Paper: Times, The (London, England)
Title: Wednesday Page: Smiling counter attack – A new survey reveals that
customer relations are strained – and that good service is a money-spinner
Author: LORNA VEE
Date: November 18, 1987
A quiet revolution is going on in the high street and it has nothing to do with shopper-friendly design or the one-stop store. The new buzz word among top retailers has a more old-fashioned ring – personal service is back in style. And not before time, according to a national survey conducted by the advertising agency Leo Burnett.
An overwhelming 91 per cent of consumers surveyed are refusing to return to shops where they have experienced bad service. And not only are 72 per cent demanding better service, 70 per cent are prepared to pay more for it.
Appropriately titled ‘Are You Being Served?’, the survey looks at people’s attitudes to standards in the high street overall. But a look at the major complaints voiced by respondents, coupled with the positive aspects identified, turns the spotlight firmly on to department stores and chain stores. And it has revealed the new weapon in the Store Wars: training that
elevates employees from shop assistant to ‘sales consultants’ or ‘sales advisers’ who know the difference between pestering and assisting.
Customers are well aware of the huge improvements in the shopping environment, but looks are not everything. Five of the top 10 complaints are against staff and their attitudes, from those who know nothing about what they’re selling to those who are patronizing and condescending.
‘As all stores become modernized and well designed, it’s those who offer a good service who will have the competitive edge,’ says Leo Burnett’s vice-chairman, Jackie Dickens.
The good news for the consumer is that the shopping barons are beginning to make subtle service and the soft sell a priority. Since its take-over in 1985 by Ali and Mohamad Al-Fayed, House of Fraser has taken a radical re-examination of its staff training. The Al-Fayeds have made it clear that since department stores have a similar ambiance and products, the key to the customers is service.
The groups personnel director, Stan Frith, recently went to the United States to study major stores and their staff training. ‘In this country staff tend to be more retiring. It’s not natural for them to be gregarious,’ he says. ‘But we want our staff to open up more, to communicate with customers.’
Even at Harrods, where staff conduct is clearly defined (‘Good morning/good afternoon, how can I be of assistance?’ being the official greeting) a commission system along American lines has been introduced to motivate staff to approach customers – and sell without being pushy.
Elsewhere, commission systems and no training spell disaster. Leo Burnett’s survey shows that pressure to achieve targets, along with insufficient training, are seen by most people as the reasons for poor service. Almost 70 per cent laid the blame on the companies, rather than the staff.
At John Lewis, motivation comes in the form of a profit share scheme as well as a say in how the company is run. Communicating with customers is down to common snese rather than set guidelines, says a spokeswoman, although staff
are told to ‘look directly at the customer, smile and always address account holders by name’.
The same applies to Marks & Spencer. The official line in dealing with customers is saying please and thank you, repeating garment sizes, and counting back the change. Beyond that, it is a case of leaving the customer to browse, and being knowledgeable if help is needed. And if there is anything wrong with the service, M & S gets to hear about it through its centralized customer services department, which receives 43,000 calls a year.
Sir Ralph Halpern’s Burton Group has just set up its own customer relations department to enable it to adopt what a spokeswoman calls ‘a pro-active stance’ – that is, finding out what customers want and putting it into action to avoid complaints.
But they claim that there is already a strong awareness of the demands of their different markets. The Top Shop girl, for example, likes to go shopping with her friends and doesn’t want anyone’s advice, while the Principles customer is a working woman who likes to be helped.
Principles’ training manager, Julia Coppleston, says: ‘Retailing is changing – it’s becoming a leisure activity. People want staff to smile and be nice.’
In addition to ‘mystery shoppers’, employed by the Burton Group to visit their stores and report back, Coppleston believes that the financial incentive schemes for team effort are important in raising standards and motivating ‘sales advisers’. But it is a soft sell. If you want a black skirt, you will be asked for what type of occasion. Then it will be pointed out that the skirt is part of a theme, with everything you might need to go with it. Apparently the Principles customer wants a look suggested, and put together for her and with her.
Next, the chain launched by Sir Terence Conran with George Davies as its chairman, has an almost identical attitude. Next issues staff with a comprehensive training pack – the Next Selling Skills Package. Next’s ‘sales consultants’ do 12 weeks’ training, which they say includes body language and the best way to approach a customer. Hence, consultants do not adopt poses which discourage approaches (arms crossed or gazing out of a window) and they do not say, ‘Can I help you madam/sir?’
The Next approach is to acknowledge a customer’s arrival with a smile then to watch for signs of indecision and ‘assist’ in their selection with questions that assess their needs (‘what kind of fabric are you looking for?’, ‘who is the garment for?’). Staff are told that Next is all about personal service. Self service is what you get at supermarkets.
Leo Burnett’s report concludes by saying the personal touch could be the biggest profit earner. ‘We’ve gone through a phase of forgetting the customer,’ says Norman Preece, training manager for Foster Menswear, part of the Sears Group which also owns Selfridges. ‘We’re now bringing back old-fashioned values, treating the customer like a guest in your home. It’s all knowing when to approach and how. By showing lots of care you make more money. It’s a mercenary attitude but that’s what we’re here for, making money.’
Copyright Times Newspapers Ltd 1987