I’ve been on a shopping spree lately. A lot of online purchasing has led to a few returns. And the returns experience has varied so massively, that I am compelled to post 3 stories.

1-MACY’S BLAMES BUYERS

From Macy’s I ordered white dishes and changed my mind shortly after I ordered them. It happens.

So I went back to the site and learned that cancellation online is not available. I have to call. And, my call must come within an hour after the purchase. But its nighttime and they aren’t open “after hours”. So I have to wait until the morning. Surely the 1 hour limit begins when they actually open, right?

At 8:59 a.m. I dialed customer service who told me she was unable to cancel the order because the 1-hour time limit had passed. “But you weren’t open!” I explained. She politely replied: “That’s the risk you take when you order online.” She recommended I refuse to accept the package when UPS arrives.

How strange. The receipt showed the products would not be picked and packed for a few days. Why not make a request and solve my problem? Why not save Macy’s the cost of handling? She explained that she was unable to help.

So I tried another avenue. I completed an online customer comment card and explained my point of view. Twenty-four hours later, no response to my written comment.

Another full day passed before I received the email thanking me for my comment. And what did it have pasted into it? The written text from their website explaining that I had only an hour after placing the order to cancel.

Here’s what they sent me (copied and pasted for your reading pleasure):

Thank you for your interest in macys.com. Please be advised of the following notice on our website:

Finalize method & review your order. You’re almost done! Please ensure all information is correct before placing your order, as you’ll only have one hour to make changes after it’s submitted. NOTE - order changes can only be made during Customer Service business hours. Don’t forget to confirm the Shipping Address before clicking “Place Order.”

So here’s my question about Macy’s online delivery: Do you know the consequences of telling customers that a problem is their fault?

2 BED, BATH & BEYOND SOLVES PROBLEMS

Major contrast to Bed, Bath & Beyond who, when faced with the same situation, took ownership of my problem and used their tools and resources rather than telling me to use mine.

Here’s what transpired with Bed, Bath & Beyond:

1. I clicked on the link from the order confirmation and sent an email explaining I no longer needed the item.

2. 2 hours later I got a reply. It apologized for the delayed response. (Apparently 2 hours is outside of their quality standards. Are you listening Macy’s?) It explained that a message had been sent to cancel the order.

3. Another 2 hours later I got the automatic announcement that the item had been shipped. It provided a tracking number. “Oh well”, I thought. “At least they tried!”

4. But they had done more than just try to cancel the shipment. I tracked the shipment at UPS and found the notice: THE SHIPPER HAS REQUESTED A DELIVERY INTERCEPT FOR THIS PACKAGE / RETURN TO SENDER PENDING.

Why does BB&B know how to recall a package if they can’t prevent it from going out, yet Macy’s does not? And, more importantly, what does BB&B understand about the benefit of making shopping easy that Macy’s has yet to grasp?

3- LANDS’ END VS AMAZON & ZAPPOS?

My final story made me sad and annoyed at a seller whose products I love. I didn’t stop this order. I just tried it on and it did not fit. And I have managed to lose the packing slip. So I reached out to customer service to get a return label using the method most convenient for me – “Online Chat”. I will provide the details to you using the live chat transcript.

customer : I need to return something but have lost my slip. What do I do?
Cheyenne : Good morning. I would be happy to assist you. You enclose your name and full address, reason for return, what you want credit or exchange and mail it to
Cheyenne : Lands’ End Returns 2 Lands’ End Lane
Cheyenne : Dodgeville WI 53595.
customer : Doesn’t the slip usually have free shipping?
Cheyenne : No, it does not. Customers are responsible for return shipping costs. There is sometimes a label that reduces your return by $6.95 if you use it.
customer : I did not realize. How disappointing.
customer : How do I get the $6.95 discount?
Cheyenne : If you do not have your receipt with a label on it you would have to mail it back by shipper of your choice. It is not a discount. Either you would have to use USPS, UPS or Fed Ex to make your return. Usually the post office is the cheapest.
customer : You cannot send me a label like Amazon or Zappos do?
Cheyenne : No.
Cheyenne : You can use a shipper of your choice and mail it back to us. We do not provide free shipping on returns. Sorry.
customer : What a shame. I thought Lands End provided better service. Not your fault unless I find out you are mistaken.
customer : Good luck to you. Take care. Thanks.
Cheyenne : Thank you for chatting with Lands’ End! Have a great day!

