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Customer Service Information |
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Communicating for Profit and Customer Satisfaction
The President of a 200+ store division of a major retailer learned of a serious communication problem and commented that 'this was to be expected in large organizations'. Well, that clears everything up. Many retail executives don't believe that communication is important enough to get it right by coming up with a methodology that will ensure accurate and timely communication to field personnel. They don't think communication is an issue that will affect the business one way or the other. They readily accept mediocrity in their communication methods because their organization is 'large'. How interesting. You've got to wonder?does this extend to other critical areas of their business such as customer service and product quality? Does it extend to their employment practices and their commitment to labor standards? Does 'large' mean cumbersome, ineffective and inefficient? Consumers know that customer service in the majority of retail stores is indifferent, at best. Of course, there are some retailers who treat their customers with respect and who work very hard to serve them well. I am not talking about those few. I am talking about the majority. Do you know why the majority are indifferent to their customers? It's because so many leaders are indifferent. Accountability for service at store level rests squarely on the shoulders of upper management. Let's look at a Store Manager who is an experienced, intelligent, customer service oriented individual. She wants to do a good job by providing customers with a good shopping experience; by providing the company's stakeholders with a return on their investment and by providing a decent lifestyle for her family. You may think this individual does not exist in retail, but she does. Unfortunately, the upper management of her company does not realize she is an important part of the organization. They think and say they do but, as evidenced by their actions, clearly they do not. This Store Manager must receive accurate and timely communication (which includes training) from her Head Office in order to do the job well. Yet she is close to the bottom of the list of people who are deemed worthy of receiving this communication. Below her on the list are the store associates. As backward as that sounds, it's true. Most customers interact with the Store Manager and associates. Hmmm?could this have something to do with the problems consumers encounter in retail stores every day? I think it has everything to do with it. Ineffective communication results in aggravated customers - let's say you receive a promotional offer in the mail and you take it to the store only to find out that the store personnel has no idea that the promotion is in effect. How that store personnel handles your situation will make the difference between satisfaction and aggravation. Hopefully, the store personnel will use good judgment and common sense and will find a way to satisfy you. If not, you are going to be an aggravated customer. You have been inconvenienced - you've wasted your time and, once again, you are let down by a retail organization. Ineffective communication results in high employee turnover - let's say the scenario mentioned above is just one more in, what seems to be, a never ending communication nightmare. The store personnel are embarrassed and made to look foolish through no fault of their own. They do not want to be continually badgered by disappointed customers. At some point, the management and staff decide to move on, having lost all confidence in their company's ability to get it together and keep them properly informed. No employee wants to appear uninformed. And, contrary to popular belief, there are many retail employees out there who really want to look after customers properly and who feel embarrassed when they don't have the information they need to do it. Ineffective communication results in lost sales - if the store staff doesn't have product information - features, delivery schedules, pricing, etc. - they can't advise and inform the customer. The more information they have, the better equipped they will be to influence buying decisions. Isn't it desirable to have associates who are able to positively influence the customer to purchase what the store has to offer? Every problem we encounter in a retail store, with the possible exception of rude behavior (and I do mean 'possible' exception), can be traced back to a lack of accurate and timely communication. It's time for retailers to embrace an effective communications methodology and stop accepting mediocrity just because their organization is 'large'. It's time for the self proclaimed 'highly important' people at the Head Office of the 'large' organization to be brought up to speed as to where, and by whom, sales are made and customers are satisfied. You can contact Dianne Miethner at dmiethner@dmsretail.com Dianne Miethner is an experienced senior Retail Manager with a passion and comittment to higher level customer service everywhere. She has written several books and articles about the topic. Some of her other publications and views can be found at http://www.dmsretail.com alternatively, you can reach Dianne miethner at dmiethner@dmsretail.com
