Keeping an Eye on Store Touchpoints
by Dan Angelo
Barbara Khozam was pretty busy during CAMEX26 in Phoenix, AZ. The founder of Barbara Khozam Speaking and Consulting took part in the tour of the Lope Shops on the Grand Canyon University campus, walked the tradeshow floor, scanned badges for the CAMEX Celebration, and then finished her time as the main speaker for two Monday morning education sessions.
She even got her CAMEX experience started a bit earlier, visiting nine campus stores around the country. She shared what she saw during her Standout Service: Delivering Exceptional Experiences to Keep Them Coming Back session.
“The first thing I did was I Googled the store,” Khozam said. “I read some reviews and what was interesting was a lot of your Google reviews had five-star ratings with no words. When I see this, I always wonder who is doing the review? Why are there no words? That was my first touchpoint.”
One of the first touchpoints Khozam encountered was parking on campus, and actually finding the store. There may not be a lot a campus store can do about either, but it’s worth the effort to see if improvements can be made.
“One campus I went to, there was a person in a booth who pointed out where to go. That was fabulous,” she said. “On another campus, there was a man in a booth on his phone looking like I was bothering him. So, you may not realize the parking guy is ruining this for you.
“Then I have to find the store. Some had great signage, but others I had to ask people,” she continued. “I’m walking around campus looking for help, but the students are all wearing earbuds.”
Every campus store director understands that greeting customers is vital. What Khozam actually found was more of a mixed bag, with some student employees barely looking away from their conversation to being greeted enthusiastically by a young worker in the tech department, all in the same store.
The way staff greets a customer is important to Khozam because retail is so dependent on the experience. Shoppers understand how they felt leaving a store, and if they didn’t have a good experience, chances are they won’t be back.
“Seventy percent of buying experiences are based on how customers feel,” she said. “I found this quote at a company in San Francisco: ‘Your smile is your logo. Your personality is your business card, and how you leave others feeling after having an experience with you is your trademark.’”
Not every experience will be positive. Khozam provided statistics showing that 82% to 95% of customers who complain will return if they are impressed with the company’s response, so finding a solution to a situation is paramount.
“We should start with acknowledgement,” she said. “When we do things right, loyalty increases. When there’s a problem, it falls. If we acknowledge, if we empathize, the loyalty goes higher than it was before, so don’t be afraid of complaints. How we train our people to respond is how we get that loyalty.”
Another one of the touchpoints she noticed during her visits was how the staff was dressed. Workers in hoodies may not be the best way for a campus store staff to present itself, while lanyards can flop around and are often harder to read than simple name badges.
“I, as a customer, want to connect,” she said. “Customer service is all about connection, and it’s hard to do if I don’t know who you are or that you work there.”
Khozam’s final example came from a store employee who was exemplary in greeting and trying to help, but was working alone and was so bogged down working with an issue for one customer that people were leaving. The employee welcomed her with charm, but that stopped mattering when the wait time stretched beyond 20 minutes.
“Exceptional service starts with making connections,” she said. “The No. 1 reason for all complaints is an unmet expectation. People don’t care how much you know unless you care, and when all else fails, get help. It’s okay to get help.”
