John Tschohl, author of Achieving Excellence Through Customer Service, urges store owners to keep their eyes on service throughout the holiday season.
“Regardless what your business is, you are always first and foremost in the service business,” says Tschohl. “Take your eyes off the customer experience and it could be the kiss of death. You have a store full of customers in your shop during the holidays, but why not really wow them and turn them into loyal customers who come in during the rest of the year?”
His tips:
Empowerment is critical this season. Not everything is going to go as planned. Employees must make empowered decisions in favor of the customer. Managers need to let their employees know that it's okay to make a decision in favor of the customer and there won't be any repercussions for doing so.
Companies spend so much money on advertising, but they don't take care of the customers who are standing right there in front of them. Make sure you are properly staffed; that your employees can answer questions and direct customers to specific areas of the store; are friendly, smile, and show a genuine attitude of concern and wanting to help.
“Regardless what your business is, you are always first and foremost in the service business,” says Tschohl. “Take your eyes off the customer experience and it could be the kiss of death. You have a store full of customers in your shop during the holidays, but why not really wow them and turn them into loyal customers who come in during the rest of the year?”
His tips:
Empowerment is critical this season. Not everything is going to go as planned. Employees must make empowered decisions in favor of the customer. Managers need to let their employees know that it's okay to make a decision in favor of the customer and there won't be any repercussions for doing so.
Companies spend so much money on advertising, but they don't take care of the customers who are standing right there in front of them. Make sure you are properly staffed; that your employees can answer questions and direct customers to specific areas of the store; are friendly, smile, and show a genuine attitude of concern and wanting to help.
Service is key to business, and it's how you're going to keep customers from going to the competition. Taking care of the little things will make all the difference. Offer plenty of free samples, free gift wrapping, free coffee and drinks, and make sure your employees are knowledgeable about the items in their departments.
Give your customers these five things during the holiday rush, and they'll becoming back the rest of the year: They are price, quality, service, empowerment and speed.
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Give your customers these five things during the holiday rush, and they'll becoming back the rest of the year: They are price, quality, service, empowerment and speed.
Share your thoughts on our blog here or Facebook page.
Follow Shoppers, Inc. on
Twitter | Facebook | LinkedIn | YouTube
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