7 steps to inspire customer loyalty - effortlessly!

My shoe shop called last week. When I tell people, they look at me as though I'm the only person on earth who has a shoe shop. I look back as though I can't believe that they don't have a shoe shop.

My shoe shop is a peek into the relationships I have with businesses with which I deal regularly. These are successful and mutually beneficial relationships. I've been reflecting on what makes them tick. I think the elements are transferable to other situations. It doesn't matter if it's shoes, clothes, electronics, stationery or personal services.

divacultura's 7 principles of customer service to inspire loyalty

1. My first experience was great. I still remember that Alice served me and I bought a pair of long black boots and a pair of red heels. To put this into perspective, my first visit was at least seven years ago.

2. My first experience was so good, I went back. Alice remembered me. She didn't remember my name without a prompt, but she remembered our interaction.

3. Third time through the doors and the staff recognised me and greeted me like a friend.

4. Sometimes I wander in, not necessarily with a view to buying, but with a view to looking. The staff are happy to play if it's not busy and are happy to bring me shoes just to try. Quite often they surprise me with something that I had overlooked on the shelf, but loved on my feet.

5. Even if it is busy when I go in, I never feel rushed and feel like I am being paid full attention.

6. We trust each other. Last year there was a mix up and an extra pair of boots I already owned was put aside under my name and marked as "paid". Rebecca called to find out when I was collecting them. I already had my boots and told her there had been some error. In that split second I realised that I could have just said that I would be in to collect them "tomorrow" and scored another pair of boots. That's not how I roll and I know my honesty was really appreciated.

7. Rebecca knows what I like and keeps an eye out for things that might appeal to me and then gives me a call. There's no pressure. It's a friendly call and I find it helpful.

They followed me home.
© 2014 divacultura

When I look over this list, it's not rocket science! These are easy things to do and they have an impact. I only buy shoes there now. Actually, I'm a very loyal customer. Once I find somewhere I like the people, they like me and I like the product, I will stick with them forever. Notice how the product is the third thing in the list.


I've even considered whether these principles apply in the online retail environment. They absolutely do. (I'm thinking about my favourite online clothing store, Birdsnest.)

Where do you like to shop? What keeps you coming back? If you're in business, does your customer service inspire loyalty?

"My" shoe shop is called Sole Devotion. I was not asked or provided any incentive to write this post (other than being inspired by great service!).

You must want this - because we're telling you you do!

On my way home this evening I walked past the H & M store which opened in Melbourne's old GPO building in Bourke Street on Saturday. Until this week, I had never heard of H & M. Apparently they are a Swedish clothing retailer and we're supposed to be beside ourselves with excitement.

By the middle of last week, builders were putting the final touches to the building and installing red carpets, velvet ropes, spotlights and marquees. There was also a huge digital clock counting down the very seconds until our deprivation would be ended and Melbourne would have the only H & M store in Australia. I watched as two young women shooed the fifty-year old male security guard behind a pillar so they could take photographs of the front entry (before the store opened). A whippet thin, spray tanned PR blond standing nearby smirked as she tried to operate her phone with her stupidly long fake fingernails.

Since the opening on Saturday, people have been queuing for hours to gain entry. To a shop. That's right, people have been lining up for hours so they can go into a shop. If it was World War II and we were in Leningrad, then this might be appropriate if the shop was a bakery or supermarket, but it isn't. Presumably all of the merchandise inside the shop is only a click away from the comfort of bed if your ipad is handy. Amongst all the groaning about the demise of bricks and mortar retailers, the hype seems ridiculous.

On Saturday there was a DJ inside Flinders Street Station. That was nice, but it didn't inspire me to go and stand in a line for hours. Banners at Southern Cross Station told me that the moment I'd been waiting for had arrived!

I wonder what it's like inside and whether there are crowds of people and the restriction of numbers is just to keep the queue in place, with the double effect of scarcity and desirability sending the message that everyone needs to be there.

A quick look at their website suggests that it's Swedish Target or Big W. I suppose that's handy, but it's not enough for me to stand in a line for hours. I would have trouble doing this for the Leningrad Bakery, I'm certainly not doing it now.

