Customer Satisfaction Services

Attitude Is Everything

A great attitude from sales staff permeates throughout the entire store, putting customers in a good mood and more eager to spend money with you. "People want to be treated with kindness and common courtesy, it’s easy to say, but it’s another thing to actually do it,” said Mickie Albert-Caracatsanis, managing partner of Satisfaction Services Inc., a company based in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., involved in helping businesses provide better customer service through specialized evaluations and mystery shopper programs. "It does you no good to have a highly skilled employee who knows your products front to back but who has a bad attitude working your sales floor. People will forgive you for not having all the answers but not for a bad attitude. Consider we’ve found people will drive an extra 10-15 minutes to get better service. Customers want to feel good about spending their hard-earned money with a store."

Having a good attitude on the sales floor stems from actually caring about the customers entering the store. "To excel in customer service, one has to care. It’s really that simple," said Joshua Goldmeier of Sappanos Paint Co. in Chicago. "You have to care about the customer. You have to care about your job. You have to care about yourself. Once you get that, the rest is simple and comes automatically."

Knowing that attitude is critical to customer service is a good start but how do storeowners and employees actually convey that positive attitude? At Miller Paint Co., a paint manufacturer based in Portland, Ore., that also owns 25 paint stores in the Pacific Northwest, it’s simple—be pleasant and keep it simple. "Greet customers as they come in the door, whether they are male or female," said Paul Sawyer, senior vice president of sales and marketing. "It’s an important way to start the transaction. And, keep your store neat and organized. Keep complementary items together. It’s all part of presenting a professional attitude."

Albert-Caracatsanis added that smiling and giving a warm welcome when a customer comes through the door goes a long way in developing a strong relationship with that person. She said not to wait until the customer approaches you but you should approach him or her. Or, if you already are with a customer, let the new customer know you’ll be right with him or her. Also, she added that when working with a customer, if the salesperson doesn’t know an answer to a question, he or she should say, “Let me find someone who can better assist you," rather than saying, "I don’t know." "If your staff is genuine, courteous and friendly, customers are willing to wait for an answer."

Dale Russell, store manager of Hikes Point Paint & Wallpaper in Louisville, Ky., agreed and added that he doesn’t notice sales staff at other stores acknowledging customers like in the past. "I shop other places, and I don’t see an initial acknowledgement of the customer," Russell said. "We care, and we greet customers. We thank them for their business, tell them we hope we helped them with what they needed and that we appreciate their business."

At Miller Paint stores, every sale is completed with an offering to walk the products out to the customer’s car. It’s a simple gesture to show customers that store cares about them even after money has been exchanged. "It’s a way to say thank you for coming to us," said Sawyer. "It’s an important part of finishing the sale. Customers really appreciate it."

Even long after the completion of the sale, retailers have opportunities to stay in their customers' minds. Michelle Zuidema, interior consultant at Citrus Paint & Décor in Crystal River, Fla., said she sends simple thank-you notes to customers. "Following up with the customer is very important. We’ve sent thank-yous out before and people love them, but we’ve been a bit relaxed in that area lately. I’ve already started sending them out again daily," she said.

Another way to show your gratitude to customers is to reward them for referrals. Sherri Tafoya, owner of Custom Blinds & Design in Lincoln, Neb., said she asks new customers how they received the store’s name. If the referral came from an existing customer, Tafoya doesn’t let that good deed go unnoticed. "When the job is finished or the lead is 'dead' and our worksheet is filed, we send them a thank-you note, a $20 gift certificate they can use at any store at a local mall and a couple of extra business cards," she explained. "It’s not much to spend for the added visibility we get. We think it’s important to provide the referral gift even if the new client didn’t buy—because the existing customer still did take the time to refer us to a friend, work colleague or family member."