“Customer first.” “The customer is king.”
These are rather vague guidelines for interacting with customers. Customer service is a critical aspect of any business, but it is an aspect of business that where many companies make mistakes. It may help for customer service staff to think, “What if I were in this customer’s shoes?” When you put yourself in the customer’s position, you can more easily figure out how to truly serve their needs.
Customer service policies exist because unexpected concerns arise: a product does not meet expectations, the wrong size was purchased, the product turned out to be of poor quality. Perhaps there are problems with the product. There may be room for improvement.
These concerns stem from one critical assumption: that your product is of good quality. A good product should provide consumers with a good experience. So when a customer files a complaint or requests an exchange, you should see it not as a disaster but an opportunity.
Customer service is an opportunity to turn a negative experience into a positive event. Rules for return and exchange should always have the end goal of providing the customer with a positive experience. The customer has a problem involving your product, and you should do your best to provide a solution, one that reduces the customer’s stress and annoyance.
Paranoia is common amongst retailers. There are fears of profit loss, cheating by cashiers or sales staff, and other unscrupulous practices. To protect the company, retailers often lay down customer service rules that are overly strict, filled with tedious procedures and endless forms. These ensure protection for your business, but they are not very accommodating to your customer.
Online stores have been very progressive with their exchange and refund policies, and brick-and-mortar stores would do well to follow suit. Your customer most likely has a genuine request. Very likely your customer wants to come back to your store. Your customer service policy should encourage customers to keep coming back. Start with the assumption that all customers are honest, and design your rules for them. Inevitably there will be some unscrupulous customers, but these are an exception and not the rule.
All employees of retail organizations have to follow strict rules. The same goes for customer service. But most sales staff don’t have the authority to make decisions about return and exchange. The request is only granted after the customer has spoken directly to the sales staff supervisor. This is frustrating and time-consuming for everyone involved.
Even lower-ranking employees should have authority to make decisions about return and exchange. Escalating the problem to their supervisor should only be a last resort, and addressing the problem should not take up too much time. Rules should be customer-oriented; simple and easy to understand and to implement; and flexible enough to accommodate customer requests.
In most of Europe, exchanges, refunds and returns are quick transactions in any establishment, be it a large supermarket chain or a small family store. If you are not happy with the product, even if it is fresh produce, a half-empty bottle of wine, or half-cooked meat, the proprietor will replace or refund it, no questions asked.
Trust that your staff will make the right decisions to satisfy the customer. Review each case of return or exchange, and make sure your employees understand the proper way to respond to customer complaints.
Most stores have a sign that indicates their return and exchange policy, usually written in legal language, full of “must” and other forbidding words, as well as mentions of relevant consumer laws. Such signs tend to discourage consumers. If they make a mistake with their purchase, they have little assurance that they can easily correct the mistake.
Your policy can be phrased in a positive and friendly manner. You can say, “Reassessing your purchases? Feel free to change your mind. You can exchange or refund items from any of our stores up to 7 days from date of purchase.” Friendly language is much more accommodating and less hostile to consumers.
Remember, you spend money on promotions and advertising to get new customers. But how much are you willing to spend to keep them coming back?
If well-managed, exchange and refunds are neither a treat nor a loss of sales. They are an opportunity to show respect and empathy to customers, at almost no cost.