Creating Customer Centric Showrooms

Almost every business preaches the benefits of customer service. Consider the aphorisms that exist in corporate America. If we believed every trite expression, from "Quality is Job One" to "Have it Your Way," we would never have recessions. Many talk the talk, but how many showrooms actually have the mindset and systems in place to walk the walk?

Jack Mitchell, CEO of Mitchells/Richards Clothing Stores in Westport and Greenwich CT, wrote Hug Your Customers. The premise of the book is that for any business to achieve sustainable success, the focus must be first and foremost on the customer.

Mitchell understands that in today's world of immediacy and instant gratification, customers want and expect more. He places the customer at the center of the universe, and the company's commitment to building effective customer relationships is practiced at every level of the organization.

Mitchell defines every act of personal service as a "hug." A hug can be as simple as remembering customers' names when they enter the store to being accessible around the clock to respond to "clothing emergencies." Hugs come in many sizes and shapes. The goal is to personalize the shopping experience to create relationships that become lifelong friendships.

Mitchell's road map for his third-generation family business should strike a chord with many decorative plumbing and hardware showrooms. He delineates a process that successfully converts an attitude into an operating system to not simply satisfy customers, but to consistently exceed their expectations. Mitchell's two clothing stores generate more than $60 million in annual sales and have among the highest margins in the clothing industry.

Embracing passion
Passion is a key ingredient in creating a showroom dedicated to exceptional customer service. You need to be passionate about what you do and about life.

Passion is evident in our showroom and it becomes infectious among our customers, the representatives who serve our business and the manufacturers who supply our products. As a result, those in our supply chain are passionate about providing extraordinary customer service to our showroom.

Consistency is critical to creating a service culture. Recently, a gentleman entered our showroom. He was shy and did not dress or look like our typical customer. He needed a bidet but did not have the resources to buy one. Instead of turning him away, our salesperson who had won a portable bidet wand from a manufacturer sales promotion volunteered to lend the gentleman her wand to see if it met his needs. It did. He ordered one for approximately $100 and was so appreciative of the effort our staff member went through to meet his needs that he wept.

Mitchell points out that, when you are customer-centric, your bottom line benefits. At our showroom, we have empirical evidence to support that statement. We view problems as opportunities that provide one-time chances to cement relationships by converting anger into hugs.

At Designer Hardware, we hug our customers by preventing problems before they occur. On larger projects, we make site visits after roughs are installed and before sheetrocking, regardless of where the project is located. Recently, we traveled from Oklahoma City to Vail, CO to check the thermostat and balance pressure rough in an installation, only to discover the valves had been switched and were installed in the wrong showers. Had the mistake been overlooked, the large shower with multiple outlets would never have worked satisfactorily.