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Determining Their Needs
Written by: Janet DeanArticle Overview: Why it matters to know our customers needs.
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Free Download - Are your people providing STAR service? By Janet Dean |
Determining Their Needs
Why does it matter whether or not we know our customers? Well, in order to deliver excellent customer service, the better we know our customers, the easier it is to meet their needs. And before we can meet their needs, we have to find out what they are.
In some cases customers come into the store knowing exactly what they want. Other times, you may have to ask questions to determine how you can help them.
Picture this: Two customers come into your store and start wandering around aimlessly. You approach them to try and determine what they need, only to find out that they aren’t really sure themselves! In this scenario, you should spend a few moments asking them questions to learn exactly what they need.
Remember that in addition to obvious needs, customers may have other, unspoken and not-so-obvious needs. It is just as important to be aware of these types of needs as the obvious ones, especially if you are striving for excellence! Some examples of not-so-obvious needs might be:
• A customer who is lonely and needs someone to talk to
• A customer who does not speak English well, and needs to communicate
• A customer who is new to the area or even the country and needs to know how things work
• A customer who just had an argument with someone and needs to vent
These “unspoken” needs are ones that our customers won’t come out and tell us—we have to learn about them through observation and casual conversation. The retail employee who is able to meet these needs will have a very grateful customer!
This is the human aspect of the retail industry—spending time getting to know your customers and learning about their needs. Although this will go a long way in improving customer service, it’s not just about making a sale or keeping the boss happy—it’s also about showing some kindness to another human being.
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Article Tags: boss, casual conversation, excellent customer service, few moments, human aspect, improving customer service, kindness, observation, retail employee, retail industry, spending time, striving for excellence
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