Bed Bath & Beyond,  Zappos, Amazon… you are my “go to” sellers. And I am not alone. Here’s hoping that the leadership at Macy’s and Lands’ End catch on and make the small adjustments needed to survive in the new world where customers rule.

This morning a young gorgeous gym professional asked me a question and caused an epiphany. (Epiphanies lead to blogs in case you didn’t know.)

I was paired with him to help kick-start a new era of fitness and well-being in my life. I hadn’t told him that, yet. Hadn’t admitted how long it had been since I worked out the way I should. Or at all. But then again, I suppose he could tell…

And he asked me, “When do you train?”

Being a corporate trainer my mind flashed the answers:

“Almost every day, lately”; “Lots of 20 hour days running from classroom to airport and from event to event”; “I have great stamina for someone whose not working out”; “I’m doing okay, right?”

Now anyone reading this knows what he meant. He meant “When do you workout?” And, had I asked the “doing okay” question he would have told me I am not doing okay. I have stamina, which means I can get through the long days. But I don’t have energy which means I am not enjoying the long days. I love my job. It needs to be fun again. I need to get in shape.

But my mind was still interested in his word choices. “What’s the difference between working out and training?” I asked. He thought for a minute while I admired his hazel eyes and many other attributes I am embarrassed to type. Especially considering his age. I am old enough to be his mother and then some.

Here’s what he told me: “Training means you are trying to get results. You’re working a plan where the workload gradually increases and gets harder as you improve. Working out usually means you show up and do an activity. People work out all the time and stay the same.” He glanced over at a large woman and man with clothes soaked through who were heading for the exit. “Which do you want, an activity or an outcome?”

Obviously I want an outcome. We talked about a training plan. Three hours later I left with more than just a fitness program. I left with a question for all the corporate trainers in my life. And for the executives currently considering an investment in training.

“Are you sure you’re not just designing and scheduling a workout?”

I no longer agree to humor the people who believe the way to economic recovery is to focus on spending less. And that’s what the catch phrase “doing more with less” really is about. I went along with my beloved Socap New England’s  March meeting because we are trying to build up our local chapter and the title grabs attention. But enough’s enough.

Conferences, meetings, white papers, books… there will probably be a reality show if this goes on much longer… But none of it talks about the “more” we need to be doing. This hype is all about “less”.

It’s as if we have all been standing in shallow holes and managing to make our way out once in a while with short ladders. Now the holes have gotten deeper and everyone is focusing on the length of the ladders instead of focusing on getting out of the holes.

2009 is the time for doing more  - regardless of what you have and whether you think you have more or less. Here are the two things I believe companies need to realize and take action on in order to do more.

ONLY TOP PERFORMERS ARE CAPABLE OF DOING MORE.
In the past, companies needed lots of people to fill the infrastructure with support for customers, prospects and procedures. Did they work on making sure these staffers were the best they could be? Did they offer a culture that emphasized professional development and growth, or were they so busy they let people’s skills stagnate?

I think you know what I believe. When business is good, coaches can be too busy to observe and coach their team members. If training is provided, the coaches aren’t following up. So, they have people performing at average or below average skill levels who still come to work and think all is okay. Now, when there are fewer customers or less profitable business deals and more pressure to cut costs, these un-developed employees are rarely up to the challenge of doing more. I know because they are calling me every day.

Example A of “incompetence allowed to make a phone call”:

“Hello. I’m calling from ‘Delicious Meals’ Company. I want to thank you for your recent purchases and hope they were.. blah, blah, blah… We have a special offer for [product package] with a savings of $50. May send I this to you.. blah… blah.. blah?”

Why does this company and caller not understand that selling is a process not a pitch? Trying to move someone from “no interest to action” via one long sales lecture was a disproven model 15 years ago. Why haven’t these folks kept up?

The answer is that when business was easy they thought they did not have to. So today, they are stuck with unskilled script writers and confused telesales agents. These people seem to think they need to make more calls and not better calls. Well they need to do both. Doing more means using more effective techniques so they have better interactions and can genuinely sell more people.

TOP PERFORMERS CAN BE CREATED.
Today, whether business is steady or slow, companies have the opportunity to help their people achieve greatness so they are highly effective all day long. More than an opportunity - they have an obligation to the future of the firm and its goals. Training and coaching are the best and easiest solutions.

