 Customers...NO!
We
were visiting in Gisborne, an attractive small town
near Melbourne, Australia.
Walking along the main street I saw a small clothing
store with a very bold sign pasted on the door directly
above the doorknob. It read:
CUSTOMERS NO…
jam donuts, sticky buns, fizzy drinks, mucky
boots, cigarettes, ice creams, gooey lollies,
water pistols, fairy floss or half-eaten fruit
in this shop. Thank you.
I understand the need to keep a shop clean, but the
largest, loudest and strongest message in the sign is
clearly:
CUSTOMERS NO...
In the window next to the door was an even larger sign:
UP TO 50% OFF!!
What an odd way to do business! The first sign scares
customers away. The second begs them to come back by
slashing prices (and profits).
Key Learning Point
Customers
form opinions about every aspect of your business: your
place, people, products, packaging and procedures. Anything
not 100% customer friendly is a message that screams (or
whispers): `Stay Away!'
Action Steps
What
messages are you sending to your clients? Review your
website, application forms, product information, customer
service counters, returns procedures, etc. Actively seek
out moments that are unpleasant, inconvenient, problematic,
confusing, offensive or difficult to understand. Then
go to work and smooth the way. Make sure every point of
contact says it loud and clear: CUSTOMERS WELCOME!
Next Article in Customer Service Perception Points >>
If Not This Time, Perhaps Later
First Article in Customer Service Recovery >>
What to do When Your Customer is About to Explode
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Ron Kaufman is an internationally acclaimed customer service training educator for quality service.
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