Customer Service Reader

2005 CGTA Retailer of the Year

Elliott & Company, winner of the CGTA's 2005 Retailer of the Year Award, share some tips to help retailers excel in customer service:

1. Greet every customer with a genuine smile when they enter
2. Make it personal. Get to know your client's names, likes, and dislikes.
3. Give your customers the freedom to explore. Don't smother them the second they get in the store. Let the customer discover unique products without feeling hassled.
4. Focus on introducing and informing the customer on new products, rather than selling.
5. Wrap absolutely everything for free.
6. Accept returns for refund or credit with grace.
7. Offer free local delivery of all oversize merchandise.
8. Find ways to thank your clients for shopping with you. Offer extra services like customized gift baskets, or offer home consultation for a fee, then waive the fee with a minimum purchase.

First opened in 1987 by Mark and Krys Elliott, professional working artists, Elliott & Company is based in St. Catherines, Ontario.

Holiday surveys

e-tailing group - 8th Annual Mystery Shopping Study

This fourth-quarter 2005 study of 100 online retailers found an overall decline in the level of customer service compared to a year earlier. Overall, merchants appeared to be less vested in customer service:

• More drill-down was required to find answers to questions on-site
• Contact information was not readily available
• FAQs and guarantees were less visible
• Address-checking tools and return registration log-ins were not always correct
• Shipping deals were more qualified
• Average clicks from product selection to checkout rose from 4.8 to 5.3
• Real-time inventory status was shown on 76% of sites in the study, down from 79% in 2004
• Customers recieved packages within 4.4 days, against a standard of 4 days
• The number of sites offering a toll-free customer service telephone number dropped to 93% from 95%
• Email response time rose to 30 hours, compared to 26 hours a year earlier

Only 10 shopping sites met all criteria: Ann Taylor, Bluefly, Blue Nile, Brookstone, Crutchfield, Finish Line, J. Crew, Sephora, SmartBargains, and Tower Records.

Best places to buy electronics

The December 2005 issue of Consumer Reports includes the results of a survey of more than 18,700 Consumer Reports readers who bought a TV, digital camera, DVD/DVR player, camcorder, PDA, or audio equipment. Among the findings:

• The five Internet retailers at the top of the online store Ratings did a better job satisfying customers than most of the brick-and-mortar electronics sellers. Crutchfield, a catalog and Web site that had the best online information and navigability and great selection, received an exceptionally high score. Two online retailers, Amazon.com and JR.com, were perceived to have both low prices and wide selection.
• Among stores, expect trade-offs. None in the survey had low prices, a big selection, and great service. For example, warehouse clubs such as BJ's Wholesale offered low prices but had subpar selection and service. Ritz Camera scored tops in selection and service, but worst in price.
• Most big electronics chains, warehouse clubs, and mass merchandisers were beaten by local independent stores on overall satisfaction. The independents' prices and selection were only average, but they received top marks for service.
• The electronics world is changing. Specialty superstores, which became the place to buy electronics for their sweeping selection in the 1980s and 1990s, are now facing increasing competition from mass merchandisers such as Target, Wal-Mart, and Costco, where low price trumps service.
• Brand is becoming less critical, since technological improvements enable manufacturers to churn out low-priced copies of commodity products.
• The Internet has given consumers instant access to lower prices, plus all the model-specific details, specs, and other info they desire. Consumers use the Web primarily as a research tool, making most purchases at walk-in stores.