The DNA of Customer Service

By JoAnne Sommers

There are glimmers of hope that the worst of the recession is behind us and a recovery is slowly starting to materialize. But even when the economy rebounds, retailers will have to deal with the fact that consumer behaviour has changed, likely for good.

One significant impact of the economic downturn is that consumers have become a lot more cautious about making buying decisions, says Frances Gunn, assistant professor at the Ted Rogers School of Retail Management, Ryerson University. “They are much more particular about what they buy than they were before the recession. They turn to value as their first decision point, which involves carefully weighing the benefits as well as the price.”

To a large extent, consumers now base their purchase decisions on information about the specific product features and benefits that fulfill their needs, Gunn adds. While much of that information is supplied by the Internet, the role of face-to-face communication in the retail environment remains critical.

“It’s extremely important for staff to deliver in face-to-face interactions with clients,” she says. “Positive customer relationships depend on the quality of communication, which involves the retailer’s level of knowledgeability, as well as courtesy and helpfulness.”

Sue Easby agrees that outstanding customer service is vital in today’s economic environment. “It can act as an important differentiator in a highly competitive marketplace and it’s one of the least expensive ways to maintain and grow your customer base,” says Easby, president of InsightU®, which develops customized and off-the-shelf e-learning materials designed to address the challenges facing retail professionals. The company, whose clients include PharmaSave, Staples, Okay Tire and Golf Town, offers courses priced as low as $5 per person.

Easby’s formula is to “hug the customer” – at least metaphorically. “Sometimes we forget that people buy from people,” she says. “If customers get good service each time they visit you, it builds trust in your brand and they’ll be far more likely to spend as a result.”

So what does it take to stand out from the crowd?

Nothing less than a complete break from traditional selling methods, according to David Carr, president of David Carr & Associates, a retail consulting and training firm based in Mallorytown, Ontario.

“Consumers are much more sophisticated, much wiser and have much higher expectations than they did in the past,” says Carr. “As a result, retail salespeople must approach the selling process as an interview with a customer who has identified that they need (or want) something”.

“The salesperson skillfully determines the customer’s needs and makes a firm recommendation that they should purchase a specific product or service, assisting and encouraging the customer to make the appropriate buying decision.”

Because the salesperson knows precisely what the customer needs prior to making any recommendation, there is no sense of pressure and no need to overcome resistance or objections. The customer participates fully in the process as an equal partner, providing information that is skillfully elicited by the salesperson, who asks a series of open-ended questions (questions that cannot be answered with a “yes” or a “no” response, such as ‘who are you shopping for today?’ Such questions usually produce much more information than closed-ended questions.)

Unfortunately, says Carr, many retail salespeople receive little or no training – and it shows.

“Retail salespersons who receive any training at all are generally trained only in operational procedures (stuff and things) rather than in selling skills. We focus on what they should do instead of telling them specifically what to say. For example, ‘Hi, how are you?’ sounds trite and insincere and customers think, ‘here we go again.’ ”

“I greet customers with ‘Good Morning.’ And when they ask how I am, I say, ‘Great. And how can I help you today?’ ”

Training is a process not an event, says Frances Gunn.

“There are plenty of companies that provide customer service training, both customized and off-the-shelf,” she says. “But it’s increasingly apparent how important it is to create a supportive environment for staff that involves peers, management and others.”

Sue Easby agrees that good service is team-driven.

“You need peer and buddy systems for new hires. Have someone mentor or coach them in order to keep your company culture alive.

Ultimately, she says, “outstanding customer service must be part of your DNA, not a trick or a loss leader that gets you in the door. Because customers can always tell the difference.”

A Little LUST Goes a Long Way

When people ask David Carr for his advice on dealing with difficult customers, his answer is succinct. “I tell them the best strategy is LUST,” says Carr, the president of David Carr & Associates, a retail consulting firm based in Mallorytown, Ontario.

Carr, who has done customer service training for a number of major corporations, including the LCBO (Liquor Control Board of Ontario), Grand & Toy, Budget Rent A Car-Canada, and The Bay, offers a variety of courses on retail issues, including one called “Dealing with Problem Customers”.

LUST, in Carr’s formulation, stands for Listen, Understand, Sympathize and Take Action. And while the steps sound simple enough, they may require some practice before they become second nature.

Listen
“You have to start by listening to people and even encouraging them to vent,” Carr explains. “Don’t interrupt – our instinct is to cut them off and try to shut them down but when people are upset, they often need to get things off their chest before they can move to the next step.”

Be sure to listen actively. When a customer is angry or frustrated, the last thing they want to be asked is to repeat what they just said.

And don’t get angry yourself. Remember not to take it personally and don’t argue. When you stay calm and maintain a tone of professionalism, the customer is more likely to follow suit.

Understand
“Don’t just listen, make sure you really understand the nature of the problem,” says Carr. “Repeat what the customer said back to them and make sure to clarify any misunderstandings, however trivial they might seem.”

Sympathize
Try to see the situation as the customer sees it and don’t downplay their feelings. Say, ‘I understand that you’re unhappy and I’m eager to help in any way that I’m able. Please tell me more.’ That will acknowledge the customer’s position, give them the sense that you care about how they feel and help to defuse their anger.

