Being 9 months pregnant and having to buy a 20kg bag of soil from a well-known hardware store…three staff members watched as I carried the load to the car. I had asked for a trolley but was informed by one of the staff members that it was too far way. I knew to save my breath then when adding turf and another bag of soil to my shopping to ask for any assistance.
It took me back to when I was in that same store 2 months earlier- still obviously pregnant. I had to buy 4 bags of cement. At that time I did ask if someone could assist me with lifting it into my car and was told that it was too cold outside. What the? I used to work for this company. I know when I did my induction years ago this type of customer experience would not have happened.
I began to ask around for other peoples experiences- has customer service really become so non-existent? I did not have to go far. My ever-patient husband lamented about how lost his cool when he had to wait for over 12 minutes in a large fast food chains drive through for a coffee. No warning of the wait time, no apologies and no we are not going there again.
What is happening in customer service? Is it even appropriate to call it service anymore? In a society where 1 in 5 purchases is now made via smart phone, it should be seen that the quality of customer service should be better than before. Traditional stores have to work harder than ever to reach their sales budgets; face it they have to work harder just to get the consumer into the store.
In 2017 alone, Australians spent $21.3 billion online- an increase of over 18% from 2016. Consumers are turning to online more frequently now and who can blame them? Data shows per sale Australia’s spend less online than in traditional stores. Why not? When you can sit in your PJs, find the best deal on whatever your heart desires and obtain the best deal in a few clicks who would want to go and deal with the car parks at the major shopping centres?
In fact with the advent of AfterPay, OpenPay, ZipPay and all their emulations consumers do not even need the money on hand to make their purchase.
So what do traditional retailers have to offer?
The service experience. Sure an outfit, artwork and handbag may look good online but the traditional stores are able to offer the sales experience with allowing the consumer to have all their needs catered for and have the goods on hand to go home with them (thanks AfterPay).
The problem seems to be a lot of retail brands are lacking in their customer service training. Be it reduced staffing numbers, lack of engaged staff or sheer time pressure. The traditional retailers need to do more.
Despite my complaints about the lack of service, it seems businesses on the surface do not need to worry. According to Trading Economics retail trade in Australia has risen over 0.3% in the latest data (March, 2019). This isn't keeping in mind the previous years decline though.
With reduced disposable incomes and extra competition it is time to reignite the customer service experience.
