Two days before Christmas, the refrigerator started losing its grip. The ice cube trays became a bit sloshy and the frozen food wasn’t as frozen as it should have been. I was making the list to stock up for Christmas dinner for my family and my fridge was in decline. In the midst of my last-minute shopping, house cleaning for guests and wrapping up loose ends on some work, I needed to find a few minutes to buy a new refrigerator.
We went on the internet to see what was available at the large home improvement chain store that’s right around the corner. We have a store credit card there, and based on the prices of their units and our pre-Christmas spending spree, we figured we may as well use it. Off we went, with an idea of what we might want.
Apparently, home improvement stores aren’t very busy in the few days before Christmas. No one was in the appliance area, with the exception of a sales guy sitting in front of a computer. “We need a refrigerator and we need it fast,” I said to him jokingly, as we walked up.
“I wish I could help you,” he said. “We had a huge sale and now our deliveries are booked up through January 6.”
His disinterest and inaction will motivate all of our future decisions to purchase appliances.Ugh. “What are people who need a refrigerator two days before Christmas supposed to do?” I asked him, hoping he’d have an idea for us.
“Not sure,” he said, looking back at his computer. We turned and walked away, underwhelmed by his interest in helping us figure out our problem.
My husband had predicted that we’d have this issue, though I was hopeful that there was a store in the metro Detroit area that would want the sale. I found the website of one of our local appliance warehouse stores – ABC Warehouse – and searched the site for a model that would fit our budget. It was 8:30 at night, so I decided to call the closest store to confirm that they had our preferred unit in stock and that it could be delivered immediately.
The sales person to whom I spoke was polite, friendly and interested. I asked if I could purchase the refrigerator over the phone and negotiated the price and delivery. The entire call took about 10 minutes, including payment. Plus, I didn’t have to pay for the delivery or tax. How easy was that?
On Christmas eve day, the phone rang at 8:30am. It was the delivery team from ABC Warehouse, notifying us that they would be arriving in forty minutes. By 10am, the new fridge was in place and we were off to the grocery store. It was an excellent customer service experience.
Why the difference?
Once the situation settled down, I though about why I was so put off by the big box home center’s response to my urgent need for a new refrigerator. The store employee who was in the appliance department wasn’t going to make a sale that day, so he didn’t engage with us. His disinterest and inaction will motivate all of our future decisions to purchase appliances – we won’t be considering the big box store again. The experience with ABC Warehouse was so easy and quick, it left a stellar impression that will stick with us and we’ll call them again.
Most likely, the big box store employee wasn’t trained on how to help a customer when you’re unable to help that customer. What could he have done instead? And what should you do if you find yourself in a similar situation?
Express concern – Had he simply stopped what he was doing and took a few minutes to talk to us, we would have left with a better feeling about the experience. Letting the customer know that you’re disappointed that you can’t help them makes a difference in their feelings toward you and your business.
Call other stores – He could have checked into his own store’s other outlets to see if they were in the same situation, with no delivery dates available. His effort would have been appreciated. Exploring options for your customer only takes a few minutes and leaves them knowing you tried, even if you can’t help them in the end.
Advise us of options – He could have suggested other stores, maybe even ABC Warehouse. We would have felt that he cared. Suggesting other businesses, even your competitors, demonstrates to your customer that you have their best interests in mind. Even if you lose this sale, you don’t lose the relationship. They’ll remember that you were willing to send them to your competitor, rather than leave them with nothing.
Unfortunately, the big box store employee did none of those things. I can’t help but wonder how many potential appliance buyers were turned off by his actions.
What about you? When you’re unable to help a customer, what do you do? What actions could you take that would help them feel like you cared, even if you’re unable to help them at that moment?
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