Is the customer's experience in your store hassle-free?
A number of years ago we arrived at a high end hotel at 3:00 in the morning. We had a keynote presentation at 8:30 AM, so we were going to have to sleep fast. Rich got his key and headed off to his room; Georganne and the bellman headed off to hers. When they got there the room appeared to be occupied, so they returned to the front desk where the night manager assured Georganne that the room was not occupied. This dance happened two more times until the manager finally visited the room himself and realized that it had not been properly cleaned. Couldn’t he have checked it himself the first time Georganne told him it was occupied?
Several weeks later we were checking into the Mirage Hotel & Casino at 3:00 AM only to find they were out of non-smoking rooms. Not to worry, the desk clerk said and handed us the key to a 2,000 square foot, two bedroom suite. At the same rate as our standard rooms.
Here’s the thing: when your customers ask for something in your store, what are the chances they’ll get it hassle-free? Do your associates point to a sign and say, “Sorry, that’s store policy”, or do they look for creative ways to save the customer and the sale?
Walk through your store and count the points of abuse that make shoppers turn to your competitors. Nuke the “it’s-not-my department” answers, the “NO, NO, NO!” policies, and the “No substitutions”. You can still have policies that work in your favor, just make sure they’re written in a positive voice. If you're not sure how to re-write your policies, give us a call. We'll be happy to help you get started.
