On the very first day of training camp in July 1961, Green Bay Packers head coach Vince Lombardi started practice by holding up a football and telling his players, “Gentlemen, this is a football!” He wasn’t insulting their intelligence as professional football players but rather pointing out the importance of sometimes starting from scratch and building on a foundation of fundamentals.
The same principle can apply to your retail operation. Sometimes, you need to go back to the basics of customer service and build a top-tier customer experience from there. While they may seem obvious, these five building blocks of quality customer service are key to a successful customer experience.
Give a greeting. Go beyond just saying, “Hello” or “Welcome to our store.” Ask each customer how they are doing and if you can help them find anything.
Ask questions. When a customer tells you how you can help them, ask follow up questions to get a better feel for their project and the products and any instruction or guidance they need.
Be available. Instead of greeting a customer and just pointing them in the right direction, if you can, physically walk them to the products they need. If they want to browse, stay close by to answer any follow up questions.
Follow up. After you make a sale, or even if you don’t, let them know they can always come back with additional questions or projects. Point out your operation’s website or social media channels so they connect outside of the store.
Be kind. The most simple step on the list but also the most important. Just be nice. You have no idea what people are going through at any given time, so even if they are nasty to you, be a positive spot in their day.
Check out more customer experience insights:
Customer Service Needs of Upcoming Generations