MORE RESOURCES: AI Chatbots Are Ready to Talk to Customers. Sort of. The Wall Street Journal Pricing, AI, DPA, Customer Service Tools; Bill Emerson Interview; Training This Week; STRATMOR CD Workshop Mortgage News Daily Samsung Electronics Canada Customer Service Wins Bronze in ‘Best Use of Omni Channel' at International CX Awards 2024 Yahoo Finance Qme secures $3M funding to streamline customer service across Africa Techpoint Africa Building Competitive Advantage in Customer Care Through AI The Business of Fashion 311 Customer Service Center City and County of San Francisco FTC Finalizes Order with H&R Block Requiring Them to Pay $7 Million and Overhaul Advertising and Customer Service Practices for 2025 and 2026 Tax Seasons Federal Trade Commission News Ikea expands integration with assembly services platform Chain Store Age JEA is inviting bids for 19-story downtown tower that used to be its headquarters The Florida Times-Union Consumers Demand Enterprises Modernize to Improve Ailing Customer Experience, Says Research Business Wire American Lamprecht Enhances Visibility for Air and Ocean Shipments Using Descartes Solution Supply Chain Dive Women in Fintech: A Conversation About Loyalty Ecosystems in Financial Services with Becky Hill Finovate Neterra Enhances Its Customer Service Monitoring System Total Telecom Gladly Named a Leader in Constellation ShortList™ for Digital Customer Service and Support PR Newswire QueueKiosk™: Saving Thousands of Active-Duty Man Hours & Improving Customer Service at the MPF Office Kiosk Marketplace Finally, hard data on a real-world AI business use case: It’s huge for customer service Sherwood News Liverpool reinvents customer service through digital platform ComputerWeekly.com Firm to expand customer service in Yorkshire with new service centre Golf Business News CSPI & Nutrition Action Customer Service CSPI Newsroom Textron Aviation to Open New Service Facility at Essendon Fields Airport, Expanding Capabilities in Australia Pittsburg Morning Sun Help Department of Taxation and Finance Six Game-Changing AI Customer Service and CX Strategies Hospitality Net Consumer Directed Personal Assistance Program (CDPAP) New York State Department of Health Cigna's customer-centric strategy could ripple across the sector Modern Healthcare Major AI Success Story: Giftify Achieves 40% Faster Customer Response Times with Enterprise AI StockTitan Contact Us About Your Bill myclearwater.com Customer Service Center apps.tampagov.net Customer Support | Department of Corrections Governor Tom Wolf 311 - Birmingham’s Customer Service Center City of Birmingham (.gov) DESCO's meeting held to enhance customer service and power reliability The Business Standard 70% of customer service to rely on AI by 2028: Gartner Outsource Accelerator Customer Service & Support Hillsborough County (.gov) My experience as a Customer Service and Sales Intern Toby Shapiro's Experience at A.D. Sutton and Sons Chapman University Delta’s annual profit-sharing day spotlights ‘people first’ strategy The Atlanta Journal Constitution 3 Ways To Quickly Make $50 GOBankingRates Welcome to Riverside Public Utilities City of Riverside (.gov) Celebrate Customer Service Week City of Riverside (.gov) Which companies have the best customer service? Amazon, Shein, Costco among top-rated brands USA TODAY Con Edison Proposes Investments to Meet Growing Demand for Clean Energy, Enhance Customer Support T&D World Fulton County Recognized as a 2024 National Customer Service All Star Fulton County Government Contact Reverb Support Reverb America's Best Customer Service 2025 Newsweek 8 strategies for using AI for customer service in 2025 Sprout Social Attorney General Bonta Demands Better Customer Service for Californians California Department of Justice AI for Customer Service Market worth $47.82 Billion by 2030 - Exclusive Report by MarketsandMarkets™ PR Newswire Can artificial intelligence rescue customer service? The Economist Permits–customer services King County Lifeline Support for Affordable Communications Federal Communications Commission Department of Transportation Governor Tom Wolf 11 key elements of excellent customer service Business.com Shep Hyken, HPU Customer Service Expert, Mentors Students and Staff High Point University Summer EBT | Department of Human Services Governor Tom Wolf How Intercom Achieves 86% Resolution Rates with Claude AI: A Customer Service Revolution - Anthropic Office of Developmental Programs Governor Tom Wolf Our Contact Centre achieves national recognition for excellence in customer service Royal Borough of Greenwich |
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