Deliver customer service that can be summed up in one word

Preparing for the 2010 holidays means rolling out the red carpet for customers. But before you can take care of your clients properly, you may need to take a look at your staff. Several years of recession-induced staff cutbacks and a shift in priorities have put a crimp in customer service and employee training and morale, so making sure extraordinary service is your norm is more important than ever.

SUZANNE DEVRIES, PRESIDENT OF DIAMOND STAFFING SOLUTIONS, says secret-shopping studies have indicated customer service has been slipping, with up to 70 percent of stores showing signs of being severely understaffed and 50 percent showing evidence of poorly trained staff.

In addition, selling beads and buying gold, both essential endeavors for many retailers recently, have proved time-consuming for key sales staff, who could be used to better advantage elsewhere. The solution? Devries says gold-buying and bead-selling should be viewed by stores as important, but separate, businesses that can be effectively staffed by well-trained, entry-level associates.

Meanwhile, the importance of customer-centric services, such as taking in repairs or cleaning jewelry, needs to be stressed to all levels of staff.

A continuous, in-house training program is a must. Mike Wilson of Wilson & Sons Jewelers in Scarsdale, NY, meets with his staff 10 to 20 minutes every day. Then, after Labor Day, he intensifies training for the season by inviting outside experts and brand representatives in, two to four times per week.

Not sure where to begin? Ask your most loyal customers what they don’t love about your services. Don’t take “nothing” for an answer. Every business has room for improvement, and an honest critique of your operation is extremely valuable, says Jerry Alexander, author of Love at First Sight: How to Make Your Prospects Fall in Love With You and Your Business Instantly. 

1. PUT THEM AT EASE

“WE’RE AN INSECURE SPECIES,” say Linda Kaplan Thaler and Robin Koval, authors of The Power of Nice: How to Conquer the Business World With Kindness. “That’s why you need to do a little work to help others relax and show that you’re a friend.”

SPEAK WITHYOUR BODY
Your body language can speak volumes, say Kaplan Thaler and Koval. Uncross your arms and legs to tell people, “I’m unarmed.” Tilt your head to say, “I’m interested.” Open both palms to say, “I’m being straight with you.”

BE COURTEOUS
Always err on the side of formality when it comes to common courtesies. It’s amazing the difference in feelings generated in clients when you say things like “please,” “thank you” and “yes sir” versus when you don’t.

PRACTICE SMILING
The simple act of smiling will make you feel happier, as it will the people around you, say the authors of The Power of Nice. So, practice smiling. You want to get to the point where smiling is as natural for you as breathing.

DON’T LET HER ASK
T. Lee of T. Lee Fine Designer Jewelry in Minneapolis, MN, never waits for customers to ask to see products. Instead, she follows their eyes as they look over her cases. If she sees them focusing on something, she’ll pull the product out and say, “Can I see it on you?” rather than asking if they would like to try it on.

HELP THEM RELAX
Men shopping for engagement rings love that Lisa Hamel of Leo Hamel Fine Jewelers in San Diego, CA, offers them beer and wine and sometimes shares a Bacardi with them. “The drunker they get the more they love their girlfriends,” Hamel says. “Cha-ching!”

GIVE WOMENWHAT THEY WANT
Women feel more comfortable shopping with women sales staff, says Paco Underhill in his new book, What Women Want. What else puts them at ease? An environment with curves and soft edges, spotlessly clean surroundings, attractive restrooms and large and conveniently located mirrors.

2. HELP THEM CHOOSETHE PERFECT GIFT

SPEXTON JEWELRY IN TULSA, OK, once paid the price of a one-star online review when a man bought his girlfriend a bracelet that wasn’t to her taste. “Now, I always ask everybody if the person they’re buying for has seen our products, and if they say ‘No,’ I urge them not to buy anything and instead introduce our website to the gift-getter first to see if they’d be interested,” owner Nate MacPherson says.

LEARN THE GIFT’S MEANING
Ask the customer what he really wants his gift to “say,” suggest Blanche and Luke Schmidt of Schmidt Jewelers in Arkansas City, KS.

HAVE PERSPECTIVE
“I always tell my staff to keep in mind that what people are buying from our store will be the main event, the big present of the day,” says Brian Toone of Jewelry Design Center in Spokane, WA, “Usually it’ll be the last package opened, the most meaningful and most talked about. When you have the right perspective, it’s amazing how you can really make the experience memorable.”

