Customer Service Is King

There's a reason why Seattle-based department store retailer Nordstrom continues to win the hearts and loyalty of consumers, time and time again. And it's all about customer service. For years, Nordstrom has been known for its legendary customer service. The retailer has made it a point to train their sales associates in the daunting and complicated task of...dealing with the public. Make no mistake, dealing with people--and all their quirks, neuroses and crankiness--is no simple task. People are difficult. People are mean. People are weird. So it takes a truly seasoned retail veteran to conquer the customer service arena—and an even better salesperson to do it well. And for that, I have to congratulate Nordstrom. They know exactly how to do it right.

Case in point: Just a few weeks ago, I was shopping for a gift at my local mall and was not having much luck. After all, the Law of Shopping states, "Thou shalt not find a single thing if thou art looking for something in particular." Having stopped at a few stores, I was starting to get frustrated that I couldn't find anything close to what I had in mind. I finally decided to walk into Nordstrom (sorry wallet!) and give it one last try. Lucky for me, a sales associate came to my rescue. He left me alone at all the right times, checked in enough to make his presence known but not annoying, answered my questions flawlessly, offered insider advice and sealed it with a smooth checkout. He even removed the price from the item I purchased, remembering that I was shopping for a gift.

When it was all said and done, all I could think was: now that is what customer service should be like. It probably helped Nordstrom's case that earlier in the day, I had experienced a horrendously uncomfortable interaction with a saleswoman at the Macy's jewelry department. This woman was all over me, pushy, annoying, creepy, condescending. She was the antithesis of a good customer service rep. I had a nagging feeling that she thought I was trying to steal something, which is the last thing you want your salespeople projecting onto customers. Little did she know I've probably spent more time--and money--at Macy's than she has. 

So to sum up, treat your customers like gold and they'll reward you handsomely with loyalty and purchases. Treat them like kleptomaniac teenage dropouts, and they'll shop elsewhere—and rant about it on RetailDesignDiva.

--Jessie Bove

Comments

[Charles Buckman]

I am of the opinion that customer service begins with the shop having the full complement of merchandise assortment to meet the expectation of the target customers. I tell my clients that merchandise availabilty is crucial to customer service. create a reputation for merchandise AVAILABILITY. next train your shop assistants to communicate effectively with customers and obtain information about what they want to see next time around. By this you make them member of your shop.

[Erin]

You are absolutely right. Many people are more likely to shop in store where the staff is nice to you. Conversely, the staff anywhere is usually going be nicer to you if you are nicer to them. And you should also factor in how companies treat their employees. Happy employees are productive, friendly employees. I'm not familiar with Nordstrom's employee practices, but I know from experience that if employees aren't being treated well then they are less likely to want to do goo things for their company.
Just a thought!

[Suprmarket Soap]

I like to think I offer good customer service. I always take our customers to the products, never complain if they screw up or can't find obvious things, and I refuse to lose patience with them. But some of my co-workers will yell at them, refuse to serve them, and on several occasions, tell them they're wrong. Our store once had a staff slogan "The customer is king". We dropped it, but I still keep to it. Unfortunately, management have decided that filling shelves is more important than customer service - sad in my view.

[Clem Muck]

You forgot to mention the main motivating reason customer service is super important - your job. In today's fast paced, job changing society, it appears that many employees, sales clerks, fast food servers, grocery checkout staff and others have a definite disconnect between them and the customers they are serving. If that customer isn't there, their job isn't there. And if they can't be motivated with that piece of reality information, it is best that they terminate, or are terminated, and get into a different line of work not involving service.