Commandment No. 3 – Thou Shalt Greet, Speak and Be Real

With this week’s look at Shep Hyken’s Forbes article, The Ten Commandments of Superior Customer Service, we arrive at the third commandment, “Thou Shalt Greet, Speak and Be Real”.

As Shep explains, you shouldn’t “miss an opportunity to interact with your customers.” He goes on to promote how important simple gestures are, like nodding, smiling, and bidding others good morning.

The point of this commandment is to two-fold: the first should be pretty recognizable by now, as it has to do with making the customer feel important and welcome, just like the previous two commandments have stressed. Equally important is the fact that these gestures maintain a positive tone, from the get-go all the way through the customer’s visit.

Indeed, many retail stores require their employees to greet customers within 30 seconds of their arrival purely for these purposes. When a business is happy to see a customer, that customer is much more likely to be happy to be there. And this is a really easy practice to integrate, even in a busy location. Even if employees are deeply involved with other customers, they still should take the moment to say, “Hi, welcome to our store. We’ll be with you in just a few minutes.”

But the initial greeting is only part of the solution. If you operate a large store with multiple employees, each one should be trained to make genuine eye contact, smile, and nod at customers as they walk by. Doing so makes them feel approachable so that if a customer feels like he needs help, he doesn’t feel like an imposition for asking. These gestures tell customers, “I’m happy you’re here, and I’m ready to help you.” It should come as no surprise, but customers are much more likely to buy—and not have buyer’s remorse—if they first work with a member of your team. Signage and merchandising are great, but nothing beats the boots on the ground.

To ensure customers are being greeted right away, and that employees always attentive and projecting a positive tone, you need great mystery shopping. Reach out to us today to learn more.