Here are a few ways to create a team of top performers quickly and well:

• Search the internet for articles and training on improving customer service. Its all over the place at every price point from free to $15 to much, much more. And coach to the information you find every day until every team member sounds warm, courteous and knowledgeable during every interaction all day long. Notice use of the word “every”. Consistent excellence is the goal.
• Read any one of the great books that have been published in the last 10 years about connecting with prospects and moving them to see the value of your offer in a single conversation. [I have a cd on sales prospecting available at carastraining.com and will provide it with my compliments until they run out. Just call or email me and we'll make a deal for shipping costs.]
• Use existing training content in your company and re-run some role-plays or other activities that will reinforce what top performers must know. Everyone must demonstrate top performer behavior.
• Practice finding product and policy information in an online treasure hunt to make sure all of your staffers know what to do in your top 10 most common situations. Then your 10 toughest situations.
• Hire one of the many consultants actively looking for work at www.linkedin.com and take advantage of their expertise at rates you won’t see again next year.

What I’m talking about here is investing time developing your people so that you have a whole team able to get themselves and your company out of the hole rather than digging deeper.

As for the “Delicious Meals Company”, you are right to try to get more business from me. The folks I sent your food loved some of it. Next time you call, try a professional sales approach designed to create interest. If you can create interest you have a shot at selling. Simply pitching the ball when you don’t know if you have a batter is ridiculous.

Try this opening:

“Hello, my name is [name] from “Delicious Meals”. I’m calling to see if we can tempt you with some wonderful items that will save you time and be a big hit at home or as gifts. I’m assuming the [package name] you sent in December was well received. Is that the case?”

[Prepare the caller for "no" - and finding out what went wrong and how to make it right. "I'm so sorry to hear that. Your business is very important to us. Can you please tell me which items they liked and which did not meet their expectations?" Armed with these answers she can present a special offer - yes, one of the offers she had all along - that feels like a chance to get the right items at a heavily discounted rate.]

[Prepare the caller for a detailed description of what was enjoyed and what was disappointing. "So it sounds like you're family loved the steak. Let's look at a way to get you more of what you loved and make it very economical as a way of making this right. How many of the 6 ounce tenderloins might you use in a 2-month period?" Again, same offer but it feels tailored.]

[Prepare the caller for a simple "yes". "I'm not surprised, but very glad it was a successful gift. The offers we have today have even lower prices than the holiday package so they stretch the budget. But the quality, as you know, is the best. What do you think about the same package for yourself at a price of ...?" Again, same offer but it feels tailored.]

Now is a time for action. And developing your people so they are top performers is the best action companies can take to create a competitive edge, improve profits and decrease costs due to errors and re-work. Forget about doing more with less. Do more and thrive.

Technorati Tags: doing more with less, sales training, ronna caras

Today I threw away my fifth Talbot’s catalog in a row without opening it. I am mad at Talbot’s. They have betrayed my trust and made me feel cheated. So I do not shop there anymore.

My checkbook shows $6548.35 was spent at Talbots between January and October 2008. But that is the end.  

So even though it has been more than a month since the events that led up to our relationship’s demise, as a sales and service professional and business owner I can’t stop thinking… Why doesn’t Talbots care about losing my business?

So far, I have come to two conclusions. Two reasons I can think of that Talbot’s does not care that Ronna Caras will not buy from them anymore:

1. When they changed their return policies and left me stuck with $200 of outlet merchandise they refused to take back (because it was 35 days old and not 30 days), they created no mechanism for their employees to report or escalate the incidents of really pissed off customers. Cashier and Manager both told me the new software did not allow for exceptions and there was nothing they could do. They pointed to the pale gray writing on the back of my sales slip explaining the change of return policy and agreed a store sign, a warning from a cashier, or a letter would have prevented my surprise. But neither of them had the training or tools to take my name and number and alert someone that something had hit the fan.
   
2. When I called Customer Service, searched the internet, and inquired in two stores, I was unable to learn the name of the Director or Vice President of Customer Relations. This person is well hidden. Maybe the job does not exist. Either way, Talbot’s has failed to create a channel to communicate with customers during a time of extraordinary change in their long-held policies.

So, kind readers, I think Talbot’s doesn’t care about losing my business, because Talbot’s doesn’t realize… yet. But they will. Because I cannot possibly be the only customer who was treated badly as a result of their covert policy change, and refuses to stand for it.

