In my quest to purchase supplements, I choose a local retailer of natural food and wellness products. Before venturing there I checked the hours of operation and was delighted to see I still had 30 minutes to complete my shopping. Loads of time to grab three products recommended to me that day by my wonderful Registered Holistic Nutritional Consultant, Kathleen Bulger. Within a minute of my arrival I found the first product as it was prominently featured at the end of the aisle in a product display that I recognized from the picture Kathleen shared with me. The remaining two products were not so easy to find. I walked up the aisles, down the aisles, around the aisles, my eyes scanning up and down the shelves and all around as I made my way around the health and wellness section of the store. Product names I have never heard of before. A jumble of letters on colorful labels all standing at attention in their designated spots. It was a little overwhelming.
I was grateful to see a staff member appear in that section and anticipated her approaching me at any moment with her offer of assistance. Clearly, I looked lost and needed help. I was mistaken. Her full attention was on completing the end-of-day routine to prepare for closure, in approximately 20 minutes. Twice she walked by me and didn’t so much as acknowledge my existence. Her focus was clearly on preparing the store for closure. It felt rude to interrupt her work. After 5 more minutes of searching on my own without success in finding the last of my three items, I relented and approached her for help. I had succeeded in locating 2 out of 3 – which ain’t bad – but was completely lost on finding the elusive third item. I reluctantly approached her and interrupted her. At least that is what it felt like to me. I was being a nuisance. She walked me to the shelf where the product was dutifully waiting to be picked. One item, dozens of options. I had no idea there were so many options for melatonin. If she saw the surprise on my face, she didn’t show it. But my overt “Oh wow, I didn’t realize there were so many options” would have certainly revealed my inexperience. She paused momentarily, but it quickly became obvious to me that her job was complete by bringing me to the product I asked for. She left me where I stood and continued with her work on preparing the store for closing in 15 minutes. My selection process was equivalent to a childlike eeny-meeny-miny-moe. I grabbed the winner, added it to my other two products and proceeded to the checkout, paid for my purchases, and made my way home, with a full 10 minutes to spare before closing. Once I got home I realized that the vitamins (the first product I found) were for prenatal women. Which I am not. I had mixed up the labels. Uggg.
No biggie, I’ll return tomorrow to exchange them with the right one. Easy mistake, easy fix. So why did I already dread the thought of having to do this? And for a few seconds actually, contemplate just keeping the prenatal vitamins instead of dealing with having to return to the store for a refund/exchange.
As a Customer Experience Guide, I pay attention to my reactions to customer experiences. I simply can’t help it. My CX barometer is always on.
Why was I dreading the thought of returning to this store to exchange a product? I had my receipt and would simply request an exchange for the correct one.
Sounds simple. So, why did I feel this way?
In business, it can be the little things that make a big and lasting impression. I completely understand the desire for an employee to use the minutes nearing closing time to prepare the shop for closing. But in doing so, she missed the most important part of the business – the customer in the store. The customer. In the store.
I’m not implying this decision is a ‘this or that’ one. It rarely ever is that kind of choice. It’s not about the employee choosing to prepare the store for closing or serving the customer in the store. It’s a matter of preparing the store for closing and serving the customer in the store.
What’s the takeaway here? It’s simple. Customers come first. Always. If you have a customer in the store, they become your first priority. Everything else is secondary. Everything else can wait.
Perhaps at this point, you are thinking, “Geez, it’s not that big of a deal.’ And yes, I realize I could have approached her immediately with my request for assistance, but I didn’t get that welcoming vibe. And that’s where my impression started. Every decision I made afterward came from that first impression. Yes, I realize I had no idea what was going on in her life before I walked in. Yes, I still bought the products I went in for. But will I return, most likely not. And that is something a business must pay attention to. It’s not always about immediate sales. The sales numbers tell you one thing, but not the whole story. Equally, if not more important, are all the things happening around it. And that’s much harder to see and know and measure, but a simple approach and mindset of customer-first will always get you closer to finding it.
P.S.: I did return to the store to exchange my item for the correct one. I’ll share that story next week.
Questions to consider:
- What could have been done differently in this situation to create a win for both – business and customer?
- As a customer, have you ever had a similar experience? If so, what did you do?
- What would you have done if you were me in this situation?
- If this was your business, and you became aware of my experience as your customer, what would you hope to see happen?
With gratitude,
[…] In Customer Experience, first impressions matter. […]