I ran into my local Lowes last week to get a light fixture and two ceiling moldings for my home office and master bedroom. I hate to say that this is not a chore I love doing. I enter the store fraught with worry about whether or not I’ll get the right item, if there will be anyone on the floor to help me, how long will I have to wait for a knowledgable sales person to rear his or her head and be of service – you get the picture.

To make matters worse, I had three children waiting at home, two of whom had upcoming doctor’s appointments in my town – 18 miles away. Lo and behold, as I entered the designated “lighting” department, Errol – my soon-to-be hero, emerged. Errol looked to be in his late sixties and asked if he could assist me with the list of items I was holding in my hands.

“Absolutely,” I said, and proceeded to explain my list of wants/needs to him. In less than five minutes, Errol had assisted me in finding a two-light sconce to enlighten the descent into my finished basement/family room, and found two of the same ceiling moldings that we both agreed were better looking than the rest. As I thanked Errol profusely for helping me navigate the home super store, he told me it was his first day on the job. I said if things didn’t work out for him at Lowes, to give me a call and I’d hire him.

Conversely, I recently popped into my local bakery here in Concord, MA to buy the most delicious bread I’ve ever tasted – Olive Bread! Before me in line was a woman who was purchasing a sampling of pastries and desserts in clear containers. The array of delectable treats sat on the counter until it occurred to the 16-year-old girl who was waiting on this woman to ask her if she wanted a bag. Of course she did – how else could one woman manage 10 individually packaged treats from here to her car? The young girl began stacking them up so high in a plastic bag that the woman had to stop and request she give her a bag with a handle. Otherwise, the pastries would be sure to tip over and ruin the beautiful presentation that, no doubt, had something to do with the fee she was paying. The girl obliged with a ripped paper bag with a handle and, exasperated, the woman left the bakery.

Common sense is anything but common, I agree, but with age and experience comes wisdom. Fortunately, Lowes is a company that values maturity and in making the investment in people over the age of 60 – is making a sound business decision as well. I know the next time I need to pop into a home improvement super store, I’m going to look for Errol to help guide the way.

What's your customer service experiences based on age?  Please share your stories with us!

Tom and I were craving pizza last weekend while rushing to catch a movie, so we called ahead to the local pizza joint in Concord (as we know they take 25 minutes). We told them we'd love to enjoy our pie at the restaurant when we arrived. 

Before I could even place my order with the adorable, 16-year-old young woman who waited on me, I was put on hold twice.  Finally, I was able to place the order and we were on our way. Shortly thereafter, I received a call from the manager (or owner, I can't remember which), stating that we couldn't pre-order a pizza to eat when we arrived.  Being that it was a call-ahead order, they'd have to package it in a to-go box.  Does this defy logic to you?  It certainly did to me.  I simply replied, "ok, that's fine, we'll eat it out of the box at the restaurant."  Everyone was happy.

However, It occurred to us in a discussion later on that this was not a customer-centric approach to accommodating your clientele.  For a place that has to put you on hold twice just to take your order, does it make sense that the top dog would have the time to call you to tell you that they can't accommodate a simple request of eating your pizza when you arrive?  And going as far as telling you you'll have to eat it out of the box?  Don't these people know they operate out of Concord, MA?  Just ask Don Henley how green we are.  It seems to me this is an insane way to allocate resources of time and pizza boxes based on the principle that you can not call ahead to order your pizza.

Unfortunately, we also didn't make it in time for our movie, "True Grit."  And true grit was something we needed that night for sure!

1. The customer is #1.

We’ve all known this forever. It’s a golden rule. But have you noticed how this simple, important concept seems to have slipped to the wayside the last few years? Sullen sales people, crabby CSRs and inept employees abound. I have to admit that when I come across one of these types employees, I feel I should re-thinking doing business with them.

Everyone wants to be treated with courtesy and respect. Also understanding and tolerance. Sometimes even with empathy. All this makes us feel good and we become receptive. But being treated in a negative way causes us to close off and become resistant and possibly resentful. This is certainly not the feelings we want to create in our consumers!

2. Everyone is a customer

Including employees and other support people! Yes, everyone with whom we come in contact with daily  is involved in providing customer service to consumers. There must be a sense of genuine appreciation and respect to all, or an excellent customer service plan will fall apart rather quickly! It’s a team effort and everyone in the company must thoroughly believe in and be committed to the effort. And this means every single person in the organization being supportive of one another!

3. Thorough training.

I know this initial cost outlay can make some cringe. But if your people are not trained properly you will lose sales and consumers, which will amount to a much bigger cost later.  From their first day, employees need to be taught the importance of customer service and how to deliver it. Also, a rigorous training program will let your people know they are held to a higher standard – kind of like being a member of an exclusive club!

+1. You must be committed to exceptional customer service.

Hire the best people. Train them well. Compensate them well. Hold them to a higher standard. And most importantly, show by example. Customer service runs from the top of the organization chart all the way down to the newly hired part-time floor buffer. It must be you that leads the charge to create and maintain an atmosphere of excellence and care.

Do you have customer service tips?  Please share them below!

In my past married life when I was feeling low, my ex would suggest, “Honey, why not go out and buy something? You can always return it when you feel better.”

Many a truth is said in jest. But hey, it’s all part of the female experience – to lust over something in a store, go for it, get it home and fall out of lust. Hence the return.

No store that I know accepts the “you’ve lost that lovin’ feeling” better than Nordstroms. I’ve never had a return not taken and because of that, my inclination is to buy more from the big N.

My advice – you should too!  Do not miss their shoe and accessory department! And when I’m with my hipster 14 year old diva – we love the junior department for affordable trendy pieces also. Because a woman has a right to change her mind.

Well, it’s officially Black Friday.  Some people love it.  Some people hate it.  Either way, everyone and their dog is looking for an excellent deal.  Black Friday is the day I officially mark as a key time to prep your employees to provide excellent customer service for the holidays.

Here’s why it’s critical to crack the whip on red carpet service:

1.  The Holiday season = the biggest buying season of the year, which can mean huge profit potential for your business.

2.  Customers are stressed out.  They want to find the perfect gift at the perfect price.  Get a reputation for providing both of those AND a perfect buying experience and you won’t be hurting for more customers.

3.  People will remember you for either the good or bad experience they just had.  How would you like to be remembered?

If you’re a business owner or corporation, consider doing the following to stand apart from your competition this holiday season:

1. Provide every one who walks through the door a bottle of water or have free water on site.

2. Partner with a local restaurant or fast-food chain and provide 50% off lunch coupons.

3.  Make sure you’ve got modern music playing.  Music has been proven to affect moods.  Just because it’s the season, doesn’t mean you have to play ONLY holiday music.  Provide a variety and play music that caters to your market.

4.  Turn on your air conditioner.  Although the temperatures are dropping outside, when you cram several hundred people in one store, it gets hot.  And when people get hot – they get mad.

Here are a few tips for online business owners:

1.  Offer sales for the entire holiday season.  Many e-commerce sites will compete for business – we have less loyalty to most sites and more loyalty to the best price.

2.  Always offer free shipping on ALL ORDERS.  Not everyone is offering this, but if you can, it will make you stand out.  People LOVE getting something for free.

3.  Offer customers a $5 off coupon for referring your site to friends.

No matter what kind of business you own – above all – make sure that who ever is at the front lines engaging with your customers is chipper, friendly, helpful, honest, and fast.