The anatomy of customer service

By Wally Lynch P.A.I.D. Associates

EAUTY may be in the eyes of the beholder. but it also is a mind set determined by the interaction of knowledge and intelligence.

Customer service is a similar mental image that generates a perception of satisfaction in a customer's mind. This reaction comes about when a seller develops a relationship with customers thatbrings a feeling of well being to the buyer before, during and after the sale. ln addition, the walls of the cafeterias in every Samsonite plant were emblazoned with each religion's version of this precept. The company lived and prospered with this philosophy of customer service and employee interaction.

For years sellers of goods and services have addressed this basic sales tool in a myriad of ways. Lumber yards, and today's home centers, have relied on "leaning stations" where contractors can go to be served. These have been our industry's traditional way of saying "we're here to service your needs."

Jesse Schwayder, one of four brothers who founded Samsonite, the luggage, card table and chair company, built an extraordinary customerservice program around the Golden Rule. Every executive and employee was given a marble wrapped with a metal band engraved with the words "Do unto others ." Executives were fined if they couldn'tproduce the marble whenasked to show it.

Today many retail centers in our industry have customer service desks located right at the front door to say "we care about you." However few have followed the example of the late Sam Walton. For all his discount image, his Walmart stores have a greeter to welcome the customer as he enters and offer both a cart and assistance in finding what he is looking for.

The classic retailer generally makes a position statement in support of his customer service policy. "We won't be undersold." "Satisfaction guaranteed." "We service what we sell." Etc., etc., etc. More important, he backs up his posture with support programs that meet or beat competitors, happily refunding money upon request.

The statements and supports are simple to set up, but not easy to implement. You don't develop a customer service force in your organization early one Tuesday morning and forget it. Once you start such a program, you must hone, refine, adjust, massage and work at it forevermore.

Story at a Glance

What customerservace is and how a retailer can best provide it... penalties of poor sen ice... guidelanesto make a tough job easier.

Statistics supporting the need for developing these happy vibes among customers are staggering. Studies show that only L rll'25 dissatisfied customers will take his troubles to the management for resolution; the other 24 mercly go elsewhere. With those who do seek redress, the retailer has only a 5O-7O% chance of retaining them as customers. The avenue to this success is most generally asking the customer whathe wants done and expeditiously implementing that request.

Customers who make the decision to go elsewhere usually tell at least 10 other persons of their dissatisfaction. This means thatforevery unhappy customer you make eleven enemies.

Use the accompanying "Customer's Bill of Righis" to evaluate where your service stands in relation to your customers. Somewhere within these rights lies a customer service position that you can launch or use to reinforce your necessary joining of hands with your customers to solve their problems.

G PECTALLY pricing commodity

Cl lumber at low margins is a common tactic among retailen to lure consumers into undertaking large projects, such as decks, fences and gazebos. hofits are padded by adding nails, connectots, tools, cement, stain and paint to the bill.

But the first step is shrewd lumber purchasing. "Timely buying is very important," says Dave Buf6, Mesa Forest Products, Costa Mesa, Ca. "You have to stay as close to the current market as you can. It's a constantly changing market. Today I wouldn't buy wood two months out yet two months ago I would have had a different story."

Retailer Bob Curtis, former president of the National Lumber & Building Material Dealers Association, has charted lumber prices from weekly newsletters for the last 40+ years, and definite, reliable pattems and cycles emerge. "You always buy when prices are at the bottom third (of the charts)," says Curtis. "It happens continuously, throughout the year. It depends on the species, like southern pine is notoriously low in September."

His company is large enough for him to take advantage of quantity discounts. Carloads offer the best price per unit, followed by truckloads and less than truckloads. Some wholesalers even offer lumber by the unit. Although wood can be stockpiled ("plywood or waferboard undercover will keep for two years," he says), turnover ofinven-