I remember growing up, when things were less complicated and life was a whole lot simpler, which really made us value and appreciate what we had. One of those life’s little appreciations was our Sunday trip to a small corner supermarket in the Maruapula area. It was a ritual, every Sunday with immense excitement, my siblings and I would tag along to the store where my parents would buy the weekend newspaper, bread, basic essentials and of course our special ice cream treat. However, looking back, I don’t think it was a necessity to travel half way across town to get what we could get 5 minutes away. I remember pulling mum’s dress pestering her about leaving, (after all my ice cream was melting, didn’t she get that?) but mum would often ignore these tugs and continue talking endlessly to the supermarket owner about her week, life’s challenges and the general chatter women tend to waddle themselves into. The shop owner knew my parents names, their interests, and would always go the extra mile for them when it came to service and product delivery. She had a relationship with not only my mum, but many o f her customers, and this is why going there every Sunday was not only a tradition in my family but for many other homes in Gaborone. Then there was a little mom and pop shop in the extension 12 area, another 5pm weekly habit of hot fish, chips and crispy, warm oven baked bread. Not only does my memory take me back to the smell and taste of the delicious food, I remember the smile of an old, but an energetic man, who knew my name and everyone else in his shop, and not to forget the free ice pops we’d occasionally get. He felt like the neighbourhood Grandpa and he probably played that role to many growing up in that area. The shopping experience always led me back.
Before giants entered our market place, one would find the corner Supermarket, Butchery and Bakery. Even though prices may not have been competitive and at times we didn’t find what we were looking for, we kept going back. Why? Was it the smile you’d always get from the store owner, the fact that the friendly Manager knew your name, your favourite products and went the extra mile by keeping certain merchandise for you? At times, you’d get a freebie because it was your birthday, the staff took their time to chat to you, ask about your family, and spend hours giving you recipe tips at the butchery. The shopping experience was hassle free, convenient and enjoyable.
Let’s get back to reality. Its 2014, and unfortunately the existence of mom and pop stores have faded, are they extinct? Not yet, but their experience will forever live on if only we’d learn to adopt and incorporate their customer service strategy. Botswana, specifically Gaborone, has grown exponentially in the last few years. Shopping malls have mushroomed and are accessible, with a variety of options; large supermarkets virtually have everything we need under one roof. Customers care about fast convenient service, high quality products at fair prices, having a say at how things can be improved, but what’s equally important to a customer is knowledgeable friendly staff, a proactive client approach, a positive can do attitude, after sales service, and relationships.
However, we may expect this as customers, but stepping into certain service units / stores, that claim to be customer centric access points, can be a daunting experience. Long queues, unfriendly faces, “I’m doing you a favour’ attitudes, not having all the information at hand and yes it happens, utter disinterest, is something a number of us have to face on a daily basis. It doesn’t have to be this way, because it doesn’t take much to deliver exceptional service. A robust customer centric service strategy is crucial in setting a pathway to recruiting and retaining customers. The strategy should incorporate everyone in customer care, and getting buy in from all levels is a necessity. An organisational culture of service begins at any point of contact, the security guard at the gate; the receptionist, back office data clerk, and even at the highest levels should customer service be a high priority. Where possible, create personalised service, put yourselves in your customers shoes by interacting with them, getting feedback on expectations and areas of improvement and do what most companies often neglect to do…implement it!
Train and empower your staff to make decisions that will enrich the customer experience, and constantly seek innovative, creative and unique ways that link your business to something extraordinary. Don’t forget its often your team and front line officers that interact most with your customers, involve them in the strategy development, get their opinion, create a contributory role and allow them to also own the strategy.
Set smart realistic, achievable, measurable, consistent and time bound goals that will develop your organisation into a powerhouse of excellent service. What’s significantly important is ensuring that your customer service strategy is in line with the corporate direction, and making sure that developing a positive service culture is incorporated in the corporate strategy vision. Continuously reflect and adjust, as the market dynamics change so should your business. People are constantly exposed to new trends, and with the emergence of a global marketplace people have options to purchase products and services online.
Always introspect as a business, ask yourself what we can do better? Ask your customers what would make them return, and ensure that you have a team adjusting the strategy to suit the ever changing environment. It’s a competitive business environment out there, and service alone, can be your unique selling proposition, it can give you competitive edge, sometimes all it takes to start the experience is a smile and empathy, after all it worked for many mom and pop stores in the 80’s!
If you’re in the process of developing your customer service strategy, take a step back in time, and reminisce on the customer experience you received from the mom and pop corner store. What would you bring back?