Customer Service

When the wind is in their sales, nothing can get in the way of Gerry Harvey and his rich retailer mates.  The moment there is a spoiler, they complain and call on the government to help.

Their current shrill campaign calling for the government to act is ill conceived and miscommunicated.

Yes, GST should apply to all items purchased in Australia regardless of whether they are supplied from an offshore warehouse or not.

Where the Gerry Harvey led campaign falls down is that Australians have no appetite for a rich head of a retail group which delivers poor customer service telling the Australian Government that they should be protected.

It is no wonder that there has been a shopper backlash against the campaign.  The common thread of shopper complaints is that customer service sucks in Harvey Norman and other major retail outlets.

This is where small business excels.  Small business retailers are more likely to offer friendlier and more knowledgeable customer service.  Small business retailers generally live locally and hire local employees.  They are better connected to the community.

A small business led campaign educating shoppers about the growing cost to their business of the free GST kick to overseas retailers would have a better chance of gaining grass-roots support and thereby engaging government in finding a solution.

The more Gerry Harvey and his rich mates are on TV complaining the more my small business retail friends can remind their customers of the difference between rich, big and bloated retailers and customer centric small business retailers.

I first published this earlier today at the Tower Systems blog.  I am publishing it here as I think it is a topic which would interest newsagents.

My newsagency software company hosts around 80 face to face user meetings a year and it was during the current round, listening to newsagent interaction, that I wondered whether a similar type of forum could work for newsagents.

At the Tower Systems forums we meet face to face with our customers, share news, discuss ideas and gratefully receive feedback.  It is a good forum – away from day to day business, more relaxed.  I think it works for our customers as well as it works for us.

So, I was wondering if such a forum could work for newsagents – we do, after all, say customer service is a key point of difference for us.  We say it but do we really ask our customers, do we give them an opportunity to engage with us on the topic.  I have been thinking about my blog post about customer service last week.

It could be held at the shop or a local hall.  The goal would be to ask customers for their feedback so that together you (and them) can build a better newsagency experience – customers are stakeholders after all.

I appreciate that the idea sounds odd, anything new does.  Imagine the benefit if you got one great idea from the forum or if those attending left truly believing in your commitment to the local community.  Both outcomes would be valuable for you and for those participating.

Sometimes we need to play outside the norm and our comfort zone to really innovate.

We have had several customers ask about the Trading Post this past week.  All were shocked to hear that it has ceased publication.  One encounter I had was memorable on Friday.

First up, my customer, a lady in her seventies, had been sent to us by Coles because they were “out of stock” of the Trading Post.  Yes, I can imagine a supermarket staffer saying that without thinking.  Ah, supermarket customer service!

It took a bit to convince the lady that the Trading Post ceased publication a month ago.  Once she believed me she wondered why they would stop printing a popular paper.  Then she realised that it was the square thing, that tv thing which killed it off.  We eventually worked out she meant the internet.  Yes, the internet, she said with a vague look in her eye.

He liked to take it with him and read it.  She was telling me about a man she used to buy the Trading Post for.  It was all he read.  The ads were like a novel or a magazine.  He will never be bothered with the internet, she said dismissively.

I am not doing the conversation justice.  My customer was entertaining, engaging and loud.  Others were watching.  I shoerd her the Melbourne Trader which comes with the Melbourne Observer.  She was certain that would do the trick.  On other customer watching us bought the Melbourne Observer as well.

There are a few points to this story: not everyone is connected to the Internet; some consumers prefer paper; the Trading Post is missed by some; being on the floor of the shop and talking with customers drives sales; retail is entertaining.

Once we were finished, I reminded my new friend how helpful we were compared to the supermarket.  The glint in her eye let me know she got the point.

Today is National Walk and Shop Day in the UK – an excellent promotion of local shopping supported by independent retailers, including newsagents, suppliers, local councils and consumers.  This is part of the My Shop is Your Shop project.

the campaign for National Walk and Shop Day is built around reducing emissions CO2 emissions, buying local for today to avoid waste and saving petrol costs.  All good messages which local shops can pitchto their local customers.

This is an opportunity for newsagents and similar independent retailers in Australia.

When speaking at newsagent conferences and workshops over the last two years I have asked what do we stand for?  A common answer from newsagents was community connection, being local.

Being connected with the local community is a good unique selling proposition when most of what we sell in our newsagencies is available from other businesses, usually bigger than ours. By trading off the local connection we connect with others who are community-minded. But I wonder how locally connected we really are.

I know that in my own businesses we could do more – and I guess this is what started me thinking about this topic. I want the local connection to be real for us and for our customers.

My question for newsagents this morning is whether we are as community minded as we think? Is the connection more in our heads than our actions?

I started thinking about this over the weekend when researching how some businesses in small UK and US towns connect with their communities.
Here are some questions you could ask yourself to test your community connection:

• What local charities does the business support?
• What local schools does the business support?
• What local organisations is the business connected with?
• What local events does the business actively participate in?
• Have you compared the savings of shopping locally at your business compared to further away? Do you communicate this?
• Do you buy from local businesses where possible? Do you promote this?
• Do you promote your business with other local businesses?
• Does a representative of the business attend events and charities supported by the business to make awards?
• Do you hold events in the newsagency for local groups – art shows, competition entries and the like?
• Do you participate in local council business forums?
• Are your employees encouraged to share in your community involvement?
• Are you part of the local traders association?
• Are local organisations able to publicise events in the window or using other resources of the business?

I suspect there is a big difference between the community connection of a newsagencies in the city compared to the country. I’d be interested in what others think.

Given the resources in our businesses, there are initiatives we could take to help the local community and build our connection.  Here are a few:

• Establish a what’s on noticeboard in your window or on a wall.
• Sponsor a locally focused newsletter.
• Link to local clubs and groups on your website.
• Check our the government community portal.  It has opportunities in many communities.
• Talk to your local council – they are bound to have suggestions on ways you can connect with the local community.
• Create a local traders website.
• Collect change from customers for local charities.
• Create a newcomer pack with other businesses and deliver this to families new to the area.
• Sponsor an annual award encouragement award at a local school and present the award yourself.
• Support at least one local sports club.
• Price compare popular items in your shop with bigger businesses further away.  Promote your point of difference.

IGA has an excellent presentation online about their community involvement.