ASK THE RIGHT QUESTIONS
Brian Barfield of The Gem Collection in Tallahassee, FL, offers these:

What jewelry items has she asked for or expressed interest in in the past?

What is her favorite piece of jewelry that she wears?

When you walked in was there anything specific you had in mind? A ring, pendant, earrings, bracelet?

LISTEN
“Let customers talk, at least 80 percent of the time,” says sales consultant Dave Richardson.

SAVE MEN
Eve Alfillé of Eve J. Alfillé Gallery and Studio in Evanston, IL, encourages men to buy a gemstone, “which we package beautifully, along with designer sketches of what a ring or pendant might look like. We also suggest he might add a gift certificate toward designing the actual piece.”

3. INVITE THEM INTO YOUR STORE

SOCIAL MARKETING IS GREAT, writes Tony Hsieh, CEO of Zappos.com, in his book Delivering Happiness: A Path to Profits, Passion and Purpose, but don’t let it replace other forms of personal contact. “The telephone is one of the best branding devices out there. If you get the interaction right, the customer remembers the experience for a very long time and tells his or her friends about it.”

EXTEND A PREVIEW INVITATION
In the lead-up to your holiday party, do what Tammy McAuley of Scoville Jewelers in Glens Falls, NY, does and invite certain customers to come in for a “special preview” of the items to be featured at the sale. Makes ’em feel special and want to buy.

TREAT YOUR BEST CUSTOMERS SPECIAL
Curtis Bennett of O.C. Tanner in Salt Lake City, UT, writes to their best customers in late October or early November, urging them to take advantage of personalized customer service. “We offer to take our greatest ideas and bring them to their workplace,” Bennett says. “They can make a decision early, choose from a wider selection, know that they have something set aside, have confidence it will be delivered to them on the specified date and check this concern off their list.” And, it frees staff to focus on the last-minute crowd.

LET THEM KNOW WHAT THEY’RE IN FOR
Marcy Feldman of Heartwear Designs in Birmingham, MI., says she extends a warm invitation to her clients via a holiday e-newsletter. “We let our customers know that while they’re waiting for their gifts to be wrapped they can relax and enjoy hot spiced cider and sweets. If they don’t want to leave their house in the snow, we’ll take photos of the newest things and e-mail them. We’ll gift-wrap and mail so they can avoid the post office. We have also hand-delivered gifts.”

SEND EARLY
Most businesses post holiday cards around Dec. 1. Stand out by sending yours on Thanksgiving.

DIAL THE PHONE
How did James & Sons Jewelers of Chicago, IL, rack up $800,000 in sales during a single day for the store’s annual “Customer Appreciation” event? In the six weeks leading up to the party, James & Sons staff made more than 10,000 phone calls, which brought 850 people to the event. What’ll it do for your holiday get-together?

 HOST A CONTEST
Enter customers in a contest to win “The Ultimate Holiday Night Out.” Winners receive dinner at a local restaurant, a ride in a horse-drawn carriage, and tickets to a theater performance of a holiday favorite like The Nutcracker or A Christmas Carol.

 

5. SAVE THEM TIME

THE SINGLE MOST IMPORTANT FACTOR in determining a shopper’s opinion of the service he or she receives is waiting time, according to Paco Underhill. “If the wait went on too long, they feel as though the service was poor and inept.” Human interaction or any kind of diversion eases wait time.

GREET EVERYONE
“We designate a greeter to make sure that everyone is welcomed even if they do have to wait,” says Daniel Gordon. “Offer a soft drink and make them feel comfortable so they don’t come in awkwardly, wondering what to do. Provide a human touch the minute they step inside.”

MAKE APPOINTMENTS
Invite customers to make appointments for a time when traffic is light. Ask them, “If you don’t have time to wait now. Can you be here Tuesday at 9 o’clock? I’ll give you my undivided attention.” Now she feels special and you’re able to spread out your business.

DO HOUSE CALLS
For ultimate service for busy customers, James Porte of Porte Marketing Group says retailers should take a lesson from the old country doctor and do house calls. Office calls, too. Advertise the service in your direct marketing materials. As soon as you set foot in the door, a big sale is almost guaranteed.

