If you think back to the last great customer service experience you had with a company, chances are it still stands out in your mind because that business’s staff exceeded your expectations. Maybe they righted a wrong, went out of their way to help you or simply delivered exactly what you were looking for.
In a retail age full of coupons and low prices, exceeding expectations is how businesses like yours can stand out and make a connection. It’s a strategy that can take your customer service from good to great. Karl Stensson, president of Ontario’s Sheridan Nurseries, addressed this topic as the keynote speaker at Expo 2011 in Toronto this October. He spoke to the audience about the need to deliver a retail experience that people have become accustomed to from companies such as Amazon, Starbucks, WestJet and Apple. Stensson looks to these outlets for ideas he can replicate in his garden centres. For instance, at Sheridan Nurseries, no staff member, not even Stensson himself, may refer to shoppers as customers; instead they must use the term “guest.” The reason for this? Stensson likens his store to his home. “When you invite your guest to your home, you cook, clean, entertain and you take care of them,” he said. The idea behind this, he elaborates, is that you’re preparing your home so the guest will have a great experience, which is exactly the goal in a retail environment.
This month’s Top Shop, the Floral Studio, is also operating by these standards. The flower shop is one of nine partners at the Enjoy Centre, a new retail concept designed by the family behind Hole’s Greenhouses & Gardens in St. Albert, Alta. The owners of Hole’s, brothers Jim and Bill Hole, along with Bill’s wife Valerie, knew that they had to make changes to stay ahead in the retail industry and the Enjoy Centre was their solution. “People had a greater expectation for something more than just plants,” Jim Hole said at the Canadian Greenhouse Conference in Niagara Falls, Ont., in early October. Being a part of this new concept has brought new customers to the Floral Studio. Manager Liz Nobbs says it’s also allowed them to offer shoppers more by connecting and cross-promoting with the other local businesses that reside in the Enjoy Centre. You can read more about how she’s employed this strategy on page 12.
Although building a new retail centre isn’t an option for most florists, you can work to establish relationships with other community retailers so you are helping to send customers to each other. The idea of shopping local is still a strong pull for many consumers so team up to take advantage. Looking specifically at your shop, talk with your best customers and ask them what they want from you. Is your store inviting and open to shoppers – or “guests” – and do you do your best to make sure you meet their needs, even if their requests are a little bit out of the ordinary? And when a customer isn’t satisfied with the experience you offer, are they forced to wait for a resolution? Do they have to prove they’re right? What can you and your staff do to resolve the situation and ensure you don’t lose that customer?
These are all things you need to consider to take your customer experience to the next level. Ask your staff to recall their best retail experience and explain what made it so great. By applying these principles and policies to your shop, you can make certain you and your team deliver the same memorable level of service each and every day.
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