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Mom, Apple Pie and the Customer Experience
Author: Anne McLain
December 20, 2005
Actually, I don’t remember Mom ever making apple pie. She made cookies, brownies, and delicious coffee cakes. And she showed me how to do the same. Baking is just one of the great things she has taught me. Now that I’m much older and been on my own for quite a while, I have found that she still continues to teach – even if it’s in a less demonstrative way.
My mom is a very chatty person. I have rolled my eyes, in very daughterly fashion, as she has struck up conversations with her seatmates on planes, people who hold the door for her, and store clerks. In our shopping excursions lately, I’ve observed that she, in her own way, is creating a great customer experience by engaging with the salesperson. It’s often in a very conversational way. She might excuse her slowness as her 80-year-old fingers don’t work as quickly with her change purse as they used to. Sometimes she remarks on the busy-ness of the store. But whatever she says, she always gets a smile from the clerk, a laugh or two, even a meaningful conversation. I think it brightens their day and makes their work more worthwhile too.
So I tried a bit of this myself. I’m a friendly person but don’t always engage with the salesperson as I’m thinking of other things, want to get out and onto the next errand, etc. When I did put myself out there, it made a better experience for all. Well, sometimes it didn’t work. Those are employees who need more training on their frontline interactions! But most often, it did create a rapport that made the transaction a little more enjoyable.
I love my local Ace store! They are a bit more expensive than the big box home stores. But I always find what I need. The staff is great at the customer experience. I always hear a “hello” when I walk through the door. A friendly person always greets me as I walk down the aisle asking if they can help me find something. It’s so different than the cavernous big box stores where I have to hunt and traverse many aisles to find someone to help me. My Ace knows how to retain me as a customer – make my shopping experience easy, pleasant and with bag in hand.
Companies that prioritized the customer experience generate 60% higher profits than their competitors.* Ace claims they have reached their highest level of net income yet. With all the competition from the big guys, I think they are able to hold their own because of prioritizing the customer experience. No matter, it has created a loyal customer out of me. It’s these core values you learn from mom – and your local hardware store – that we all should use in creating gratifying experiences for our own customers.
*Source: Gartner Group
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