By Michelle Grant
What does it mean to have a successful shopping trip? Does it mean you bought a gorgeous new dress or a fabulous new pair of shoes? What makes the shopping experience so distinctive?
AFG went to visit some boutique stores and focused on the customer service experience. How they treat you dictates whether or not they value you as a customer. From the moment we step foot in the store until the moment we leave, we expect a unique experience. We want to be romanced, the first meeting, the getting to know you, the compliments and everything in between. They say first impressions mean everything, so to start off on the right foot we want to be acknowledged. We’ve come out to shop and taken time out of our day to spend our hard earned money and the last thing we want is to be snubbed.
A store that provides exceptional care is Alannah Hill. With three employees operating in the store, you would anticipate a pleasurable experience. As soon as we walked in the door, an attendant was ready to greet us and welcome us with a genuine smile. There is nothing worse than a superficial smile and a speech that has been regurgitated. She made an effort to initiate conversation and it didn’t feel forced. After getting the conversation flowing, she let us know the current promotions and sales and without imposing on our personal browsing she informed us of other relevant information.
Another praiseworthy store that really trumped others was Armani Exchange. The three staff members were very attentive, as soon as we stepped over the threshold into the store they pounced. “Hi, how are you?”, “Are you looking for anything in particular?”, these are the questions that show they want to help us find exactly what we want. After telling one attendant we were happy just to browse another approached to greet us and to ask if we needed any assistance.
It’s the minor details that make shopping that much more enjoyable. When you experience sloppy customer service you learn to appreciate the finer points.
Rude staff members or even lazy ones can deter a long time customer from returning. Some examples of the poorer customer service we received came in the form of ignoring us, pretending we didn’t exist even though we were standing right in front of them, making eye contact and getting just a smile in return. It’s impersonal. At one store we asked if they sold a particular dress that we had admired earlier and they told us that it had sold out the previous week but as we kept browsing, low and behold, what did we find?
Lazy workers make the brand they work for look less than impressive, being courteous and conscientious make consumers feel appreciated. Being lied to and ignored simply makes us lose faith in the brand and compels us to leave. When you’re on a shopping mission, don’t settle for anything less than perfection because that is what they should be providing.
