Customer Service Can Be a Lot Easier and a Lot More Positive

I had occasion to stop at one of our regular stores in Moorpark today and am reminded why it can be so frustrating to make a quick trip to pick up a simple prescription from a major local Moorpark store.

The particular store at pickup is frequently understaffed, and with normal time constraints, it is not unusual to have to leave and return at the end of my business day to pick up a prescription.  When very busy, the people helping, when they look up, have the  “lost in space” syndrome look that tends to work with their skill of being defensive with that tinge of sarcasm.   

Part of the shopping routine in many stores, especially big box, home and large discount stores when you have a question is the difficulty of recognizing staff members—only to have them turn in the other direction when they see you coming. For sure, there are attempts to educate salespeople to recognize a customer has a question, but those instances are much less available than the negative effect that actually happens.

The basics of staffing or of limited staffing are a real thing but it can be easily recognizable and addressed. First, if there's a line, always acknowledge the customers: “Folks, we will be with you as soon as possible.” Now a customer will wait more patiently and be less irritable. Salespeople can repeat the greeting as necessary, just often enough to let the customer know they are aware and are not intentionally ignoring them.

To be sure, the task functions required in most jobs circumvent the people obligation functions and both are not mutually exclusive, and both must be accomplished which in and of itself is a contradiction and something that is not be able to be addressed adequately.

We are in a era where staffing in any store is less than optional, where salary cost has got to be one of the factors necessary in running a profitable operation in any business. Because of that, people that work in a retail environment need some leadership that can eloquently and not threateningly communicate how to acknowledge customers, how to be genuine when speaking with customers, how important it is to understand that without the customers they may not have that job.

The point is, we all have a job to do. We all want to do the best job with the tools we have available. One of the tools most people have is common sense. Ask the question, "If the rolls were reversed, how would I like to be recognized, how would I like to be spoken to, how would I like to be helped?" When in a big box store and two salespeople are walking together, are they going on break, are they protecting each other, are they providing a buffer so they don’t have to make eye contact, is it their defensive mode?

Customers need to lighten up sometimes, but they choose to shop where they shop and if they stop coming the business they shop at will fade away. Montgomery Wards. Orbachs, Grants, Robinsons, May Company, Broadway, the Treasurey, Zodys, Woolworths, certainly others . . .  remember them?