Here's lookin' at you, Walking Store (5th Ave)
Some customer service do's and don'ts:
Do: Offer to help when someone comes in, especially if they are looking around making obviously-lost gestures. When your store does not require uniforms, a greeting is at least helpful to identify you as someone that can be asked for help.
Don't: Ask the customer how it's possible they've never been in your store before. YOU may have been here for ten years, but I have not. It's true, I lived here six years ago, and may have even wandered inside once or twice, but the point is, I have not been here recently enough to know what your current layout is. Thus why I asked.
Do: Speak clearly. Being friendly is important, but so is enunciation. You could be the most helpful person in the world but I would never know, because I cannot understand what you are saying, other than your constant shrugging and what sounds like apologizing?
Don't: Countermand me when I ask you for something specific. I told you I wanted black flats for work, preferably ones that I could replace the insoles with my own custom inserts. Don't tell me that I should really be shopping for shoes with more arch support. And if you are going to insist that you know better than I do what I need, you could at least follow up with a specific suggestion. This is not only terrible customer service, but a bad sales tactic as well.
Do: Be proactive and efficient. When I decide which styles of shoe I like, and tell you that I am not sure what size I am and give you a range, it might be a smart idea to bring out more than one size so I can try them on, rather than making multiple trips. Once I do decide what sizes I would like to try, don't second-guess my request and bring me a smaller size anyway - if you think that that style of shoe runs large, at least bring the one I asked for as well as the smaller one.
Don't: Complain to me about your personal problems. I don't know what caused that stain on your shirt, but judging by the food sitting on your check-out counter, perhaps you are simply not a very tidy person. I am human and I understand other people being human as well, but when you are already annoying me with your lack of customer service skills, the overly personal chit chat - not to mention you stopping in the middle of helping me to go change your clothes - just strikes me as unprofessional.
When I do check out, buying the smaller pairs of shoes that I felt pressured to buy because I was honestly confused as to whether you had them in the larger size or not, and then later call back because they will definitely not work and I would like to be sure that I can trade them before coming all the way back:
Do: Make sure that you are pulling the right thing from the shelf. I understand that with the one pair, I did not have a style, and there was more than one similar style - but I did tell you that the insoles were blue, and the insoles of the ones you pulled were black. As for the other pair, I gave you a style and told you black, so I don't understand why you pulled the black-and-BROWN ones.
Don't: Stand there in front of me debating with your coworker whether I am returning one or both pairs of shoes. I did repeat myself several times, but if you have to ask again, it is perfectly fine to turn to me, smile, and clearly and politely ask, "So, I just want to make sure I run this the right way, you're exchanging X pair but keeping Y pair, right?"
And this last one applies both to the girl that was helping me at The Walking Store (same girl both visits, although her coworker did rescue her by actually doing this) and to the associate who helped me at JCPenney on sunday with my credit card application:
Do: Be proactive in your customer service. I cannot stress this enough.
*When you do finally sort out that I am not exchanging the one pair of shoes because I need them in black, checking your other store locations and then *calling* to be sure the computer doesn't lie and asking your associates to hold them for me is a nice extra step. I didn't want to have to make the extra trip, which is why I came in to YOUR location to exchange my size 40 for a size 42, instead of the 41 I wanted. But if I'm going to make it for the 10's I wanted in the other pair, it's nice to know that they're at least attempting to hold them for me.
*When a customer asks you how she can pay her credit card bill, after having *just* mentioned the fact that I don't drive, instead of saying "Oh, you can just come in here to do it," you could take the time to mention the other payment options, such as "over the phone by card" or "via mail by check," both of which appeal to a non-driver more, since I don't have to make an extra trip.
I will mention that the girl at Nordstrom when I went to find a color of nail polish for Richelle did everything *right*. She greeted me almost as soon as I came in, asked me if I was looking for anything specific, showed me right to the location in the store, and then stayed for a moment to be sure I didn't have any other questions before leaving me to browse. The small-talk she made was related to the products and not overly personal. When I asked her about a perfume I like, she both went to look in the back and asked a coworker to be sure before telling me they didn't carry it. And when I came to check out, she asked me if I needed anything else and wished me a sincere and enthusiastic good night.
