Putting the 'service' in customer relations

Black Enterprise, Dec, 1996 by Keisha Anderson

A pair of pricey designer boots bought at an after-Christmas sale in snowy Syracuse, New York, seemed like a good bargain to Krista Archer. But when she tried to return them the following day, after discovering that the clerk had given her two different sizes, Archer was given the cold shoulder by the clerk. Demanding to speak to the store manager, she was called the "B" word the clerk. Incensed but not undaunted, Archer prevailed and got a full refund, along with an apology.

Now that numerous stores offer relatively the same merchandise with little price difference, customer service has become the buzzword of the '90s. For retailers, it can make or break a business, while for consumers, service has become a major consideration in where to shop.

"There are enough alternatives so you don't have to take poor treatment," says Sylvia Headen Douglin, a training consultant for The Marketing Group in Lanham, Maryland,. Douglin says African Americans often receive poor service for two reasons: "[Businesses] assume we're not able to participate on the financial scale they [whites] do, although we do so everyday. But, we don't ask for what we want either."

As a customer, be clear but courteous about what you want. Always ask questions if you are uncertain about a store's policy toward returning items. "Too often, the attitude of African Americans is `I'll just take this' - but you don't have to," says Douglin. If you are being ignored or are not being shown what you feel is quality merchandise, you must be willing to walk away. There will always be another business that can provide the same service.

Customers should also understand what kind of service and treatment to expect. Douglin advises retailers to acknowledge a customer's presence by greeting them or making eye contact. As a customer, you should be approached in a timely and polite manner without high-pressure sales tactics. It's also important that sales personnel listen to what you - the customer - are asking for without assuming they know what you want. "You should only be offered specific alternatives if a product isn't available," cautions Douglin.

"Knowing when to approach a customer and when to back off is something that's really subtle and developed over time," says Charlette Stokes Manning, Personal Touch manager at Nordstrom's in Troy, Michigan. Lauded for its commitment to customer service, Nordstrom's policy, according to Manning, has always been "whenever there is doubt, you lean in favor of the consumer. We have an inverted pyramid with customers at the top and us [employees] at the bottom," she explains, adding that employees are trained to operate on this premise. Manning frequently walks through the entire store greeting customers as they come in or accompanying them to another department to help them find exactly what they want.

Hiring a personal shopper can be an alternative for busy customers. Manning keeps a personal profile card on each of her customers, listing details such as color preferences, dress sizes, skin tone and eye color. If she knows a customer will be celebrating a birthday, for example, she'll call their spouse and remind them while offering gift suggestions.

That's the kind of service Leroy A. Strachan is willing to pay a little extra for. "It has nothing to do with affordability. It has to do with service," explains Strachan, financial controller of Levine Bratto Associates Inc., a New York publishing and advertising firm. In fact, Strachan says that he would rather pay more for a suit at a smaller men's specialty store where he'll receive immediate and individual attention from a sales clerk, than buy it for less money at a large retail outlet. "I have to believe deep down that the store deserves my business. It doesn't matter how much money I'm spending," he says.

Since good customer service enhances the relationship between the business and the customer, it leads to consumer trust and eventually to increased business. "If you're asking people to pay for quality, you're obligated to give them the service that goes along with that," says Selma M. Jackson of 4W Circle of Art and Enterprise, a retail boutique and art gallery in Brooklyn, New York.

Finally, if you're not satisfied with die way you are treated in an establishment, write the president of the company and express your problem succinctly. If you're unable to determine who that person is' file a complaint with that city, county or state consumer affairs and protection offices, its consumer action hotline or the area Better Business Bureau. For a free copy of the Consumer's Resource Handbook, which includes a directory of government, nonprofit and corporate consumer assistance contacts, write to: Consumer Information Center, Pueblo, CO 81009.

If the head of the company doesn't respond to your complaint someone else will, because the livelihood of a business depends upon your support. Remember: As long as you are patronizing a business, you have a right to demand proper service.