I have the best boyfriend in the world. Not only do we have a very mature and grounded relationship with great communication … he buys me David Yurman. Most women will tell you they love receiving a piece of Yurman jewelry. Truthfully, we love receiving any jewelry, but Yurman is a very popular brand due to Yurman’s unique braided bands and the use of rare precious stones.
We had to return the ring he got me for Christmas because it was too big, and went to the Flagship store off of Park Avenue in NYC where he purchased the ring. One would expect top-tier service at David Yurman – especially the Flagship store off Park Avenue! However, that’s not what happened.
We entered the store, which was fairly busy for a Saturday afternoon. There were three couples with sales associates looking at the amazing selection of jewelry. One sales associate was walking around the cases, looking like she was taking inventory, and two other associates in the corner chatting with one another.
We waited. I didn’t mind at first, as there were many sparkly things to look at, and Alex had mentioned that he’d like to get me the matching earrings. We searched the case nearest for the earrings he wanted to get and waited to be approached, but that never happened.
In fact, Miss Red (the associate taking inventory) kept walking right past us from case to case looking “extremely busy,” and Chit and Chat just kept gabbing away, deep in conversation. I finally got really annoyed. I did what most women would do in a fine establishment and placed my hands on my hips and gave the “stare of death” to Chit and Chat until they looked up from conversation.
Chit ran over and gave an apology and asked if she could help us. We had waited about ten minutes to get anyone’s attention or any sort of acknowledgement. Not even a, “Hi, we’ll be with you shortly.”
She helped us make our exchange and Alex asked if I wanted to see the earrings. I halfheartedly said yes, mostly because I REALLY liked them. I tried them on and Alex was ready to pull the trigger, but I was so put off by the lack of service we received that after trying them on I said I wasn’t interested.
That’s right, I let the gorgeous hematite earrings go right back into the case over ten minutes of waiting. I also immediately put the kibosh on the sunglasses that caught my eye while browsing.
Yes, we all get busy, and I’m sure there are times when Yurman, or your center, or any place gets absolutely mobbed. But in my mind there’s ALWAYS enough time to acknowledge a paying customer, a potential customer, or anyone who looks like they need assistance. If I can leave several hundred dollars of “shiny things” behind based on having to wait, your customers can certainly leave behind another game of bowling or laser tag … and what’s stopping them from walking straight to your competitor for better customer service? Nothing but YOU and YOUR employees!
Make sure your front line understands how best to handle busy times. Even a smile and holding up a finger goes a long way when you’re stuck on the phone with one customer waiting. And a quick, “Hi, I’ll be right with you” will remain a classic in great customer service.
Has a situation like this happened to you? Do you have measures in place to keep situations like this from happening in your center? Let us know about them in the comments section below or on our Facebook Page: www.Facebook.com/TrainerTainment
