Even some of the most experienced retail salespeople can overlook the basics of customer service from time to time, says freelance retail consultant and senior retail manager, Andy Stockwell …
I had a customer today who twice ignored my greeting.
But her complete lack of reaction suggested there was more to it than being rude, so I approached her head-on and tried again.
Turns out she was deaf. She looked apprehensive, tapping the words ‘potato masher’ into her phone, followed by the action of somebody pulling a pint at the bar.
I’d already seen her look at the potato mashers, so I knew she didn’t want those. I asked her if she wanted a potato ricer, but she didn’t seem to understand.
So, I gestured to her to follow me. She looked somewhat confused as I guided her out of the shop to the Denby store next door, until I pointed to a sole remaining potato ricer hanging on the back wall which I had spotted earlier.
I left her to it. A few minutes later, she stopped as she walked past the shop, looked in, smiled and waved, tapped her hand against her heart, mouthed the words ‘thank you’ and waved again as she went about her day.
There are several lessons here:
- Don’t make assumptions about your customers
- Watch their actions as much as you listen to their words
- Know your competitors
- Do your best to help, even if you don’t have the answers yourself – it builds trust, and gratitude
- Retail is a human business – it’s something the internet cannot match
