Hello sir, how can I help you?

Sometimes those words can really brighten my day, and sometimes they make me cringe.

I went into Superdrug in Wallington today and had a look around, I was very impressed with the standards and took the time to observe the cashiers at work.

I heard the above phrase spoken several times with real feeling, made me smile all over my face, the cashiers were showing that they were interested in:

• what they were doing
• giving good service
• making a good impression on the customer
• making the most of their opportunities.

I finished my business and popped into Boots on the way back to the car, what a difference.

Exactly the same phrase completely different effect !

The cashier behind the till obviously didn't want to:

• be there
• serve anyone
• serve me in particular
• make money for her company
• keep her job
• progress any further

And yet the same phrase was used in both shops, so what is the difference?

Well I believe passionately that it is a direct reflection of the managers.

Ok I can hear some of you saying, yeah but it's different companies or different locations or just you caught the Boots girl on a bad day and to those of you I say nay !

In retail there are no such things as bad days, let me repeat myself cos I think that's so important. "In retail there are no such things as bad days" in fact I'll go further than that and say

"In service there are no such things as bad days"

As a consumer I couldn't give a fetid dingo's kidney what sort of day my cashier is having, I couldn't care less if he has a headache, groin strain, a horrible home life or an appointment at the dentist I am solely interested in my wants, another nugget there so I'll repeat it

"As a consumer...I am solely interested in my wants"

So if we wish to give excellent customer service whose wants should we be focussing on?

Seems simple doesn't it?

So why is it that Superdrug in Wallington managed to satisfy mine and Boots failed?

Which brings me back, rather neatly I think, to the store managers.

An excellent store manager, nay leader, will paint pictures for their staff, it is their job to make the future sound bright, you've heard that classic song, "The future's so bright you just gotta wear shades" it should be the mantra of anyone who wishes to be a real leader, they should go to bed humming it and wake up to it on the radio, sing it in the shower, ponder it in the car on the way to work .... well you get the message.

Ok so why is it so important?

Well look at it this way when do you do your best work?

When you are sad and depressed, worried about your job and the future, feeling undervalued and unappreciated, in the dark, ignored, passed over etc. etc.

or

When you are feeling on top of the world, valued, prized even, when you know what you are doing and why, when you have hope in your heart and a smile on your face?

Well durr !!!

And yet again we find that this simple fact is ignored time and time again, how many times have you felt like a mushroom, you know, kept in the dark and covered in xxxx?

Did you do your best work?

I think not !

Ok so is painting pictures enough?

Hardly but it's a great start !

I'll go on with what else is required to be a great leader next time but for now let me finish telling you how the two stores I visited reflect their managers and how one satisfied my wants whereas the other didn't.

I don't know the manager of Boots but I do know the manager of Superdrug in Wallington and I can tell you this she had every reason to be down in the dumps today and yet when I walked in she was acting like a beacon for her staff, stood on the shop floor she was briefing the staff on something or other that needed doing whilst opening her mail and scanning the shop for opportunities, she took comments and feedback from her staff and garnered agreement before moving on.

Could I experience service like I'd got at Boots in a shop managed like that?

I could tell by the way her staff reacted to her that she is a great leader and as I've said the store reflected that, what I wanted was well displayed easy to find and served to me with obvious care and concern let alone efficiency.

Conversely in Boots I struggled to find what I wanted, it was grubby on a grubby shelf and I've already spoken about the service, if the manager was painting pictures for his staff would I have had that experience?

Answers on a postcard to "No of course not you damn fool, c/o ffriar Productions, Croydon.


John Anslow
http://ffriar.com/