I am willing to bet there are thousands of customers like me, maybe tens of thousands of us, whose $650 a month clothing budget is about to be spent at Lord & Taylor or another store who still understands how to treat busy women who have more money than time.

It’s too late to warn Talbot’s that they need to communicate with loyal customers to avoid losing us. And it’s too late for them to train employees to handle situations effectively.

But it’s not too late for other companies to take a lesson. Policies change for good business reasons and consumers understand that. We want our favorite stores to stay in business and that means the stores need to be profitable.

So, take the time to be thorough when making changes that impact the way customers do business with you. Write, email, post big signs. Empower staff to make exceptions for a little while so your customers know you have not become our enemy.

In March 2007, Massachusetts began holding teenage drivers to a higher standard than those of us who are older and have been driving longer. Yes. Let me repeat that. Rookies, with minimal experience, are being held to a higher standard than drivers with lots of experience. It’s known as “the junior operator law”. We “non-juniors” can make a mistake. “Junior” cannot. Can you imagine trying to get that rule passed in your business?

Since I am not the parent of a teenager, the 17 month old law had escaped my attention. But today’s Boston Globe has an article by Keith O’Brien. He reports that hearings at the RMV are up 20% since the law took effect suspending teenagers’ licenses for 90 days after 1 single speeding ticket.   He reports that parents and teenagers are “furious”. He quotes an RMV hearing officer who seems surprised at the “vulgar language” she hears.

I’m not sure which part of this story has me ranting most:

1. There’s the stupidity of penalizing new drivers for a single mistake rather than treating them like learners who need coaching.
2. And the idiocy of suspending licenses - which takes away the rookie’s opportunity to practice the skill s/he needs to improve and almost guarantees worse performance down the road (literally).
3. Or the reporter’s having missed the point completely by failing to identify the cost of this new program to the state (20% more hearings); to the families (working parents driving their kids again); and to the kids who are unfairly targeted by youth-hating adults (almost guaranteeing mistrust when they end up as our new hires in a few years).

In business we understand that people grow and improve through a fair and useful balance of rewards and consequences. It’s “Management 101″. Anyone who doesn’t get this simple principle does not keep a leadership job for very long.

Perhaps it’s time to start holding government to the same standard as we business professionals are held to. Because as they make up foolish and wasteful rules, they are hurting the people we should be helping.

Technorati Tags: ronna caras, boston globe, keith o’brien, rmv

I’ve been blogging a lot on customer service lately because we are actively involved with 2 firms aiming to change their cultures to improve the customer experience. So customer service standards and strategies and training are on my mind. Everything I read, see and hear stimulates an idea.

I also have a prospective “culture change” client whose legal department just finished reviewing my company’s contract. Their reaction was to make almost no changes. I was told they appreciated the “fairness and flexibility” they found in our service agreements. We don’t charge for time they don’t use, even when the change occurs at the last minute. We don’t ask reimbursement for every bottle of water and bagel we eat in airport….  I get the impression this was a bit of a surprise.

And it got me thinking… is it possible to have a culture of customer service when standards do not seem “fair and flexible” to customers? How do companies around the world even pretend to be customer-centric when they have terms like these 10 examples:

1. A posted policy says “returns must include a receipt and be within 15 days of purchase.” If the merchandise is made of strawberries, then I can understand it, but silk blouses don’t grow mold….
2. 0% financing is voided when 1 payment is even 1 day late. And bank has the right to select any interest rate it chooses to take effect immediately.
3. Personnel will travel through airport security lines to make sure passengers are not carrying too much stuff on board. (check out this Wall Street Journal article on the subject)
4. Sign on an office wall says, “Your failure to plan does not create an automatic emergency for me.”
5. Personal training appointments cancelled on the day of service will be charged full rate. But if the personal trainer cancels on the day of service no compensation exists for the customer.
6. We only serve burgers well done. (A policy I learned about in a restaurant that also serves sushi.)
7. New customers pay $1 for the same phone that current customers pay $100 for.
8. We only accept MC and VISA.
9. Training materials instruct staff to never say “I’m sorry,” unless it has been determined that the company is actually at fault.
10. Managers devote no time at all to observing and developing direct reports yet when it comes time for performance reviews, they list skills that are lacking and mistakes that were made.

