CE Pro September 2021 - 86

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TIPS | EDUCATION & EVENTS | DISTRIBUTION
Which Kind of
Experience Does
Your Company
Give Customers?
A common bond to elevate the sales
process from all employees will
also leave the best impression on
how potential clients perceive your
integration brand. By Pete Baker
" WE ALL WORK for sales. " I
was recently alerted to this
business mantra. A friend
recounted how he would
tell his staff, " You don't work
for accounting, for media
relations or tech support -
every one of us works for
sales. "
This is more than just a
catchy phrase; it's a mindset
for success in today's market.
One way to instill it is to
make sure every member of
your team is approaching
their work like they are the
person responsible for delivering
an exceptional customer
(pre and post) " sales " experience.
A couple of contrasting
experiences I've had as a
customer recently illustrate
how employee interaction
can play a huge role in how a
company is perceived.
A Tale of Two Customer
Experiences
The first centered around
upgrading my tablet to a
86 | CE Pro September 2021
newer version; I wanted to
understand what the differences
were, and whether it
was worth the cost.
I went to the brand's store
at the local mall. After standing
in line for 15 minutes, I
approached the front and
mentioned I was interested
in a new tablet. I was asked
several questions about the
specific model and after answering
them, the attendant
asked if I had an appointment.
In fact, I'm told that I
would need an appointment
to speak with anyone, or to
purchase the tablet.
This seemed very odd, especially
since I noticed many
employees, unincumbered
with other customers, who
likely could have answered
some questions. Instead, I
was turned away and told I
could order the device online,
which didn't help with
the questions that remained
about the new model. They
lost an opportunity to
The difference between good and poor customer experiences
can be bridged when all of your employees know they can
pitch in no matter their department.
make a sale, and help a loyal
customer, all because I didn't
have an appointment.
Regardless, I left the store
and jumped on my phone
to schedule an appointment
at the next closest store
- about 30 minutes away.
At the second store, I went
through a similar experience
waiting in line and answering
the same series of questions.
After another 20 minutes,
I approached an employee
and asked if they were familiar
with the features of the
newest tablet. The worker
replied that they were " not
really familiar with it. "
I pointed to another group
of employees chatting with
each other and asked if they
could answer my questions,
and was given reasons why it
was not part of their respective
job responsibilities.
After this exchange, I was
asked (again) by this employee
about my appointment
status and contact info.
Once verified that I had an
appointment, I was told to
" go stand over by the tablets
and wait for someone to find
you. " I did and was eventually
approached to discuss
the tablets, only to find out
there were none in stock ...
and it would be best for me
to order it online.
A week or so later, I
wanted to exchange some
pants for a different size.
Upon arrival at the store,
I was greeted by two employees
asking if I needed
any help. I told them why
I was there and inquired
about options. The employees
were more than happy
to assist me. In fact, as one
employee was processing
the refund, the other was
searching online for the size
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CE Pro September 2021

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