This is the first installment of a series of posts that I hope everyone finds helpful. I am a bit fearful of posting this as my intention is not to disparage retailers and retailing, but to help us learn from our mistakes. I encourage others to share their stories as long as they are respectful and don’t name names (unless it is a big box retailer).
Today’s consumer horror story is about competing with eCommerce.
About a month ago we lost Internet access in our office and I had an old 3G wireless hot spot that hadn’t been working properly. I thought it was the perfect time to run down to the phone store and turn in my two year old obsolete technology with the latest 4G hot spot device that can support twice the number of users than my old device. Great! I can get back to the office and salvage the day.
So it’s an easy sale, right? A company president trying to keep service levels high, I was excited and in a hurry.
I was greeted at the door and given a number without being asked what I was looking for, and was told I was first on the list! While considering the thickness of my butcher’s cut, I was worried about making the right decision for the next two year commitment. We all know how that works, they give you a cheap phone free with a contract and if you don’t like the phone you have to wait two years or pay a much higher price. So you better like the equipment you buy though you really can’t test it at the store.
As I waited, I looked at three Hot Spot devices: two of a modest traveling size and one larger unit at half the price. Fundamentally, they were all the same – at least the displayed documentation did little to explain the differences. I don’t know about you, but if I walk into a store and have (too many?) choices, I expect the folks there to be able to explain the differences.
Finally, my number was up and a woman shouted my name out and I told her what I needed and asked the difference between the models. The only answer I got was that one was cheaper than the other. I asked how they work and while it was apparent she had no idea, she started saying what she thought I wanted to hear. I was getting a little frustrated when she offered to get me some comparative product sheets but was even more frustrated that it took 20 minutes for her to Google it. Well guess what – I can Google it myself. Noticing my frustration, a manager suggested that I was treating this woman like she was stupid.
Now there is so much wrong with this approach to handling what I think is a reasonably frustrated customer. I don’t think the girl is stupid but I do think she doesn’t care. She doesn’t care about her job or her customers or she would know her product line – or at least someone in the store she could go to for help. Don’t even get me started on the management that a) put this poor girl in that position, B) is selling product with little differentiation and c) for walking a customer like that.
I walked out instead of battling people I didn’t trust. I went home that night and within 15 minutes had compared all the options, read independent reviews and with a few clicks the transaction was complete from the comfort of my Lazy Boy. The product was delivered to my office two days later.
But we did lose the day.
My question is simple – why do I need a store front for a cell phone when the service levels are so horrid and it is more convenient to shop electronically?
What does an uneducated and untrained sales staff do for long term customer relationships? If a customer comes into our stores do we have experts available or will our customer walk away only to Google it? Are we ready to compete with an informed marketplace? Are we smarter than our customer about our own products? What advantages do we offer to keep customers coming back?