ACCOMMODATE LATE JOBS
Babs Noelle of Alara in Bozeman, MT, says you don’t need to turn away custom work, even if it’s past your shop’s deadline. Instead, have a quick discussion with the customer, draw or print out a simple sketch (by hand or by a vector or CAD program), and sign it. Have simple mats ready (so, a cardboard-style “frame”) that are professionally printed with your logo and say something like: “The only thing standing between you and your new custom-designed piece of jewelry is a meeting with the designer.” Leave room for the customer to sign (e.g. “Love, Charles”) and put the drawing in the frame. Take a deposit and schedule an appointment for the meeting. Provide a flat box, and the customer has a ready-to-wrap gift that in no way resembles a jewelry box!

EXTEND YOUR HOURS
Starting about the second week of holiday shopping, to several late nights and Sunday afternoons.

6. BE PREPARED

CAST A CRITICAL EYE ON EVERY CORNER OF YOUR STORE. Steam and clean everything in your cases. You can’t afford to look anything less than perfect. Remember, cleanliness is high on the list of shoppers’ priorities, especially women’s. Ensure your staff is well rested and ready to spring into action.

KNOW THE DETAILS
While you’re cleaning, check your tags and reprint any that aren’t legible. People don’t want to wait while you look up basic info like price and carat weight. You might not lose the client you’re with while you’re doing so, but what about the guy behind her?

DESIGNATE A WISH-LIST AREA
The best way to get customers to fill out more “wish lists” is to have a special area of your store devoted to them, with lots of signs. Stephen Gallant Jewelers in Orleans, MA, uses that approach to get stacks of wish lists each holiday season. (The area should also be used for wishers to address envelopes to their own “Santas” so the wish-list can be mailed to them.)

CREATE BRAND SPECIALISTS
Mike Wilson of Wilson & Sons Jewelers in Scarsdale, NY, singles out sales associates to become brand specialists. It builds confidence and empowerment in employees and creates a valuable resource for other staff members and customers.

MEMORIZE YOUR  INVENTORY
Spend time before the holidays making sure you know where all the new inventory is, says Daniel Gordon. “When someone comes in and asks for a piece, if you know immediately off the top of your head if you have it or if you do not, and if you can suggest something similar, it’s very impressive,” he says.

PAMPER YOUR STAFF, TOO
Plan to do special things for your staff throughout the season. Have lunches brought in for them when things get hectic. You could even spring for in-store manicures or chair massages. Good morale leads to great customer service.

WRAP IT UP
Hire a temporary employee to wrap gifts. Professional salespeople should be selling, not wrapping.

7. GIVE THEM FREEBIES 

SHOW YOUR CUSTOMERS APPRECIATION in a way that works for you. Jewelers who offer added value find their financial output returned many times over in customer loyalty.

GIVE BATTERIES
Yanina & Co. of Cedar Grove, NJ, offered an entire month of free battery replacements, not only to their customers, but to the public, a gesture that led to loyal new customers.

GIVE PEACE OF MIND
Don’t forget to follow up, says Jackie Abraham, owner of Jackie Abraham Jewelers. “We like to take care of the jewelry after it is sold. We call the customer after they take home the jewelry a week later to ensure they loved their piece. We repair, if purchased by us, at little or no cost and we give jewelry cleaner with all of our sold jewelry.”

GIVE EXTRAS
Play Santa all year long, says Philip Nulman of marketing and advertising firm The Nulman Group, by making sure nobody leaves your store without some kind of gift — like a few small scented soaps you can put in the bag. Estimated cost per customer: 30 cents. Estimated good-will value per customer: a heckuva lot more than 30 cents.

GIVE INSURANCE
Kristy Goodrich of JK Jewelers in St. George, UT, provides a Jeweler’s Mutual insurance policy with any diamond sale worth more than $750. The perk has paid off time and again, she says, citing the case of one customer whose fiancée chipped a diamond he had just bought from the store. Within two weeks, JK Jewelers picked up three referrals from the couple.

GIVE A GIFT
In 2008, Bailey’s Fine Jewelry in Raleigh, NC, launched “Finders Keepers.” The idea was to surprise people in the community with Bailey’s Boxes filled with free jewelry. A letter with a poem was left in hundreds of locations, asking for people to contact the store. “We have seen many new people through our doors because they heard about our kind acts,” the Baileys report.

GIVE DINNER
Steve Quick Jeweler of Chicago treats customers who are less than 100 percent happy to a restaurant dinner. So even if there is a slight glitch a customer ends up raving about Steve Quick Jeweler.