One of the things we found in a recent study was that customer experience was directly related to customer service, good and bad — and I believe goodwill is involved in that connection as well. The challenge is, customer service today is much more than a smile and going that extra mile in person; it’s fast delivery, good returns, a person on the phone — it could even be the best AI. It’s a whole new HR book. Emotions are built from experience but, in retail, experience means service. And in retail 2030, service is a whole new, complex science that only a few have really managed to master.

I like Chris’ distillation down to “goodwill.” I wish more brand marketers and retailers thought this way instead of hammering on irrelevant net promoter scores. NPS scores seem to address feelings when in fact they assume customers will always take an additional action (make a recommendation) after having a positive experience. You can’t go wrong if you focus on “the feels.”

Some of my thoughts on customer service: Don’t let it be the first thing you cut in stores to lower labor costs. Get more productive in the inventory management space, first. Lead by example, as the store management team. Be genuine in how you offer assistance to shoppers. Make them feel like you would like to feel. Be compassionate when things aren’t going well in the store. This genuine compassion will typically translate to goodwill and will create a lasting good impression and ultimately drive true loyalty. Keep it simple.

This is a key topic at Store Operations Council meetings. Participants talk about how important it is for store associates to greet customers, smile at them, and ask how they can help. Look at Walmart’s removing Scan and Go — customers will choose interaction with a person over a machine.

Yes, we all want to feel good after our experience with the person assisting us. The Atlanta airport experience clearly describes the effort put in to making the new arrivals feel wanted and respected. That should not be that difficult. The problem is getting the right people in the right positions who want to make the customer/visitor feel wanted. They have to assume ownership. That is one of the biggest problems: getting the employee empowered to take ownership. I reflect back to the “greeters,” and I use that term loosely, at the big box retailers. There is so much more that they could do to make us feel wanted. But they stand there really doing nothing more than looking at you and the bag you might be bringing in. That brings us to hiring the right people, training them appropriately and paying a salary that makes them want to be a part of your team. Here is where it falls apart. And on all three points. We are not hiring the right people. We are… Read more »

There is no doubt that making people feel good when they are at your store is positive for business and that human connection is something the Internet cannot compete with, which gives retailers the opportunity to build a really strong connection with their customer base. Some online retailers are already opening shops to enable them to connect to their customers. Getting the right and best people on the shop floor when the most customers are in the store is very important. Companies like Storeforce have created value-added solutions that do not just schedule people but monitor people’s performance and ensure that you schedule the very best people on the shop floor at the busiest times. They also have programs to drive good customer-centric behavior to ensure that all store staff are focused on customer service. Staff members are one of our most important assets so let’s use them wisely and not just expect that they will all perform the same, there are great customer service employees and some not so good so get the right… Read more »

Goodwill is about treating customers fairly and as human beings. It is saying sorry when you mess up. It is correcting errors quickly. It is having the flexibility to go beyond the systems and rules when needed. It is, in essence, making customers feel good and have goodwill towards the brand.

The U.K. retailer John Lewis has an accounting and register code 904. This goes to a department called Goodwill. It is used to do things like give questionable refunds, give customers who have been inconvenienced vouchers or gifts like flowers or chocolate, refund parking or travel where a customer has had to come back to the store because of a company error, and so forth.

The view has always been that this is not a cost. It is a marketing expense that helps people to feel good about the brand. And by and large, it works!

Authenticity is a great way to show goodwill in the shopping experience which stems from the three Cs of an engaging culture; caring, civility and curated products/services. Interactions with customers should demonstrate the brand genuinely cares about them and their needs. Civility towards all shoppers build an atmosphere of openness and goodwill. When brands curate product and service, they are demonstrating to the customers they care about their time and understand their needs. A great example of this is a recent visit to STORY in New York, where the store met all of these criteria. I left store filled with “goodwill” and continue to reflect on my experience two weeks later.

Delivering exceptional experiences and engendering goodwill is not complicated, but it is HARD. The larger the organization, the harder it gets. Patrick Lencione’s brilliant series of books, summarized in his latest, “The Advantage” lays it out clearly and simply. Organizational health is necessary to drive service and goodwill for employees, customers and stakeholders. Unfortunately, we complicate the simplicity of engendering real human experiences by allowing the reality of financial requirements to be the driver rather than the outcome of organizational health. It starts with the CEO and their demonstrated priorities, and then accountability of the entire team to live to the values of employee and customer-centric prioritization.

I love hearing about the Atlanta airport experience, which proves that even in the most challenging environments a leader and an engaged workforce can produce experiential excellence.

It is incredibly challenging to operate a retail store. I don’t think that focusing on creating goodwill, or better yet, having a focus on outstanding customer relationships, is high on the priority lists of most retailers, but it certainly should be! Every retailer admits they want that performance, but from associate training standards, most retailers do not conduct ongoing training and discussions on these issues. Everyone has to remember that each associate has their own definition of what “being nice” is. I’m all in favor of being yourself, but perhaps defining “nice” could start with how they greet a friend that comes to their front door, and then turning that concept into use for customers. That certainly can change the emotional state of any customer who does come into the store. And that’s the beginning of creating positive perceptions. The amazing impact of this is, it changes the associate. And when that change occurs, it tends to improve the associates perception of how they can create a better environment of “nice.” But it doesn’t”t work… Read more »

Everyone wants to feel welcome. If a consumer is going to make a trip to a store, they want to know they are wanted and welcome. I will never forget my PIRCH experience. You walk into their store and immediately offered a latte or other drink and they ask if you’d like them to show you around the store. Sales associates know that more than 90 percent of the guests in their store will not be making a purchase that day. As with many big ticket items, you want to shop the features and see what is out there first. You want to dream. So the PIRCH store is set up for dreamers. Sales associates show you features and help you think about how you would like to live. How cool is that? And that’s my 2 cents.

Faux goodwill is a turn-off no matter the size of the organization. We all know fake sincerity, we can feel it a mile away. A direct barometer of how leadership treats their employees? Possibly. In either case, smile or no smile, knowledgeable employees who care and connect create great customer experiences.

Spot on Chris. There are some retail establishments you do feel more positive walking into — whether that’s Apple, Whole Foods (well … we’ll see how long that lasts), Suitsupply, etc. I think it’s quite clear that this is a top-down approach driven and demonstrated daily by leadership at every level and function.

Providing goodwill begins with the employees you select to employ. Service as a differentiator is dead; it’s a cost of business.

Personally, I like the term goodwill; it’s more personal to your colleagues.