The Salt and Pepper Group published their Retail Service Quality
Index in early December. Disappointedly, their survey
produced a poor overall service index rating of 48.2 out of 100. As
this Holiday Season wraps up it is clear that on-line retailers were the big
winners. Their in-stock position, convenience, speedy delivery and overall
on-line/off-line were big contributors to their success. Amazon led the
way and were big winners.
Two of the significant observations coming out
of the Salt and Pepper survey were:
1) "Associates performed poorly
when they were expected to exercise greater observation and engagement skills.
Specifically, they had trouble seizing opportunities to demonstrate customer
service when it required identifying and responding to indirect signals (1.3 out
of 10) or handling multiple shoppers on the sales floor (4 out of 10)."
2) "Associates started to struggle in situations where customers needed
advice,” said Rick Miller, consulting analyst at The SALT and Pepper Group.
“Most of them really were not comfortable asking questions to get the
information they needed. I don’t know if it was that they didn't want to or just
weren’t really sure how to do it.”
So what can we conclude from these
specific observations and the overall survey itself?
- Service
Excellence is perhaps unachievable and/or broadly unfordable in
this recovering economy
- Practicality trumps Desire with
many retailers
- Customer Service performance is producing more
conversation than participation
- Price /Value
strategies conflicts with Customer Service/Satisfaction execution
- Service Excellence requires hiring people for
their service attitudes
- Then training in Service
Excellence needs to happen
It is my New Year's wish that
ultimately Service Excellence will improve broadly and will be a contributing
component to a recovered economy. On-line retailers discovered that this
past Holiday Season...Hopefully 2010 is transformational for customers and
clients as suppliers and retailers embrace Service Excellence as a competitive
differentiator. HAPPY NEW YEAR.....