Don’t make promises you can’t keep and always tell the customer what you can do to help them, not what you can’t do, says Carr. “It is very important not to say, ‘I can’t do that‘, or ‘it’s against company policy.’ And don’t suggest in any way that the request is unreasonable – even if it is,” he adds. Instead, offer alternatives, such as, ‘I understand and I wish that I could do as you ask. What I can do is....’ ”
After you present an acceptable solution to the problem, get the customer’s agreement to the proposed course of action. This will confirm where you both left the issue.

Take Action
Follow up on the proposed solution, and contact the customer after the fact to be sure that the problem was dealt with to their satisfaction and that they are pleased with the outcome.

Remember, too, always to be courteous – it’s the Golden Rule of customer service. End every interaction – even the difficult ones – with a “thank you” and a message of appreciation for their business.

By approaching aggrieved customers with a little LUST in your heart, you’ll find that they usually hang up or leave the store a lot happier than when they arrived!

Winning with the Problem Customer: Optician Experiences

Every retailer has had the experience of dealing with difficult or “problem” customers – and optical professionals are no exception. Whether they’re verbal abusers, blamers (“It’s not my fault they’re broken; you didn’t tell me not to sit on them”), rule breakers or return-a-holics, a small portion of every customer base is challenging.

“Some people seem to have a chip on their shoulder from the time they walk in the store,” says Justin Barry, owner of Justin Barry Optical in Bowmanville, Ontario. “It’s almost as if they don’t want to be satisfied.”
Still, he tries. “I start by having them tell me about the problem,” says Barry. “It’s important to stay calm and really pay attention to what they’re saying. When someone spends a lot of money for new glasses and they can’t see properly with them, it’s not surprising when they get upset.”

Some people have unreasonable expectations, such as 50-year-olds who think they should be able to see as well as they did at 16. In such cases, Barry has to explain gently that they’re being unrealistic.

Thanks to new technological advances, it’s very rare for a customer to have problems with single vision lenses. For those who have trouble adapting to progressives, manufacturers’ warranties usually provide for a replacement.

The bottom line, he says, is, “the unwritten rule that we cover our mistakes. That may mean redoing something even if I think it’s perfect. Occasionally I’ll verify that everything is correct with a pair of lenses and if the customer says they still don’t see as well as before I refund their money. I know I tried my best and it’s never worth fighting over.”

Amin Mamdani says that dissatisfied customers usually need to blow off steam.

“People are often defensive when they arrive and if you’re defensive too it settles nothing,” says Mamdani, a buyer/manager for Josh Josephson in Toronto. “They may need to vent so I let them. I listen without interrupting and follow that with a moment of silence. If you jump in as soon as they stop speaking, it gives the impression that you weren’t really listening.”

Next, he repeats what they said to make sure he grasps the problem, then says, “I understand what you’re going through and I’m here to resolve the problem.”

Once you separate facts from opinions you can tell the client specifically what you can do for them, Mamdani says.

“For instance, I’ll say, ‘because you’ve had these difficulties, I’ll order new lenses for you and change the measurement and curvature.’ I explain exactly what they can expect and how long they’ll have to wait.”

The effort, says Mandani, is often repaid handsomely.

“Difficult customers need more hand holding but if you resolve their problem successfully they often become lifetime customers. It’s an opportunity to create brand ambassadors who will tell other people about their experience and recommend you to them.”

Sara Moshurshak says it’s important not to take conflicts with patients to heart.

“Above all don’t take it personally,” says Moshurshak, owner of Granville Eyeland Framemakers on Granville Island, B.C. “I try to make it a win-win situation by showing that I care and making an effort to correct the problem. I ask the customer what they want me to do to resolve the problem and it’s often less than what I would have been willing to do. So we both end up happy.”

Unfortunately, she says, some people really aren’t interested in finding a solution. Such situations may call for what Moshurshak calls “intelligent loss of business.”

“Some people become abusive and no one should be expected to take that. Then there are people who buy glasses and come back every day to have them adjusted. Customers like that can cost you a lot of time so it’s better to politely return their money and suggest they go elsewhere.”

Resources

There are plenty of good and often inexpensive training resources available to retail store owners who want to improve their customer service. Here are some options to get you started:

Anthony Russell Inc. is a Toronto-based retail and shopping centre consultancy that provides personalized, in-depth consultation on qualitative consumer research, customer expectation, positioning, branding and strategic marketing.

Contact Information

Tel: (416) 929-6800
E-mail: info@anthonyrussellinc.com

David Carr & Associates is a retail consulting firm based in Mallorytown, Ont. The company offers a series of customer service and selling skills training programs to retail sales associates and their managers. It can also adapt its custom-designed sales training programs to meet specific client requirements.

Contact Information

Tel: (613) 923-5658
Toll Free: 1 866 623-8478
David Carr (cell): (613) 572-3433
E-mail: davidcarr@davidcarr.ca

InsightU® is a developer of customized and off-the-shelf e-learning materials which are designed to address the many challenges facing retail professionals. The company offers interactive, “bite-size” training plans and courseware, as well as hosting a learning environment for the management of online and blended learning solutions.

Contact Information

Tel: (905) 853-3392
Toll Free: 1 888 282-1101
E-mail: support@insightu.com