2010: THE YEAR OF CUSTOMER SERVICE

The small signs of economic recovery are great indicators that it is time to reevaluate and recali-brate your levels of customer service. Some business leaders are clearly moving ahead of the curve, while others are operating with scores disengaged employees that are driving customers towards their competitors...

2010 is the year your service levels will further define your competitive advantage.   I have shopped, browsed, been served, been delighted, been ignored and disgusted by many businesses. At times, I wonder what the hell business owners are thinking.  I have asked the ques-tion, who is accountable for the obvious lack of engagement I am witnessing? And employee en-gagement in the right things equals customer engagement in your business. Some appear to show little concern whether customers ever return, while others cherish each visit from each customer no matter the amount spent. It's like the health of their brand and livelihood are dependent on me, the customer. Imagine that!

I want to start with some great positives, Azan's Hair Salon, No Frills in Pickering, and The Waterfront Bistro on Liverpool in Pickering.  Then I will move to 2 (I have to say) negatives, Starbucks and  Loblaws both on Kingston Road in Pickering. Big businesses with lots of expe-rience that should have the people and the accountability piece down to a science.

Starting with Azan's on Davenport in Toronto.  It's a high end salon, catering mostly to black women who have come to expect an overall better level of service.  This group, dear business owners, are an economically strengthening segment of the population, almost 200,000 in To-ronto alone.  They are physicians, business owners, actors, nurses and executives alike, just to name a few.  Please take heed.  There are many women like myself, professional, well traveled,

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educated and connected, possessing diverse knowledge and experience. Azan's takes great care with all of their customers and puts great service into practice, daily.

Azan's has grown with it's clientele, a beautiful, open and bright environment where stylist use the latest techniques.  The warm greeting, herbal tea, and comfortable yet professional atmos-phere and talent keeps me returning almost week after week.  I am always made to feel like I am a highly valued customer and my visit is important to them.  Azan's has mastered the art of cus-tomer service and this is a huge competitive advantage. Many of Azan's customers travel well over an hour, by-passing Azan's competitors for that special touch along with shining locks. I have not included men or all who possess hair that may require processing, but they too make up part of that strong customer base. Azan's knows their customers and is continuing to add sophistica-tion to their operation to ensure they keep their customers coming back.

Another strong example of a good service provider in another business sector is, No frills. It's conveniently located for me, but I do have many options living in a "shopping" belt of Pickering and I don't have any qualms about driving anywhere to shop for what we need. The cashiers are friendly and very helpful, completely devoid of the laziness I have sadly witnessed in some stores. The guys stocking the shelves require some awareness training but other than that, the produce is very fresh, the store is fairly clean as there are always areas that need improvement.  They carry many President's Choice products, which is a plus for me, because it keeps my need to visit the local Loblaws down. 

Before I move on to Loblaws, I would like to stay on the positive note and share a little about The Waterfront Bistro on Liverpool in Pickering.  Just an amazing little casual Bistro in a beautiful location. There is a view of the water from almost every table. The waitresses are pleas-ant, efficient and even more importantly, thorough. They ensure your needs are met, period. They both knew how to keep a "distant" eye, they are real professionals, obviously con-nected to the big picture.   The glasses, tables, floor were spotless. The quality of the food is ex-cellent for this level of dining. I had the beef carpaccio, which was served on a bed of spring greens which did not have 1 minuscule of brown in it. I have had this dish all over the world, and again,  I was really impressed with the quality. My lunch partner had a typical burger, which was a great size and the hand cut fries were perfectly done.  The ambiance was very pleasant, created by the easy comfortable environment and the sunlight sparkling off the water.  In my opinion it is a great little weekend lunch/brunch place. I have been there 3 times and each time I have been overall very happy. Both the quality and the service will take me back again in the future.

I do look for the positives but as a business consultant I am not blind to opportunities for improvement.  Yes, I am a business owner but I am also writing to you as a customer. I believe the power of employee engagement is a pinnacle for businesses success in this climate. Without a high level of employee engagement, customer engagement declines, and quickly. Take a moment and think about the last time you received poor customer service.  I will leave it at that for now.

Now a bit about my experience at my local Loblaws.  I usually love Loblaws and I remember moving here from downtown Toronto, thinking, great, there is a Loblaws. My shopping needs are complete! And then I shopped there. Most of what I expect from Loblaws was there, lots of fresh

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produce, hard working cashiers, a clean bright open store with a nice organic section.  I was in heaven.  Then I visited the meat counter.  My heart sank.  There was an older gentleman doing "butchery" tasks behind the counter and I was made to feel like I was an interuption. He did not greet me and begrudgingly served me. I felt a little dissapointed but thought, "maybe they are short and the staff have to pull double duty", a single visit a reputation does not make.  So, I overlooked it. 

I went back twice more and I was definitely made to feel as though I was interrupting someone's work day and it gets worse and more specific.  I requested some turkey sausage, and the response was, "do I see it in the counter?". Considering, the grocery world is one with tight margins and stiff competition I was thrown back for just a millisecond then immediately moved into corporate mode. I will not bore your with minutia, but I forced him to change his tone. 

Why is this deplorable level of customer service acceptable at any Loblaws?  This treatment has pushed me directly into their arms of their competition.  I wonder if I model any other lost op-portunities for growth for the business.

Finally, 2 of my local Starbucks have been a major disappointment. At one location on 2 separate occasions, someone in a leadership role felt it critical to share her Friday night antics with all cus-tomers in line. Further, her style of telling staff what to do was embarrassing and uncomfortable.  She clearly lacked  the soft-skills and self awareness required to ensure the "Starbucks" experience.  I had a minor thought, "why don't her leader know the impact this "manager" has on customers, it is so easy to measure".  The second store like the first, was not just dirty, it was filthy! I am compassionate when it comes to the unpredictability of the service industry.    But I had booked a meeting there the next day and was shocked to see the same filth.    I was shocked at the accepted level of filth in that location.  What has happened to my beloved Starbucks?  I submitted a formal complaint, to no avail.

On a grand scale of all that is happening in the world, much of what I am telling you is some-what trivial but, if you are business leader or owner and you have the power of improvement in your job description, formal or informal. I ask you to consider the following questions for just a moment: did you hit your business targets in 2009, why or why not?  Are your people engaged? How do you know? Are they sending your customers to your competitors? How do you know? And on the flip side, what have you come to expect as a consumer or should I ask, what have you come to accept?

I am wondering if we are all suffering from a kind of post traumatic shock caused by the eco-nomic fatigue.  Excuses aside, the average person has less discretionary  income, their dollars are increasingly precious. If they are spending, don't you want them to spend in your business? If all your metrics are met and customers are lining up for your service or offering there may be little you need to do accept to know what is working, and hang on to your talent. If not, it's time to reevaluate and recalibrate.

Yes, there are signs of relief and people will spend again.  This recovery period will be a long slow curve but it presents an excellent time to improve the health of your brand, your reputation

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and catch new customers on the economic upswing. Ensuring you are armed to be competitive will take a 360 approach, a full physical if I may. Ultimately, with some objective support your business can reach a new level of health!

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HOW TO CONTACT

Rhonda KerlewPresident & CEOrkerlew@newpowerfirm.comOffice 905 428-2558 Cell 647 291-7212Website: www.newpowerfirm.com