This is a pretty short list of common practices that make it hard for customers - both external and internal - to believe the “powers that be” have their best interests at heart.

And if you show customers that you’re all about protecting your own interests, no matter how it impacts your customers, can you ever call yourself a “great customer service organization”?

There’s no doubt that creating a culture of service must include reviewing every written policy and contract. The unwritten ones need review too. They impact the way employees behave toward each other and business or consumer clientele. Small changes can go along way toward setting a fresh tone for the future.

Now, believe me when I say I am not trying to discourage the development and implementation of training - obviously. But let’s be sure the training focuses on supporting systems that let customers know they matter.

Technorati Tags: Ronna Caras, Customer Service Culture, Customer Service Policies, Training

My friend and colleague, Nick Miller, of Clarity Advantage, Inc. emails “Weekly Sales Thoughts” to his vast list of impressed followers. This week, he captured a subject I have been dancing around as I tell everyone about the value of membership in SOCAP - an organization where people connect and collaborate and help one another solve problems. With Nick’s permission, I am sharing with you his ideas about connecting.

I’m standing in the low ceilinged, dimly lit, stuffy-aired classroom of a driving school - a company owned by brave souls who make a living teaching 16 year olds to drive dangerous objects. My daughter is taking her road test with a State Police officer, her last step before qualifying for her license. I’m waiting, idly watching the TV in the far corner of the classroom. 

The movie, Shrek II, is playing. While I haven’t followed the story line very closely, there is a moment in which Shrek-the-green changes into Shrek-the-handsome-human. Instantly, several young women appear, pushing each other out of the way to gain his attention. They are ATTRACTED to him by his size, good looks, and witty tongue. (This was, after all, a CARTOON movie.) Shrek seemed unaffected by this. (This REALLY was a cartoon movie.)

This story would have played out very differently if Shrek, upon assuming human form, immediately chased the women. The scene would have degenerated into the usual Thursday night at most singles bars. “Hey, ladies, va-va-voom, come along, you’ll have really good time with me, yes”? 

Most prospecting, in its current form, is a variation of this Thursday night singles bar “me push.”  We sales people launch ourselves at prospects with snappy chatter, hoping we can overcome prospects’ resistance or their impossible schedules, thinking that, if prospects would just invest a few minutes, they would understand how wonderful we sellers are and how powerful our products. High frustration. Low success rates. At the singles bars, too.

What would we do differently if we changed the prospecting paradigm from “push” to “attract?”

Attraction involves appealing to natural interest or emotion, arousing hope or desire, or lighting a spark of possibility.  In the “attraction” paradigm, prospects and customers want us to talk to them and be part of their work because they see or experience that we have an insight, an expertise, or an energy they want. (That’d be some Thursday night at the bar, eh?)

How do we convey this? Following the Shrek model, we substitute other characteristics for his.

1. We become resources. When we network, we figure out what is challenging our conversation partners and we find people in our companies or our networks, articles or other resources that can help them. We become known as providers, interested in helping everyone be more successful.

2. We position ourselves as experts in addressing our clients’ problems and complaints. We develop more and broader knowledge about their challenges and potential solutions than they have. We share this perspective by writing, speaking at business or community events, and developing and sharing best practices and success stories. We give away some of our value in the form of articles, podcasts, stories, best practices, network connections, and advice without asking anything in return at the time.

3. Remembering Shrek, we do all of this as if it’s not a big deal. We can’t feel or be “needy.” Needy is NOT attractive. [Refer back to Thursday nights, poor results, above.] Instead, we engage our prospects, draw them out, and warm them up with Shrek’s easy nonchalance that communicates confidence (remember, we are experts), “whole-ness,” and the ability to engage peer to peer.

So, here are my questions to you on the subject of attracting business rather than pushing to get it.

In this world where service and sales lines are being crossed; where everyone is being asked to find more business and keep it; at a time when up-selling and holding back competition is a top priority, how easy will it be to teach your staff to give more without looking for an immediate transactional payback? Are there some success stories in your company about sales leaders who model this behavior and can show its power?

Consultants have been using this model for many years. But I don’t see it being taught to sales folks in any other industry. And, perhaps, the timing is right to take a look at “the attraction paradigm according to Nick Miller”.

