I’m somewhat surprised I’m writing about Wal-Mart for this topic. Wal-Mart is on one of my top “I Dislike” stores. I don’t like how most stores are always over-crowded, very messy, and the service has never been good. I also don’t like the whole corporate side of it, but I’m not going to get into it here. Let’s just say I’ve never been a fan.
However, I found myself going to a new Wal-Mart that opened up down the road from me and discovered I actually liked this particular store. The layout was fresh and open. Management was obviously doing double-duty to keep aisles neat, tidy and eye-appealing. And while I haven’t really had to deal with much of the customer service, the people I did deal with were friendly and polite. As for the crowds, I’ve learned if I go during the day, they are at a bare minimum – which is perfect for me.
Which brings me to why I’m writing this. I ran across an article today on how Wal-Mart, who has drawn a lot of new customers in due to the recession, is now in a position of figuring out how to keep those customers once the recession ends.
The article discusses their goal is to do a “cosmetic upgrade” on hundreds of stores, as well in bring in more products and better brands. The idea is to make their stores not just more aesthetically appealing to their customers, but more convenient as well.
The key idea that I picked up on that I wanted to point out here is “convenience”. When you deliberately and specifially make things more convenient for your customers, they take notice. And then they enjoy their shopping experience more because it’s been enhanced just for them.
Customer service isn’t just about the people experience. It’s the entire package. So when you can make small or large changes to your store that is appealing to the customer – even if it’s simply widening the aisles – it’s an added bonus to what hopefully will be a great experience for the customer in your store.
That doesn’t mean you don’t still focus on your basic customer service – the people. This should always be at the top of your list no matter what. And I was disappointed to see that there wasn’t much mention of improving customer service in this article. But at least it’s a step in the right direction.
You can read the full story here:
The recession steered a new type of customer to Wal-Mart — deeper in the pockets and suddenly looking for bargains. Now the world’s largest retailer has to… (read more)
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