Matching Customer Service to Customer Types
Most specialty retailers are quick to claim that they provide outstanding customer service. Indeed, for many shoppers, customer service is what sets apart the specialty retailer from the big-box stores or discounters.
But think for a moment about the person on the receiving end of this “good customer service”. Yes, we mean your shopper. What constitutes “good customer service” for her?
Consider this. Many retailers we know are terrific “people people.” Instinctively, it seems, they adapt their own personal customer service to each shopper they deal with. With some customers, they carefully explain the subtleties of recognizing high quality in the product; with other customers, they are quick to offer an array of choices. For yet others, they dispense with small talk and “cut to the chase.”
These merchants understand that good customer service does not result from a one-size-fits-all approach. They know the answer to “What constitutes good customer service?” is, “That depends!”