Technorati Tags: Ronna Caras, Nick Miller, sales prospecting, law of attraction, sales training

I am currently on the receiving end of extraordinary generosity. My offices are piled high with boxes from Arm & Hammer, Campbell’s, Colgate, Coors, Dannon, Duncan Hines, Frito Lay, General Mills, Kashi, L’Oreal, Nestle, Pepperidge Farm, Sargento, Telerx, Tyson, Unilever, and Zotos…All ready and waiting to be made into enormous gift bags for the New England Chapter Socap June 17th Meeting I am helping to run.

I am blown away by the stuff. We have toothpaste, t-shirts, granola bars, measuring spoons, chip clips, pens and lip balm. We have dog food, hand lotion, mascara, iced tea mix, cake mix, shampoo and even condoms.

Participants will get grocery items and coupons from some of the best brands in the world totaling $100 and then some.

But more than the snacks and cooking items and sex toys which are filling the room, I am blown away by how easy it was to get very busy, very important executives to lend a hand to help us start this local chapter that is many miles from where they actually live and work. Two local member companies contributed to the haul - Ocean Spray gave us their new Cranergy drink and Liberty Mutual Insurance provided jelly beans, if Gloria doesn’t eat them all before the event. But the other 30 goodies are from companies from across the USA.

Obviously, this blog post is a love letter to Beth, Cathy, Cheryl, Dale, Dan, Denise, Donna, Eileen, Jeff, Joy, Karalyn, Karen, Kim, Linnea, Louise, Mena, Willie and more… who took the time and the care to send a variety of items so our welcome gift shows just who SOCAP includes. And that was the point. To show prospective members and guests from New England who they can get to know as professional resources when they get to know Socap. Why shouldn’t local companies want to be a part of a group that includes these powerhouse corporations and people?

It is also a message to anyone who thinks that companies don’t care about people anymore. That there’s no loyalty in workplaces. That business leaders are out for themselves. That networking is a necessary evil rather than the building of real relationships.

The membership at this organization have filled my office with proof that some networks, some people, some companies know what it means to reach out and connect.

Now I have to admit that I have never been much of a group joiner. With their cliques and clichés. But this group is the exception.

If you want to know how to solve any of your business problems, call a Socap member or two or three and they will share a strategy or a resource you can use. No one says “no” here. No one says “we can’t” or “I’m too busy”.

So I’ll end this week’s rant by stating loudly and clearly - if you are a professional in a contact center, customer care or consumer services role who has not connected with Socap, then you are missing out on the best opportunity to achieve greatness in your work. Because greatness is here. And it’s available to all of us.

Technorati Tags: consumer affairs, customer service, ronna caras, executive development, new england chapter socap

As much as I try to take a day off from work, even a trip to the paint store sparks a realization about why customer service folks need to do a little selling in order to give really good service. Here’s what happened:

Memorial Day Weekend is a big clean-up spruce-up time here in New England. This year we had perfect weather - 70 degrees with nary a cloud. Not too hot for heavy lifting and a pleasure to be outdoors. My contribution to the “make it pretty again” efforts was to repaint my black front door and all its shiny white trim. To make sure I got everything I needed, on Saturday, I went to the best paint store I know, Walls of Décor on Lowell Street not far from my house.

The gentleman got me the right paint for the black door and casement, not too shiny, not too flat. He knew just what I needed as soon as I asked. He found me the white trim paint and I got a gallon so there’d be plenty for the trim around the garage doors too. I asked about brushes and he helped me select a thin angled brush for tight corners and a wider brush for large surfaces. Here’s where my problem started.

“I can use the same brushes for the black and the white, can’t I?” I asked him. “As long as you clean them well,” he replied and carried my merchandise to the counter to ring it up. $90 later I was on my way.

If you are an experienced painter you already know what happened.

On Sunday I painted the door black and gave it three good coats. Then I tried to clean the brushes. I washed and washed and of course, their once-beige bristles still looked blackish.

“Why didn’t I spend another $10 on more brushes?” I wondered. And with my annoyance growing, “Why didn’t the nice gentleman at Walls of Décor warn me how difficult it would be to change from black to white?”

Obviously, trying to re-use the brushes would be more hassle than it was worth. But now it was Sunday and Walls of Décor was closed. Good bet they’d be closed on Memorial Day Monday, too.

Have you been to a home maintenance super store on Memorial Day weekend? 15 minutes just to park and another hour to find the brushes and get through the checkout line. Not exactly the delightful shopping experience that had made me choose Walls of Décor in the first place.

