Customers Want More than Just “Natural,” “Genuine,” “Vintage,” or “Best”
In addition to its core subject matter, the book I’m currently reading, The Strategically Small Church by Brandon J. Obrien (Bethany House) offers some encouragement to stores like ours which still place a high value on individual customer service:
…Consumers want more than genuine products. They also want to do business in ways that feel more “real.” According to [James] Gilmore and [Joseph] Pine [in the book Authenticity] the companies that are thriving today find ways to deliver personalized and intimate service to their customers. Instead of the efficient, automated telephone services, for example, more customers want to talk to real people, even if it takes longer. In a technological, digitized world, people long to do business the old-fashioned way: person-to-person. [pp 60-61]
We’ve felt this way for some time now. Tired of roaming the aisles at Wal-Mart in a frantic search for some obscure item, they welcome the opportunity to interact with someone who will address their need. Conversely, we tell our staff that our sales associate job description, while it lists a number of possible responsibilities, is actually light on administration so that they can spend their time investing themselves in the people who walk in.
I’m halfway through the book and will be doing a review of its main message before the end of the week.