With that, good night!
Do: Offer to help when someone comes in, especially if they are looking around making obviously-lost gestures. When your store does not require uniforms, a greeting is at least helpful to identify you as someone that can be asked for help.
Don't: Ask the customer how it's possible they've never been in your store before. YOU may have been here for ten years, but I have not. It's true, I lived here six years ago, and may have even wandered inside once or twice, but the point is, I have not been here recently enough to know what your current layout is. Thus why I asked.
Do: Speak clearly. Being friendly is important, but so is enunciation. You could be the most helpful person in the world but I would never know, because I cannot understand what you are saying, other than your constant shrugging and what sounds like apologizing?
Don't: Countermand me when I ask you for something specific. I told you I wanted black flats for work, preferably ones that I could replace the insoles with my own custom inserts. Don't tell me that I should really be shopping for shoes with more arch support. And if you are going to insist that you know better than I do what I need, you could at least follow up with a specific suggestion. This is not only terrible customer service, but a bad sales tactic as well.
Do: Be proactive and efficient. When I decide which styles of shoe I like, and tell you that I am not sure what size I am and give you a range, it might be a smart idea to bring out more than one size so I can try them on, rather than making multiple trips. Once I do decide what sizes I would like to try, don't second-guess my request and bring me a smaller size anyway - if you think that that style of shoe runs large, at least bring the one I asked for as well as the smaller one.
Don't: Complain to me about your personal problems. I don't know what caused that stain on your shirt, but judging by the food sitting on your check-out counter, perhaps you are simply not a very tidy person. I am human and I understand other people being human as well, but when you are already annoying me with your lack of customer service skills, the overly personal chit chat - not to mention you stopping in the middle of helping me to go change your clothes - just strikes me as unprofessional.
When I do check out, buying the smaller pairs of shoes that I felt pressured to buy because I was honestly confused as to whether you had them in the larger size or not, and then later call back because they will definitely not work and I would like to be sure that I can trade them before coming all the way back:
Do: Make sure that you are pulling the right thing from the shelf. I understand that with the one pair, I did not have a style, and there was more than one similar style - but I did tell you that the insoles were blue, and the insoles of the ones you pulled were black. As for the other pair, I gave you a style and told you black, so I don't understand why you pulled the black-and-BROWN ones.
Don't: Stand there in front of me debating with your coworker whether I am returning one or both pairs of shoes. I did repeat myself several times, but if you have to ask again, it is perfectly fine to turn to me, smile, and clearly and politely ask, "So, I just want to make sure I run this the right way, you're exchanging X pair but keeping Y pair, right?"
And this last one applies both to the girl that was helping me at The Walking Store (same girl both visits, although her coworker did rescue her by actually doing this) and to the associate who helped me at JCPenney on sunday with my credit card application:
Do: Be proactive in your customer service. I cannot stress this enough.
*When you do finally sort out that I am not exchanging the one pair of shoes because I need them in black, checking your other store locations and then *calling* to be sure the computer doesn't lie and asking your associates to hold them for me is a nice extra step. I didn't want to have to make the extra trip, which is why I came in to YOUR location to exchange my size 40 for a size 42, instead of the 41 I wanted. But if I'm going to make it for the 10's I wanted in the other pair, it's nice to know that they're at least attempting to hold them for me.
*When a customer asks you how she can pay her credit card bill, after having *just* mentioned the fact that I don't drive, instead of saying "Oh, you can just come in here to do it," you could take the time to mention the other payment options, such as "over the phone by card" or "via mail by check," both of which appeal to a non-driver more, since I don't have to make an extra trip.
I will mention that the girl at Nordstrom when I went to find a color of nail polish for Richelle did everything *right*. She greeted me almost as soon as I came in, asked me if I was looking for anything specific, showed me right to the location in the store, and then stayed for a moment to be sure I didn't have any other questions before leaving me to browse. The small-talk she made was related to the products and not overly personal. When I asked her about a perfume I like, she both went to look in the back and asked a coworker to be sure before telling me they didn't carry it. And when I came to check out, she asked me if I needed anything else and wished me a sincere and enthusiastic good night.
With that, good night!