True Essence
I was at Essence restocking my collection of essential oils. I had brought back five empty bottles and wanted to know if they still honored a discount off the next purchase with returns.
The salesperson was alone in the store. She didn’t know the answer to my question so I asked her to call another store to confirm if I could get a discount on my purchase because I was returning bottles. She was happy to oblige. As it turns out, I did get the anticipated 10% discount. When it costs $27 for a 5-ml bottle of camomile oil, that $2.70 discount is welcomed.
While ringing in my transaction, the phone rang. I was asked if I could hold on for a moment while she took the call. During the call, the person was told the employee was the only one in the store at this moment and asked if she could take down the person’s phone number and call them right back.
I was impressed with her ability to treat me and the person on the phone as important customers without compromising either relationship. As a result of her clear communication and respect, she met all expectations of regular and reliable customer service.
Are you and your team doing a good job of managing customer expectations?
If not, you may want to read “Exceptional Service, Exceptional Profit” by Leonardo Inghilleri and Micah Solomon.