Appreciating their customers
What is this strange phenomenon? Could it be possible that customer service had somehow slipped from behind that empty desk in the corner and infiltrated the store?
The answer is yes. It’s a strategy. Lowe’s is doing it, too. According to Reuters, Lowe’s quarterly results beat the analysts’ estimates, a combination of strong sales from rebuilding after Hurricane Sandy and “the retailer’s own efforts to improve product selection and customer service.”
Giddy with the revelation that customer service translates to improved sales, “The company also forecast a 3.5 percent increase in fiscal-year sales at stores open at least a year.”
Lowe’s, which is number two to Home Depot’s number one, is in the midst of a makeover, closing locations, cutting expansion and jobs, and is now focused on taking good care of the customers it has. Employees have iPhones to help shoppers research prices and make purchases. Managers have iPads so they can spend more time on the sales floor. And my highly unscientific research at our local Home Depot indicates that the bigger chain doesn’t intend to be left behind.
True Value, a cooperative collective of independent hardware stores, has been appreciating its customers for years. This week’s mail brought me a spiffy new True Value rewards card, entitling me to special offers, a free gift, and a chance to name my favorite employees at H. Houst & Sons in Woodstock.
“We try to give personal attention to everyone,” store co-owner Jody Bryan told me by phone from a trade show in Georgia. “We don’t just want to sell you something. We want to help you find the product you were looking for, plus make sure you have everything you need for the project.”
That requires a broad knowledge of everything in the store, something Bryan admitted is a far bigger challenge than finding enough bodies to meet the customer demand. “Our people make the difference between whether you shop with us or not,” she said. “And we’ve got to make sure they’ve got not only the education to be able to answer our customers’ questions, but they know when to approach a customer and when to let them browse.”
