Nice is good, but reliable is better

I'm over retailers who think that being nice is enough to keep them in business. There, I've said it.

Being in any type of service industry is hard work. There are numerous touch-points with customers where you will be judged, and if you're not prepared to place a premium on your customer's good opinion and at least try to get these right, then you're probably in the wrong industry.

Three recent experiences illustrate how easy it is to be nice, but still lose your customer's goodwill.

I want to give you money - 1

The craft shop was an Aladdin's cave of lovely things. Looking at all the pretty things, it took me a while to realise the voice I could hear from the other end of the aisle was aimed at me. I was being acknowledged by a salesperson, which is great, though as we hadn't made eye contact, it was a little awkward, which is less great. Her continuing to talk at me when I just wanted to be left alone was annoying. Still, pretty things to look at, so allowances made. 

Come time to pay for my selection, I waited at the counter...and waited...and waited.

Whilst one staff member was busy with a customer, the other was sitting at the back of the store doing some paperwork.

By the time the staff member at the back had finished what she was doing and started heading to the counter, I was already walking out the door (having placed the item back on the shelf, I hasten to add!).

It was a lovely store, and the staff were pleasant, but none of that makes up for my custom being less important than filling out a form.

I want to give you my money - 2

A small hobby business with an online presence was having a sale. We couldn't get to their store, so decided to place an order via their website. About to enter our credit card details, we noticed that the checkout wasn't a secure site, so were reluctant to use it and didn't complete the order.

After contacting the owner to ask if there was an alternative way of paying, explaining why we didn't want to use his website, we received an email telling us he couldn't hold orders open. No acknowledgement of our concerns and, seemingly, no effort to provide a solution. 

Will we go back to that business? It's highly unlikely. It's a good example of a customer prepared to pay more elsewhere for better service and peace of mind. 


I want to give you my money - 3

Picture taken at 10:55am, and still no signs of life.

I understand that sometimes you're unable to open for trade at the usual time: that's what cafes and newspapers are for. That said, I do expect you to be realistic in when you say you will open. I'm not prepared to hang around indefinitely, and nor should I have to.







As a potential customer, how did these instances alienate me:

• I need to have my space respected. It's great that I'm acknowledged, but it doesn't mean much if you're talking to my back, or continuing with an interaction I clearly don't want to have.
• I want to feel like the most important person in your store. I certainly want to feel more important than paperwork.
• If I raise a concern with you, I'd like it to be acknowledged. You may not be able (or willing) to do anything about it, but I'd like to feel you're listening to what I'm telling you.
• You don't have to make an effort to find a solution to my problem, but don't then wonder why I'm not bothering to come back.
• Don't steal my time. If you say you're going to be back at a certain time, be there. If you think it possible you'll be late, state a different time. 

I've talked before about the importance of reliability in building customer goodwill, because being nice just isn't enough.

Want to build goodwill? Do what you say you will.

Each time I walk down my local shopping strip, I pass by a cafe I used to frequent. It doesn't have a particularly smart fit out, it doesn't have tables outside, it doesn't really have anything in particular to recommend it, apart from being part of a health food shop close to the train station. It's a business which relies on the goodwill of its customers, as so many businesses do. But goodwill is a frail and ephemeral thing, which needs to be fed and nurtured to survive. Take it for granted and you're likely to lose it. 

I ceased to be a customer when I felt my goodwill was being taken for granted, in this case by the cafe regularly opening later than stated. 

If you want my goodwill, do what you say you will.

The things which irritate me as a customer are probably the same things which irritate you. They're obvious and shouldn't happen, and we'll complain about them when they do. Yet how often do they happen in our own stores?

Not sticking to our trading hours

Generally speaking, customer are creatures of habit; make things easy and convenient for them and they'll come back to you. Conversely, make things difficult, confusing, uncertain or unreliable, and they'll look elsewhere. 

Having people visit your store when you should be open, only to find your doors closed, is likely to have them looking for somewhere more reliable next time. No-one likes standing around waiting for a store to open, and no-one likes having their time wasted by turning up to find everyone's gone home. 

Unless there's a compelling reason - and no, simply being quiet doesn't cut it - make sure you're ready and waiting to serve customers when you say you will.

Nor will not having a trading hours sign on display help. That just creates another sort of uncertainty which won't endear you to customers.

Not calling customers back when we say we will

How many times have you waited for someone to call you back, only to have waited in vain? How has it made you feel? Angry? Unimportant? Helpless? Vowing never to darken their doorstep again? 

We all hate it, yet it continues to happen anyway. So often, those who will complain when on the receiving end will justify it when they're the one failing to make the call. Yes, you might be busy. Yes, you might not have the relevant information to hand. No, this does not make it acceptable. If you tell someone you're going to call them by a certain time, then call them by that time, even if it's to explain why you don't have the final answer or information. Keeping people informed of progress goes a long way to maintaining their goodwill. 

Not automatically providing a discount or offer which we've promoted

If you have a special offer of any sort, be it a gift with purchase, discount on selected products, competition entry or some other form of call to action for customers, make sure all staff know about it and deliver it without prompting.

As a rule of thumb, if you make people ask, you've lost some goodwill. If you make them ask for something which they're entitled to automatically, then you're not only losing goodwill, but you're also risking your reputation for reliability. 

Not putting our customer first

I lose track of the number of times I've seen a business go out with a strong marketing campaign to drive people into their store, only to fail by not backing it up with great - or often even good - customer service.

The act of opening a store and inviting potential customers in to it is making a unspoken promise about service. Fail to deliver on the basics of that promise and it's unlikely that customers will return. The basics aren't complicated - acknowledging customers when they come in, having product knowledge, being open and available to assist, assessing their needs before making recommendations, thanking them for their custom/visit. Much of this is simple courtesy, and it all goes a long way to building goodwill and loyalty.

Some of these promises are clearly stated, such as abiding by trading hours or honouring a commitment to return a call. Others are implicit, though just as much of a promise to your customer. Ultimately,  however, the ability to build and maintain customer goodwill is in your hands.