My husband Lou and I have been renovating our bathroom. We've got quite a list of brand breakdowns in connection with this job. I'll be posting about them over the next few weeks.
I had ordered something from a JC Penney catalog for the bathroom and we decided it wasn't quite right when it arrived. We took it to the store near us to return it. What a mess.
There was a gentleman in front of us who was ordering a catalog item to be shipped to a Penney's catalog department at the store in St. Johnsbury Vermont. The employee (who was maintaining a polite demeanor throughout) kept asking him for the address of the person who was getting the package. He didn't know and that's why he was sending it to the store.
The Penney's employee kept telling him "the computer" wouldn't process the order without the address. No reason why the computer (and the business...unless of course their computers had taken over the company) needed the recipient's address, just that "the computer" won't complete the order without it.
As a former retail employee, I stood in line and thought of a couple of reasons why "the computer" would have to have the information but this woman was unable to do that. So she had to send the poor customer away. I would have gone to another store altogether.
What happened to building a brand on service? The company purchased the computer system and the company trained this person. By not giving her the reasoning behind the information she was required to get, she looked foolish and frustrated the customer. Penney's lost the sale because the customer wasn't able to finish the transaction.
Whether you sell a product or provide a service, you turn a profit by satisfying your customers. Service is so awful nowadays that you don't have to try hard to really impress people.
Perhaps it's time to examine your procedures and policies to see what obstacles you've created for the customers as well as the employees.
I have several businesses near me who, if someone came along with a comparable product but better service, I'd make the switch in a heartbeat.
Are your customers waiting to do the same?
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