We ordered, ate our meal and enjoyed a pleasant evening, however, the restaurant was by no means full and the table by the window was not used during our entire stay. I have to say I was a little surprised and disappointed in the service.
The other incident happened to a friend of mine recently who went into a women's shop and was browsing through the racks. The store assistant was talking on the phone. My friend signalled to the assistant on the phone that she wanted to try something on. The lady on the phone acknowledged with a nod towards the changing rooms. At no time during trying the garment on and replacing it on the rack did the assistant get off the phone to take care of the customer. She wanted to buy the garment, but because the assistant was too busy on the phone she left the store and I don't think she will be returning in a hurry. Shopping should be an enjoyable experience, just like eating out.
The Bay of Plenty Times editorial mentioned that some retailers are feeling the pain of the loss of car parks on The Strand with some suffering a 30 per cent downturn in trade. Sometimes when things get tough, we have to look at ways of making them better.
I'm not saying those businesses are giving bad service, but it's always important to remember that good service will bring repeat customers and there is nothing a customer likes better than to be treated well and made to feel special. You just can't beat leaving a shop or restaurant knowing that you have been treated well.
On the upside, there are downtown retailers who go out of their way to make shopping a really enjoyable experience. I know of one particular menswear retailer that offers the wives a cup of tea while the husband is trying on clothes ... or maybe something a little stronger. To me, it's easy. If you offer good - no exceptional - service, then not only will the customer return, but also they will spread the word and word of mouth is a powerful tool.
A customer feels really special when they have been treated well. Even in my line of work, we are encouraged to reply to all our emails and texts from listeners and sometimes you forget just what a difference that makes.
On Tuesday, I received a text on my Coast Breakfast show asking about our South Island frequencies, as they were about to go down south on holiday. I replied with a list and, straightaway, I received a text back, saying thanks and what good service we offered. It's the simple things that sometimes we forget about, such as letting traffic merge or offering to carry someone's heavy groceries at the supermarket.
As more and more shop online, it becomes even more important if you are in retail to look at providing out-of-this-world service. I don't think it is too hard to offer a friendly greeting and a smile along with whatever help you can provide.
You cannot beat dealing face to face with someone who is going out of their way to help you, after all it's in their best interest. There is one particular store that I return to every year to do my Christmas shopping for my wife.
The reason I continue to go back is that the women in that store make the whole experience for me an enjoyable one and help me get over the embarrassment of being a male and wandering round a women's store.
