Extraordinary Service Leads to New Shoes

Everyone talks about Nordstrom extraordinary service. Are the extraordinary deeds the stuff or myth?  I had a chance to see for myself not too long ago.

A friend recently told me about an experience he had at the mall. His shoes hurt his feet so we stopped into the shoe department at Nordstrom. He struck up a conversation with the sales clerk, explaining the Cole Hann shoes he was wearing seemed too tight.

On the spot, the clerk offered to swap the shoes out for a larger pair even though he confessed he had not purchased the shoes from Nordstrom originally. The clerk made the swap anyway.

This level of extraordinary service does not depend on over the top generosity. Since it was a brand and style Nordstrom carried, the clerk knew he could send the shoes back to the manufacturer for credit. The gesture cost Nordstrom nothing but the clerk’s time. In the process they earned a customer for life.

Any company can provide extraordinary service if they are willing to do the following:

• Make customer service attitude one of the criteria in your hiring process. While behaviors like listening and asking questions can be taught, there are people who  just “get” customer service.  Whether it is upbringing or a part of their DNA, some people instinctively know how to respond.  Learn to look for those natural traits as you interview potential team members.
• Cultivate the behaviors with training. – Help employees learn to think creatively when faced with a problem by practicing the behavior with role plays.  Make it fun by coming up with an outrageous situation. After years of dealing with the public, I have seen many strange things, and I bet your staff has as well.  Give them a chance to laugh, be creative and begin thinking in new ways about solving customer problems.
• Recognize and reward employees for going the extra mile. – People will do what is rewarded. If you want your team to go out of their way to solve problems, present a bonus or gift card to an employee who has done something extraordinary. .
• Eliminate risk or penalty for decisions. – It is human nature.  If the penalty for failure is equal to or greater than the reward most people won’t take the risk. If you want your team to step out of the box, you need to make  risks if they are afraid

Loyal customers pay a premium to shop at Nordstrom because of the service. They have proven that extraordinary service is profitable.

Categorized in: Customer Service, Retail

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