But what of that initial customer service? In this day and age, when businesses fight to increase their sales by just a few percent, wouldn’t an additional $10 sale have been a good thing?

It certainly would have improved this customer’s experience to have been warned by a pro that black paint and white paint deserved their own separate brushes.

So what can retailers do to make sure they are capturing the business they deserve and making their customers loyal at the same time?

1. Coach their staff to think big. When a customer describes a project or a need, they should be offering suggestions for all of the supplies that will save a customer time and make sure the outcome is right.
2. Coach their staff to identify customers who need extra help. “I came here because you folks always help me”, was my obvious cue. That’s a request for expert advice.  Staff should not be afraid to give it.

Forcing customers to go elsewhere for the rest of the stuff they need reduces profits and long term loyalty. Just a bit of coaching here can go a long way.

Technorati Tags: customer service, customer service training, Ronna Caras, sales training

We can’t expect companies to do everything right all the time. Problems arise, mistakes occur. Service providers are human. Equipment breaks. Accidents happen.

The test of a company’s service takes place after the problem, mistake, breakage or accident. That’s when consumers and business clients notice what you did to make it right. Want to get noticed? Let something go wrong. And fix it.

If you want to see an example of great customer service, read “Another Fairmont Moment” an earlier post in this blog. Their management made sure at least one guest had a fantastic recovery story to tell.

If you want to learn about a totally different hotel experience, read my story:

Last month I stayed at the Renaissance Hotel, Times Square. On the first morning I was 5 minutes into a 40-minute hair drying session using the hair dryer they provided. Suddenly, the lights in my room went out.

I called the front desk. I explained my problem. “Were you using the hair dryer?” she asked. “Yes, was I not supposed to?” “No, I didn’t say that. Do you want me to send someone up there?”

 “Do I want you to send someone up here?” I tried not to yell and was only partially successful. “I want the lights back on so I can finish getting ready and go to my meeting. Does that involve sending someone up here?”

“I’ll get someone up there,” she said talking fast. “And you have a nice day.” She hung up before I barked my thanks.

I sat for a moment thinking about her sarcastic “Have a nice day,” and the lack of apology or ownership of the problem - an obviously known problem that could have been prevented with a small note of warning. There are notes about re-using towels. Why not a note about hair dryers that blow out fuses?

I wondered what kind of management let this happen and forced front line staff to deal with the problems. Are they lazy or crazy?

I wondered what kind of customer service training this woman received (can’t help myself). Are they a prospect for my company’s services, or don’t they invest in their staff’s development at all?

Then her comment about the hair dryer registered. I have very thick hair that needed some serious drying. If it shut off every 5 minutes I was in big trouble.

I called back and asked if using the dryer was going to continue to cause a problem if I plugged it back in and used it. “I didn’t say that,” she responded. I’ll get someone up there.” “When should I expect someone?” I asked. “I’ll call him as soon as you let me off the phone.” Nice. Really nice.

2 minutes passed and the lights went back on. Then a knock at the door. “I reset your lights.” The man told me. So I asked him about the hair dryer. “Will it keep shutting off?” “Only if you plug it in the same outlet.” “But it’s the only one near a mirror.” “Oh,” he said. Then he scanned the room and decided he could move the dresser and plug in the hair dryer behind there. I thanked him and he left. I dried my hair standing in the small space between the bed and the cabinet with a tiny bit of light. It worked fine and I left for a great day in Manhattan.

Now, I realize I was only delayed by 10 minutes. It could have been a lot worse. But I had just read about how the Fairmont, Newport Beach had jumped through hoops to satisfy Gary Connor who was complaining about the noise of a party outside. Mine was a known problem - something they could have prevented and just didn’t. And no one had even apologized to me.

But I remained hopeful and I waited for my hoop-jumps. Would someone leave a note apologizing for not warning me that hair dryers could not be used in the bathroom? Would I get the promise of an upgrade at my next Marriott property visit? A free night’s stay? Would my $25 bagel and coffee be provided at no charge? Would anyone even acknowledge my problem or experience?

So far the answer is “no” “nothing” “nada”. It’s been a few weeks so my hope for their service recovery has been replaced by pity. They’ve lost my business and don’t even seem to know about it or care about it.

When I travel to Manhattan again next month I’ll be staying elsewhere. I advise you, kind readers, to do the same.

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