her about
this blog? Thanks again.