Business - Dave Gallagher

POSTED: Monday, Apr. 27, 2009

Need a business edge? Give customers a great experience

A company may get some mileage out of being locally owned, but it won't be successful if it doesn't deliver a great experience for its customers.

That's one of several insightful messages Paul Saginaw had for attendees of his workshop during The Future of Business Conference, held April 17 at Whatcom Community College and put on by Sustainable Connections.

Saginaw is a co-founder of Zingerman's Community of Business. It started out as an idea to make great sandwiches in Ann Arbor, Mich., so they founded Zingerman's Delicatessen. The group of family businesses has grown over the years to include a variety of related companies, including catering, coffee, creamery and mail order.

When it was just one business, Saginaw knew that just about anyone can make a decent sandwich. What he and his business partner wanted to do was sell a unique experience to go with the best sandwich they could make.

"I felt our job was to convince people that the reason we got up in the morning, turn on the lights and open the door was to give them an amazing experience," Saginaw said. "Great customer service is what gives you the edge. It's not enough to be a local business. That might bring people to the door, but you have to deliver something unique."

Saginaw knows he needs to focus on treating customers well; the challenge is making sure all of his employees are on board with this idea. He puts his new employees through a training course that's beyond learning how to use the cash register or making a sandwich. Employees who don't normally interact with the public also receive customer service training.

At the end of training, employees have to read and sign the mission statement, which includes the phrases "Giving service that makes you smile" and "to enrich as many lives as we possibly can."

"We want to send a clear message to employees - you are allowed to make a mistake, but if you're rude, you're gone," Saginaw said.

Saginaw believes that in order for this to work, he and others in management have to establish trust with the employees - assuring them that they should be treated the same from their boss as they treat customers. He said it's also important to make sure they know the principles will stay the same, no matter what's happening in sales.

"If you change your principles because of the economy, then they aren't really principles," Saginaw said.

The attendees - many of them were business owners - had a plenty of questions for Saginaw. One topic was about enthusiasm - should employees fake it if they don't feel all that cheery?

He suggested retail is a bit like theater - the people on stage during a show may or may not be happy at the moment, but if they need to smile, they will because the audience is paying for the experience. It's the same for retail. Plus, fake enthusiasm tends to turn into real enthusiasm as you interact with customers and get positive feedback, he said.

The other topic that generated several questions from the audience was dealing with mean and rude customers who never seem to be satisfied. While Saginaw doesn't tolerate abusive customers, he does take it as a challenge to try and do something to make them smile. While these customers tend to be always grumpy, they are also loyal, spending money each week just like the nice people.

While good customer service seems like a basic rule to follow for a business, unfortunately sometimes it feels like a unique experience to many people. Businesses that can get their employees to do even the little things - acknowledging a customer with a smile, taking care of what the customer needs and promptly fixing mistakes that take place - will give a company an edge. In today's economy, that will make a big difference.