I haven’t had a good rant for a while, so we’re about due.

This post stems from an experience at a shop last week that I had, and my resulting frustration with the experience. I’ll begin with a quick recap to set the background.

Fairly simple objective: a new chain for the singlespeed. I know what I’m looking for, and it’s an item that this shop usually has in stock. I knew it was a KMC BMX chain (1/8” width), asymmetrical links, and has cutouts on the side of the links for weight savings. I thought it was a model 610 or 710, and I thought it had an SL on the end of the number to designate the cutouts.

I walk into the shop and give the girl behind the counter some details. She admits she doesn’t know which one I’m looking for and leads me back to the mechanics to help me out. I start to repeat the details again. Halfway through, I get interrupted by the individual who is ‘helping’ me out. “Oh yeah, we got that, what color do you want?”

I didn’t think it came in colors.

He runs to the back, and pulls out 4 BMX chains (all the same model), none of which have cutouts, none of which are asymmetrical, in 4 different colors. I begin again, and the interruption soon follows, “Oh, I don’t think KMC makes anything like that, we’ve got half-link chains, you should use that.”

No, that wasn’t what I said. I try the “610 or 710, with an SL at the end” line. Again, I get a host of BMX chains which he “uses on his BMX bike and they work great”. Some of these are getting closer, none of them are right. I finally give up, and follow him into the back as he goes to grab the next random item that catches his eye on the feeble quest to get rid of me. I reach past him, and pick up one of the two boxes off the shelf which looks something like this:

I am kinda pissed by this point, but at least I have what I came for. I head up to the front counter and he rings me up. The total is $23.71. It seems a little high. I ask about it, and apparently the chain actually costs $21.95. After staring at him for a moment, the thought occurs that maybe he should change the price in the computer. I finally get rung up for $21.55. As I’m making my way towards the back of the store to chat with somebody I know, I overhear him complaining to the manager that they are mispriced and need to be changed to $21.95.

Don’t get me wrong, I am all for supporting local businesses if it makes sense. I understand that they can’t compete on price with some of the online businesses, but they have 2 things going for them which offer a clear advantage.

The first is simply convenience. If I need it now, I can walk in and get it. That’s enough to get me through the door every now and then.

The second (as you may have gathered) is customer service. I want somebody who will get me the information I need to make a decision about what I’m looking for. I want somebody who I know is invested in me walking out of there satisfied, with the product I need. I will pay for this. I will not only pay more than the online retailers charge, but I will also overlook the fact that sales tax on larger items is usually more than shipping would have been. This is where a local shop should win, hands down.

But here’s the catch: For this to work, YOU HAVE TO HAVE GOOD CUSTOMER SERVICE.

If you don’t provide that to me, I will turn around, walk out, and buy everything I need from the comfort of my computer. I’ll even pay overnight charges so that it’s convenient. I am a fickle person about customer service, and this is a double edged sword. If people in these local businesses don’t figure this out, I have no problem doing my shopping in a way that is convenient and cost-effective for me.

Now, in the spirit of being part of the solution rather than part of the problem, I am going to throw some items out there that I think could benefit every person in a specialty shop retail sales role. These come out of 5 years of retail experience at an outdoor shop where customer service was drilled into me, and I’ve found that they are true time and time again.

I was fortunate to get a job there with people who were not only passionate about what they did, but about how they treated people who came into the shop. Some of these were explicitly hammered into me, some of them were simply picked up along the way. Take them as you will. Nail them up on the front door of your local shop if you agree, or print them out and burn them if you don’t. All I ask is that you take a minute to look through them.

So, in no particular order, here are 6 things that I think could help any retail business with their customer service (and keep me coming back):

• Show Your Willingness
  This starts with greeting the customer when they come in. Good first impressions should go without saying, bad first impressions start you off on the wrong foot, and it’s an uphill battle from there. Your priority is that customer and the fact that they came in for a reason. Stop what you’re doing for 2 minutes, find out what they’re looking for, and make sure they know that you’re there for them if they need you.
  And when there’s somebody walking around, even if they’re just looking, put down that damn magazine and get off the internet. There’s always something to be done which will make you more approachable to a customer, and reading a magazine or surfing the internet isn’t it.

• Ask first, inform later
  One of the best habits you can get into is to always make sure the first response you have to a customer’s first statement is a question. Even if it’s something as simple as “was this what you were looking for?” it forces you to find out something more about them and their needs. Your job is to evaluate needs and ensure that those needs are met. Provide information to the customer to help them make a decision. If you think that they are misinformed (note: I believe customers are never wrong, only misinformed) then give them additional information and let them make a decision with that additional information.

• “HELP” is a 4 letter word
  This is one that took me a while to come to terms with. Unfortunately, we are conditioned by the wal-marts of the world to shut down when we hear ‘do you need any help?’. The underlying reason for this is that if you “need help”, it implies that you were “helpless” before. It also sets the tone that you are better than the customer, and you’re not. You may have more information, you may have answers to their questions, but you aren’t better than them. I got out of the habit of asking if they needed help, and instead asking if they “have any questions” or if they’re “looking for something in particular today”. You will be amazed at how much more open people are when you start off with those phrases.

• Don’t drive by price
  This one should be a no-brainer, but I’ve had people do this time and again. Don’t push a product just because it will make you more money. I understand making money is the point of a business, but if the person isn’t happy with what you pushed on them, they won’t come back. Somebody who buys a $500 item and is a customer for life is much more valuable than the person who you sold a $1000 version just because you could.

• Experiences, not achievements
  I don’t give a flying rat’s ass if you won 20 races with that set of pedals. Just because you’re good at what you do for recreation doesn’t mean that you’re good at selling me a product, so don’t think it does.
  I want to know if you’ve had some experience with the item we’re talking about, and how that will relate to what I am planning on doing with it.If you have a lot of experience with it, then you should be able to tell me the pros and cons that you’ve found. Did it break? Did it wear out? Have you had it for 10 years and it’s still going strong? Is it maintainence-free, or do you have to work on it weekly?

You’re fast on a bike? Good for you, that has nothing to do with me unless we’re in a race, and obviously we’re not.
You’re fast on a bike and had to flaunt it to somebody who doesn’t want to hear about it? That makes you an ass, congrats, I’m going somewhere else.

• Don’t bullshit
  I don’t care how good you are at making stuff up, sometime down the road it will bite you. One of the most important things that I learned was to say “I’m not sure, but lets get the answer.” Pull out a catalog, ask somebody else who might know, or even call up the company (I’ve had a company rep on speakerphone with a customer before, it’s OK, they’re more apt to buy something). If you put the time in to get the right answer instead of feeding a line to somebody, you’ve just won a customer.

• Don’t Argue and Don’t Interrupt
  These two should go without saying, but I’ll say them anyways. There is no excuse for this. I am not a violent person, but when you argue with me or interrupt me, I want to punch you in the throat so that I can finish without you opening your yapper again. Don’t make me want to do that, it’s bad for both of us.

I’m sure there are some folks out there who have others to add to this list, and I would love to hear them. Let me know what you think. I only hope that somebody who helps me out next time I go into a local shop to buy something has better customer service than my last experience.

I don’t want to have to choke the urge to throat-punch somebody again.