Ever see a receipt bearing the words “thanks to you, our valued customer” – and how often do you scoff? Especially when the receipt comes after you’ve scanned and bagged your own groceries, punched in your own loyalty code and made your own change. Oh yes, you feel valued: you’re doing the work of an employee and paying for the privilege.

This self-service practice, seemingly everywhere, saves money for the companies who pay fewer employees to deal with customer concerns, but what does it do for customers? “I went into a store where I’ve shopped for years and found new management,” a busy woman said. She’d stopped in, planning to buy a baby gift for a friend having twins, but she couldn’t find what she wanted and none of the employees offered to help. “I finally left because the manager was too busy talking on her cell phone to answer my questions,” she said.

This scenario could be repeated in any chain store coast-to-coast, with profits up and customer service scarce. “But we take care of the customers in my business,” you say. Can you anticipate what a customer may want or recall a service you provided a year ago? The gap between saying you value your customers and demonstrating how you value them is the difference between the customer who migrates elsewhere and the one who takes to heart the notation “we heart our customers.”

What new ways can you show your customers their value?

“What’s this worth?” It’s the question at the heart of Antiques Roadshow. No matter how junky or strange the item, no matter how useless it appears, everyone’s hoping they’ve scored a prize worthy of a giant price tag or a spot in the Smithsonian. The real value of anything is in the mind of the buyer or customer. A visit to eBay tells you the same thing. A buyer recently bought a vintage needlepoint design first manufactured in the 1970s. She’d stitched one for a friend while in college but always regretted not making one to keep. The original price on “Siamese Cat in Wicker Chair” was about $8, but she happily bid four times that amount as soon as she spotted it online. “I had to have it,” she explained. “It’s as lovely as I remembered and brought back the happiness I felt when I first saw it years ago.”

If value is intangible, especially in business, the memory of value is even more elusive, but is the key to success. A returning customer recalls that he’s been treated well and values the ease of today’s transaction. In a crazy-busy world, the value of that reassurance beats any treasure on Antiques Roadshow. How do your customers rate their repeat experiences with your business?

A small business owner who’d had success selling online decided to expand, opening a real bricks-and-mortar shop. Yes, it’s the reverse of so many companies, but she missed the in-person connection of retail. Friends, colleagues and family all advised against it. “Your customers are all over the place, yet this would be a local store!” “Your online business will suffer if you’re busy doing sales in person.”

She plunged ahead with a small but bright storefront sandwiched between two offices. Her grand opening brought a huge crowd, virtually all out-of-towners. She’d invited her online customers for a special weekend of shopping and fun, and had issued invitations months earlier, even arranging for hotel and restaurant discounts, offering those merchants discount vouchers for her business in return.

The bustling crowd created a buzz and curious local shoppers stopped in, too. The shop was a go, a companion to her virtual store. Even when faced with predictions of negativity, she’d stayed true to her vision. With long-term prep and a touch of imagination, her perseverance paid off.

When a new idea for improving customer service draws thumbs down from those around you, can you try another angle? Then go for it! Your own instincts are the best map for staying the course.

A wonderful friend and mentor of mine once explained the difference of a job, career and calling to me.  He explained that how we make a living can be the route to happiness especially when we are doing what we truly love and what we are meant to do.

He said that our work generally falls into one of three categories:

A Job – something we do for the money,

A Career – something we do for the perceived opportunity for advancement,

A Calling – something we would do for the sheer love of doing it regardless of whether or not we get paid.

As you look around and observe your staff next week, see if you can spot those who are there for the love of the work.  If you are able to spot them, so can your customers and customers enjoy working with employees who have a passion for their work.

Ask yourself the following questions:

1. How can I keep these employees at the front of my operations and in touch with my customers as often as possible?

2. How can I create more opportunities for employees to experience their “calling”?

Enjoy the week ahead and may you be one of the lucky ones, who truly loves what you do for a living.

With the busy holiday and end-of-year season approaching, are you sure your employees know what NOT to say to a customer?  You might not want to believe it, but these are some responses we’ve seen from mystery shopping reports:

1. “There’s nothing I can do.” We all know there is something someone in the organization can do. A better response would be, “Let me see what I can do”, even if they don’t think they can do anything. Employees should allow the customer to walk away feeling as though they were listened to, even if the problem can’t be resolved to their full satisfaction.
2. “Now just calm down.” Not the best statement to make when a customer is in the midst of a fit of frustration. Let them vent, ask them to follow you to an area away from other customers, empathize with them – just don’t tell them to stop feeling what they are feeling. There comes a point in every tirade that an employee can assure the customer they are being heard and indicate what the next step would be.
3. “We’re out of that, sorry.” Period. No other offer. In all likelihood, most places aren’t out of anything FOREVER. Have your employees call another store, look up the date it will be back in stock, take a number to call when they come in. Anything to honor the fact that you want this person’s business.

No business is immune from employees who do not have the training or insight into understanding how to best treat the customer.

Would you like to know what your employees are telling your customers? Contact Market Viewpoint and we’ll set up a mystery shopping program where you can ‘listen in’ on the conversations your staff is having with your customer!