The last time I queued was Expo 88 in Brisbane. The whole city learned how to queue for hours at Expo. It was so well-organised and there was passing entertainment, that you didn't mind. You knew that it was only going to be there for 6 months, so there was a now or never aspect to it. Word got out very quickly about what was worth queuing for and logically, the places that were worth the wait always had a wait. I haven't heard that H & M is a pop up shop and will be gone soon. I can just wait until the day I can just walk in the door. I expect to be as underwhelmed as I was when Zara opened at the other end of the mall.

I wonder how long the velvet ropes and security guards will last? Have you been to H & M? What's it like? What are you willing to queue for?

Have call centres killed face to face customer service?

Last week, my virtually new ipod stopped working.  I had had an intense day and was looking forward to taking advantage of the thoughtfully provided ipod dock in my hotel room with some music to shake the day off.

I chose my favourite track and pressed 'play'.  Nothing happened.  Well, there was no sound, but the ipod started to flick through every track, stopping only for a few seconds before moving onto the next track.  Most unsatisfactory.

For a long time my life was perfectly fine without an ipod in my handbag.  My first iphone introduced me to having access to large portions of my music collection at my fingertips and the flexibility to create playlists specifically for use in my facilitation and mediation work was too good to pass up.  I rarely listen to music when I'm just travelling around Melbourne.  I like eavesdropping and  soaking up life too much to remove myself.  Occasionally I will plug in when there's someone annoying talking at the top of their lungs without anything interesting or amusing to say.

My ipod is now an essential item when I'm flying.  As soon as I'm allowed to, I plug in and enjoy my private cocoon.  The fact it wasn't working in a week when I had five flights to complete was a big deal.

When I arrived in Canberra I went in search of anyone who might be able to help.  The guy at JB Hi Fi was engaging and helpful with general suggestions, but couldn't really help.  Half way through our conversation he mentioned that there was an Apple store across the road and they might be my best bet. I thanked him and headed over.  I was surprised and disappointed.

I stood in the store - at the counter - for more than five minutes before I was acknowledged by a staff member.  A guy came over and asked me how he could help.  I explained that my ipod had stopped working and I was wondering where I should start.  Before I'd even uttered the word 'ipod' he had written down the phone number for a service centre and handed it to me, saying I should just call.

I said that I wasn't a local and was just wondering whether there was a suggested fix or list of things to troubleshoot first.  He asked me a question.  I can't remember what it was because as I answered he started to look at everyone else in the shop except me.  At one point, I stopped talking.  He noticed after a few seconds and asked me to "go on".  I resumed my answer and he resumed his lack of interest in me and acute interest in everyone else in the world.  Without another word, I walked out.  I didn't even finish my sentence.

As I left, the guy called out "sorry" to my back.  Sorry?  What for?  A complete failure of basic courtesy and the basic requirements of face to face communication between human beings? Hi previous employment may have been in a call centre, where multi-tasking during conversations is an essential on-the-job skill.  It doesn't work very well when the customer is physically present.

When I arrived back home, I went to visit Techville here in Yarraville.  The difference was refreshing. I was immediately greeted and within five minutes the paperwork was complete and my ipod was ready to go off to hospital.

I told the bloke in my local store about my experience in Canberra.  He was also appalled and said that if he had a staff member treat a customer the way I described, that staff member would not last long.  Fair enough too.

With all the pressure on the retail sector at the moment, I would have thought that a big brand like Apple would perform better in the bricks and mortar store.  On the other hand, one of my friends insisted that no one can meet the gold standard of service which I look for.  I am hyper-aware of communication - that's the field that I work in.  I'm also working with retail managers for a major client at the moment, so I know that I have expectations because of this work.

What do you think?  What do you expect when you walk into a retail store?  How would you react to the guy I came across?

IT'S MY BIRTHDAY & YOU GET THE GIFTS!
As I contemplate renewing my commitment to divacultura for another year, I feel excitement and affection.  Thank you for sharing some of your time with me. As a thank you gift - and so I can gain a better sense of who's out there - I'll be giving away a pair of my hand knitted socks to two very lucky readers, where ever you are in the world (ie two readers will receive a pair of socks each).  To be in the running, leave a comment on this post by Friday 17 August 2012, stating why you like reading divacultura. My favourite responses will receive the prize (my decision is final).  Why not take the opportunity to sign up and follow too! 

