After all the customer service training that has proliferated, you would think that service levels would now be off the chart. Sadly, that is not the case. A recent article from Stores magazine relates survey results showing that associate attitudes are poor, salespeople are rude, and product knowledge is in short supply. I loved this particular quote from the article: “An underlying theme of many shopper comments is the disconnect between the image projected by the brand in various forms of advertising and the experience they have when they visit the store.”
What is it that retailers and associates aren’t getting? It is all about the experience that is created, whether someone is shopping online or in the store. People want to spend their money where associates care and are knowledgeable and where they are greeted with a warm welcome. Retailers are losing ground on the most basic elements of customer experience. In the end, those retailers who reverse this trend will be the most successful.
What have your experiences been like when shopping? On a scale of 1 -10, with 1 being dismal and 10 being “off the charts,” where do you stand these days?