Deliver Heroic Customer Service

Deliver Heroic Customer Service

What Delivering Heroic Customer Service Means To Me

“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.” ~ Aristotle

My first job ever, was a shoe salesman at JcPenney at the age of 15. To many the first thought that comes to mind is, “Wow, a shoe salesman. How important could that job be?” Well, in my opinion, a job is as important as the emphasis we put on it. Not everyone's life is the same. We all come from different places and have different goals and want different things. Some people come from a wealthier background and some don’t. Others have different opportunities that allow them to fulfill their own important roles in society.  The truth is, importance is held only in our perception; each individual values what is important differently. 
I perceived my job to be both fun and important. I was paid minimum wage, plus 3% commission on everything I sold, so in my perception it was always fun because my performance reflected my paycheck and I was truly responsible for my own success. I believed my position was the most important in comparison to all other associates who worked on the sales floor because the rest just tended the cash register, while I was out on the floor helping customers face to face.  Every weekend felt like a rush since there was always a sale at JcPenney and at times it felt like I worked in a zoo.
What my job entailed was to retrieve the specific size shoe the customer requested, have them try it on, and then obviously, to close the sale. As we all know, not all brands fit the same, so many times I had to make several trips to the stock room because the customer may need a size bigger or smaller. To be good at the job and to provide great service entailed getting to know your customer. Who were you dealing with?  What were they looking for?  Casual comfort or special occasion?  
In my time,  I dealt with all types of customers. Men, for the most part, were the easiest.  They usually came in with a purpose and just wanted what they picked out and that was all. Women usually came in shopping aimlessly and tended to try on everything they liked, sometimes 5-10 pairs!  Patience as well as a genuine effort to understand the customer was essential to performing my job to the highest degree possible.
As I got better at my job, I created certain rules which I enacted in order to make the customer's experience more pleasant.  The formula I created was this. Prior to going into the stockroom to bring out what the customer requested, I would feel out the customer. I would ask what they were looking for, the color, their size.  I would show them the displays on the floor in order to get a better idea of what they truly liked and only then would I head to the stockroom to retrieve the make, model and size they requested.  I would also grab the same shoe in a different color and sizes as well and got in the habit of bringing out a couple of other pairs which I thought were similar to their interest.  If I  didn’t do this, then I would be left making several trips to the stock room, taking more time than needed on that one customer when I could be closing other sales. I also found that most customers don’t like us hovering over them. It's just not comfortable and makes them feel as though they have to chose right then and there instead of making their decision in a comfortable setting. 
Essentially, I evolved at my job and in turn made the customer's experience that much better.  In my experience, I found that almost all customers think alike and since I had dealt with thousands of customers, I came to develop a sort of 'sixth sense,' in regards to what they were likely thinking.  I also found that most customers don’t know what they want and thus asking questions prior to acting was essential in providing optimum customer experience. By following this method, I was able to serve 5-10 customers at the same time without sacrificing service.  To me, heroic customer service means not only doing your job as stated in the employee handbook, but creating your own way and tailoring the job you perform to suit each individual person you come in contact with.  
It was approximately 3 months after I began my job at JcPenney that I became the top shoe salesman in my department and about a year later the top shoe salesman in the district. I still remember to this day how the managers treated me much differently than other associates.   Everyone knew my name and whenever the GM had to show his superiors the store and how it functioned and operated, they would always bring them over to introduce me by saying, “This is Zaib, our top shoe salesman in the district.” It made me feel great because I was recognized and that I truly helped in the success of JcPenney. I didn’t do any of those things to get acknowledgment, I just did it because it felt good to be the best.  My customer reviews were almost always amazing. Many times I didn’t even know the affect I had on my customer. As I had stated before, most customers don’t know what they want. They look to us for guidance and it is up to us to deliver. They may not have a sense of style or they may be in a rush.  Every customer is different and it is up to us to feel them out so we can tend to their every need. When Jack Welch was asked in an interview, what advice he would give to recent college graduates that were just starting their careers, he simply stated, “To over deliver”. 
 I remember reading about Nordstrom and how once a customer tried to return tires, but Nordstrom didn’t sell tires and never had. The sales rep stated to the customer that they obviously couldn’t return the tires because they don’t sell tires and never had. Well, the owner of Nordstrom allowed the customer to return the tires with the receipt that the customer provided. He threw the tires in his car and returned them from where the customer had actually purchased them and almost broke even. Now that to me is heroic customer service. 
We may never know when we may be given the opportunity to serve our clients and the affect such simple acts may have upon them. I once read a story about a boy giving his valedictorian speech at his high school graduation about how he was bullied his freshman year so much so that he came to hate his life.  One day after school, he was walking home and some bullies knocked all of his books out of his hands. Another classmate who was walking by simply helped him pick up his books and walked home with him. They eventually became best friends. He stated that he was actually on his way home to kill himself that day and if it wasn’t for the boy who helped him pick up his books, who now happens to be his best friend, that he wouldn’t be living today. Point of the story is we don’t know how much of an effect a simple gesture can have on a person. If we all just did a little more for each other, this world we live in, as well as our own lives, would be so much better. 
My uncle once told me that the success of a company is in the sauce. What he meant by that is that it is each and every individual that works in the company, and I literarily mean every single individual, from the lowest position to those at the top, all have a part to play in making a good company great.  How we interact with one another, care for each other and work towards improving each other will define our own success as individuals, as well as our success collectively.  And I don’t just mean when we are at work. It's also when we are outside of work, with our families, our friends, our peers and even strangers. One thing I learned is champions aren’t born, but made. Therefore, it is a constant effort for us to do better and be better.   No single person wins a championship on their own, they do it as a team and with the help of each other.  By helping someone else succeed, we are also helping ourselves. We hold the golden key to our success and achievements and it is up to us to use it.   No one can do it for us.