» Your Business
4. Own the floor and explore Know the inventory, especially the
higher-end products, and know where everything is located in the store. Associates are encouraged to open packages to try the products so they can speak from firsthand experience.
5. Always aim above and beyond Little things matter to customers.
Going beyond what is required can be as simple as carrying a large purchase to a customer’s car. “We get tons of compliments because lots of retailers don’t do this,” says Schack.
STARBUCKS Starbucks associates don’t typi-
cally deal with many customer com- plaints. But when you’re serving up to 7,000 customers a day in one location, there’s bound to be the occasional grumble about a drink that’s not quite right or a line-up that’s too slow. When this happens, Starbucks employees know immediately how to resolve the
situation: They use the LATTE meth- od, a simple acronym that makes it easy to convert an annoyed patron into a happy customer. • LISTEN to the customer’s prob-
lem or complaint. • ACKNOWLEDGE and
APOLOGIZE. If necessary, ask ques- tions to clarify the problem. • TAKE ACTION to correct the
situation with a refund, replacement or something free. • THANK the customer for bringing
the situation to your attention. • ENSURE the customer leaves satis-
fied and thinking positively about the interaction and the company. For ex- ample, ask how the replacement product tastes, or ask if the coffee is hot enough this time.
FITNESS EXPERT COMMENT: “Like Starbucks, every business and club should have a service philosophy and
management statement. A simple and memorable acronym is an excellent way to ingrain this information in every employee. When I work with new clients, I find out what their mission statement and service philosophies are and then walk around the club to see if employees can tell me what they are. “I tell clubs to never be afraid to apologize because a simple ‘I’m sorry’ imme-
diately de-escalates a customer’s anger. It can be a good idea to say it even when you’re not at fault. In the past, I worked for a large American group of clubs that forbid us to say ‘I’m sorry’ for fear of being sued. I believe it is a short sighted ap- proach that fails in the long run, as did that company.”
Alanna Turco, partner at 360impact Group
Constantly Inspect What You Expect
Kitchen Stuff Plus hires a secret-shopper company to visit all of its stores every two to three months to assess the quality of its customer service. The external company provides a non-biased snapshot of how each location is doing. Each store gets a report and a percentage grade for a variety of categories that the location works to improve each time. While many large fitness clubs and chains work with secret shoppers,
cost can be an issue for a small operation. In this case, consider hiring one or two trusted and service-oriented friends to visit your club on sev- eral occasions and to make observations in several specific categories. Ask your secret shopper to assess your club in person, by phone and via email. Use all findings as an opportunity to improve service and training,
strengthen supervision, revise policies and to provide an overall snap- shot of your business. Secret shoppers should report back without nam- ing names to avoid highlighting the shortcomings of individual staff members.
One of the most memorable quotes attributed to Howard Schultz, founder and CEO of Starbucks is, “We’re not in the coffee business serving people, we’re in the people business serving coffee.”
28 Fitness Business Canada May/June 2016 Good Reading These bestselling books offer custom-
er service tips, strategies and insights into what makes some of the world’s leading brands so successful. • How Google Works, by Eric Schmidt
and Jonathan Rosenberg • Fewer, Bigger, Bolder, by Sanjay Khosla
and Mohanbir Sawhney • Insanely Simple: The Obsession that
Drives Apple’s Success, by Ken Segall And for something a little different: • Onward: How Starbucks Fought for
Its Life without Losing Its Soul, by Howard Schultz and Joanne Gordon • The Mystery of the Invisible Hand, by
Marshall Jevons (AKA University of Virginia economics professor Kenneth Elzinga), a series of well-written economics lessons combined with a mystery
Barb Gormley is the senior editor of Fitness Business Canada, a freelance writer and editor, and a certified personal trainer. Contact her at
www.barbgormley.com.
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40