And there are still passes to see The Sapphires available here for Australian-based readers.

I bought more than a television today.

Back in November I wrote about my experience of television sales guys after my television went black and left a horrible smell.  Since then, I've done lots of thinking, talked to lots of people, clicked on a lot of websites and today, I finally handed over the money.  No more encounters with sales guys.  At least not in the capacity of sales.

I bought my last television over twelve years ago.  A lot has changed since then. And I don't just mean in relation to televisions!  But since we're talking about televisions, consideration has to be given to plasma, LED, LCD, WIFI, dongles, HDMI cables, blu-ray, 3D and high def is just standard these days anyway.  Talk about smart! These TVs are smarter than the guys selling them.  And they are all guys.

Buying any kind of big ticket item is interesting against the back drop of all the economic commentary about the Australian dollar, the two-speed economy and what's really going on in the retail sector.  Is it all over because of the internet?  I've been thinking about these things.

My dead television (faithful servant that it was) was a Sony.  The first place I went for a replacment was Sony.  My first conversation was with a Sony sales guy - not the one I wrote about.  He spent a lot of time with me, explaining all the stuff about televisions these days.  I really didn't know anything.  I walked out after about half an hour with a business card and some prices written on it.  Naturally I went down the road to the other shop and had the encounter with the television sales guy that I did write about.  He wasn't interested in a relationship, he just wanted to sell me the biggest possible television at the biggest possible price, probably with a lot of stuff that I didn't even know I didn't want.

Then I went away for Christmas and absorbed all the advertising on my family's television, enticing me to a buy a television.  I didn't learn anything about televisions, but I did get some retailer brand awareness.  I chatted to family members and friends who had just bought televisions.  I experienced a smart television for the first time, but I still had to put the garbage out and do my own washing.  I thought I knew what I wanted.

I went back to the Sony guy and narrowed it down to three options.  The differentials were based on size, how the WIFI is accessed and 3D.  WIFI was my decider.  Once I knew that, I had no choice about 3D (I'm getting it whether I like it or not).  I was closer to my quarry.  I looked in a few retail stores and either couldn't get the attention of the sales staff or they treated me with contempt when I did get their attention.  Couldn't see myself popping in with a question about the remote control and any of these guys being happy to see me. So I hit the 'net.  I looked at no name Chinese imports with the same specs and a quarter of the price tag.  I looked at home brands.  I looked at refurbished items.  I looked at Sony online and I looked at price comparison sites.  One of them came in with a price $90 less than what my Sony guy was offering and I hadn't started haggling with him yet.

Then I thought about it.  I have a few other electronics purchases to make this year, both personally and for my business.  I've always trusted the Sony brand.  The guy had invested his time in me already and gave the impression he was happy to help.

I had made my decision.  I called to say that I would be in in the afternoon to make the purchase.  I told the guy that his wasn't the absolute cheapest price I could get, but that I had decided I was buying more than a television; I was buying a relationship.  I also wanted to make sure he received recognition for the sale if he wasn't in the store when I went in.

My decision paid off.  My sales guy wasn't there when I went in but the other staff were informed and ready to assist.  A better price was offered - without me even having to ask - and the paperwork completed swiftly.  Delivery was organised for free at a time convenient to me and I got a fantastic deal on a couple of accessories which I had planned to buy later.

This experience made me think about everyone who questions the future of retail.  In the end, I can buy an identical product anywhere, for a variety of prices.  Service and a relationship were the deciders for me.  I am confident that if I have any trouble setting up or down the track that I can call on them for help.  Paying a slightly higher price was worth it for me.

My new neighbour helped me take the old television down for hard rubbish collection.  It's just sitting there - I wonder if anyone will pick it up?  My set top box and DVD player are going to a friend who can use them.  I'm keeping the VCR though.  It may the last one in existence.

I hope I've made the right technological decision and haven't backed something that only three people have, is better, but will be obsolete next week! (See my post about this problem I have.)