You could have the widest variety of flowers to choose from in the region, award-winning designers and beautiful displays, but if you're not offering good service for your customer, they may never come back.

Apathetic, ill-mannered and poorly-trained sales associates are causing customers to leave and spend their money elsewhere, according to Susan Reda, executive editor of STORES Magazine. Reda recently reported in an article "What Drives Your Customers Crazy," that, according to a poll of 7,000 consumers done on behalf of the magazine, 21 percent say their number one problem is employees who "don't know, or don't care."

"The biggest complaint shoppers have is that employees don't know about merchandise and don't seem to care that the shopper can't find what they're looking" for, Reda explains. 

Customers' next biggest concern, for 19 percent of respondents, is rude employees.

"The challenge becomes finding employees who are generally upbeat, engaged and interested in what they're selling, rather than sullen, punch-the-clock types that are just marking time until their next paycheck," Reda says.

Training is key, says Paul Bachman, owner and vice president of operations of Bachman's, Inc., in Minneapolis, Minn., the largest family-owned flower shop in the United States, with 21 stores in the Twin Cities area. But no amount of training will strengthen a business with a weak philosophy on service. 

"Not everyone is going to have all the skills you need, so sometimes you have to cross your fingers and just do the right amount of training," Bachman told E-Brief editors. "I feel it all comes down to the culture you develop, though. You have to have a culture that says service is important."

Create a culture where full-time employees are eager to serve customers, Bachman says, and new employees that come in will typically pick up on that vibe and follow in their footsteps.

Other signs of good service, according to the study: clear and consistent return policies and truthful marketing, which in turn can lead customers to tell their friends about their positive buying experience.

--Kori Kamradt
kkamradt@safnow.org

 

Previous Article    Next Article