Customer Service

Hardly a day goes by at Forest Hill without a customer asking how Luke is doing.  They’re referring to Luke Corbin who left to teach English in Vietnam and travel the world.  Luke managed magazines for us at Forest Hill for two years, putting him in touch with most of our customers over that time.  He juggled near full time work with studies at LaTrobe University.

In retail, you are only as good as your last customer service contact.  Luke was exceptional in the eyes of our customers.  They are genuine in their interest in his travels and whether he will return.  Judging by his blog, Vietnam is proving to be everything he hoped.

Tower Systems is again running football tipping competitions for the AFL and NRL seasons. The competitions are open to anyone. Entry is free. The prizes are: First $350.00; Second $100.00; Third $50.00. To join, please follow these instructions:

1. Go to the Tower Systems web page www.towersystems.com.au.
2. Click on either the AFL or NRL footy tipping logos at the bottom. (To join both, join separately.)
3. The footy tipping page will then load
4. Click on Join, at the top of the menu on the left hand side of the screen.
5. You will then be asked for a password to join, which is ‘tower’
6. Click on OK
7. Enter in your details and click on Submit Details. (Note you only need to enter information on the fields highlighted with an *)
8. Make sure you note down your username and passwords so you can log in again later, and enter your tips!

Each week, go to the Tower Systems’ web site – www.towersystems.com.au – click on the AFL and/or NRL tipping links, enter your username and password and tip away.

Rules:

1. Anyone can participate.

2. Tips must be in by 5:30pm EST on the evening before the first game of the round, either Friday’s or Thursday’s. (No late tips will be accepted this year, no exceptions , none, nada, nope, no way, your late – you’re out for the week)

3. Failure to enter you tips will see you get the lowest score of the round minus 1 tip. (So if the lowest score tipped for the round was a 0 you will receive a score of -1 for the round)

4. To play you need before the start of the season (NRL – 14/3/08, AFL – 20/3/08).

5. Have fun.

Some people should not be allowed to drive scooters. Like the driver who brought down our book table when they side swiped our display or the driver who backed into our calendar stand and trashed product or the driver who ran over my foot and scraped my leg when they tried to squeeze past without warning. One driver drove all the way down to the back of the shop and got stuck in a corner not made for vehicles – it’s a retail shop for goodness sake! yep, some people should not be allowed to drive these things. Ugh!

Jane was in severe pain and facial swelling due to a tooth problem at our newsXpress Forest Hill store a week back. Mr Wu, always ready with remedies for any situation, told Jane to have someone born in the year of the tiger to paint on her face in ink and using a brush the sign of the tiger with a circle around it – over where the swelling was. Respecting her customer, Jane had this done by Luke, who met the criteria, as she was leaving for work. Maybe it was the distraction of being stared at or maybe Mr Wu’s sage advice was right, but the swelling started to go down on Jane’s drive home.

It’s amazing what customers tell you sometimes.

Here are details of the final series of free Tower Systems user meetings and training sessions for 2007. All newsagents are welcome to attend. At each session we’ll deliver training in the software, preview our next update and answer any questions. Anyone is welcome to attend – watching us interact with our customers is a great way to evaluate Tower Systems.

Perth: 28/11 at 2pm – 5pm (open day)
Perth: 29/11 at 9:30am – User Meeting
Melbourne: 30/11 at 10:00am – New Owner
Melbourne: 30/11 at 1:00pm – User Meeting
Geelong: 3/12 at 10:00am – User Meeting
Albury: 4/12 at 11:00am – User Meeting
Sydney: 5/12 at 10:00am – New Owner
Sydney: 5/12 at 2:00pm – User Meeting
Coffs Harbour: 6/12 at 10:00am – User Meeting
Canberra: 7/12 at 2:00pm – User Meeting
Brisbane: 11/12 at 10:00am – New Owner
Brisbane: 11/12 at 2:00pm – User Meeting
Rockhampton: 12/12 at 10:00am – User Meeting
Hobart: 17/12 at 11:00am – User Meeting
Launceston: 18/12 at 10:00am – User Meeting

Book your place by email.

I noticed an older woman writing details of our range of inspirational booklets, cards and books at our Frankston newsagency last week and approached and asked if they would like some assistance. Her story was the kind of personal story newsagents hear regularly, one which reminded us of the personal nature of our businesses.

Our customer was writing the titles of the small inspirational books we sell so she could keep track and not duplicate the titles she was sending to her sister who had recently been diagnosed with cancer and was undergoing intensive treatment in another state. She was sending a booklet a week and wanted to plan her dispatches, to make sure that she did not break the link.

We were able to identify enough titles in the series for the next six months and this clearly relieved her. She was certain that the booklets and their motivational messages were important to her sister’s journey with cancer. We talked for a few minutes and she moved on about her day. Her story and that of her sister stayed with me for it reflects a connection we have with our customers which, I suspect, would be rare in a more corporate business.

My customer didn’t have to tell me her story. That she felt comfortable to do that and we were able to help with more product like she was looking for created a connection which I cherish – if I could put it that way without sounding over the top.

The biggest change in newspapers, magazines, cards and stationery over the last ten to fifteen years is that these categories have moved from our local, family-run, channel to corporate businesses where the dollar is all that matters. In those barns there is little time for stories like I heard last week – it’s not one of management’s KPIs. Thankfully, there are still enough independent small businesses – newsagencies, pharmacies, green grocers, florists and butchers – where there is enough time for personal stories.

It amazes, even shocks me sometimes, what customers talk about. This past week, the personal story my customer’s sister and her efforts to maintain a caring connection by distance touched me and reminded me of the humanity of retail and why engaging with customers without focusing on the dollar is rewarding.

We are getting some good traction with our monthly customer newsletter. It’s a passive marketing strategy at the front of our shop promoting a magazine of the month, phone recharge, a stationery competiton (we have 6 laser printers to give away) and boxed Christmas cards among other things.

Visually it is nothing special – that’s deliberate in that we felt if we made it too attractive it would not come across as being personal, from us.

A chap who only came in to buy some ink from us purchased three items on impulse at our counter: a wine magazine; a bag of Darrell Lea liquorice; and, a copy of Great Walks magazine at the counter. We didn’t offer any of these, our counter displays did the work for us.

Now if only we could have a customer like this chap every half hour or so.

We put a lot of effort into using our shop to up-sell for us. We know from our own experience in petrol outlets how frustrating it is to be offered some deal when all you want to do is pay for petrol and leave. With our approach, customers choose to be up-sold and they walk out more satisfied ads a result.

Cleaning up some paperwork overnight and I found a letter from May about A&R advising they were moving accounts payable to New Zealand. For a small business supplier to A&R, such as a newsagency, this is a problem. It delays payment and makes problem resolution more challenging. The terms set by A&R in the May letter put them in control and not the small business supplier who may have different trading terms which more appropriately meet their requirements.

Elaine and Geoff Munro from East Geelong Newsagency kindly sent me three copies of Sunday’s and Monday’s Geelong Advertiser – my family are mad Geelong fans. They didn’t want any money – such is their support for others in the broader newsagent community.

Compare the generosity of Elaine and Geoff to the relatively new newsagent who sent a magazine to another newsagent needing a copy for a customer – they charged the recipient newsagent full retail plus postage.

It is more newsagents like Elaine and Geoff we need in this channel.

We send credit cards left in our newsagency and not reclaimed for a day or so back to the issuing bank with a covering letter. Not once has any of the banks written to us thanking us and while we are not looking for kudos, it would be nice to have the return of the card acknowledged. Given the risk of credit card fraud of lost cards I would have thought our attention to closing the loop was appreciated.