Service with a Smile...

Supposedly it takes fewer muscles to smile than to frown, however, that may not be the impression the average customer gets in today’s High Street!

I am always flabbergasted by how few people who work in retail seem to be actually enjoying what they do!

With unemployment at a record level, it seems to be high time that Retailers start to employ people who have a vested interest at actually being in a service industry!

Customer Service is sometimes used as a blanket term to describe anything to do with interaction with the public. If you look up a dictionary definition you would get the below:

‘assistance and other resources that a company provides to the people who buy or use its products or services’

Dictionary.com's 21st Century Lexicon
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I would, however, suggest that service at its most basic level, is about just acknowledging the customer! This may be an extremely low base to insist on – but it is still woefully lacking in many of the major retailers.

The basic common courtesies that may seem ‘unfashionable’ these days are still the cornerstone of ensuring that your customers are dealt with in the best fashion.

I am amazed, that even in this difficult retail climate and with many businesses going under, that I can still be served in a store, without the member of staff even offering me the most basic of service. This may include eye contact and a smile - right through to stopping a conversation with a colleague about their night out!

It doesn’t sound much to ask – but a straw poll amongst friends and family would reveal that the above basic courtesies are rarely the norm!

It is widely known that is you smile at someone – they tend to smile back. It also shows the person you are dealing with that you are paying attention to them and implies that you are receptive and willing to give them your full focus. It also makes you far more approachable. All the things that would enhance the shopping experience for the Customer.

With staff hours becoming more and more limited and some stores replicating a ghost town with not a member of the team in view – it is even more critical that the customer can identify and feel confident about approaching staff with a query or question.

If you have a team that is uninterested in the customer or unwilling to provide ‘service with a smile’ – perhaps it is time to dip into the ever widening pool of unemployment to find staff that will!