Released on: April 7, 2008, 10:16 am

Press Release Author: Gregory Smith

Industry: Human Resources

Press Release Summary: Good customer service is a quality which is shared by all
successful companies. This press release personal success stories as well as
examples of the most successful companies today.




Press Release Body: America\'s Favorite Retailers Have One Thing In Common - Great
Customer Service

One of the first jobs I held was with K-Mart. Back then K-mart was one of the top
retailers in the country. I was proud of the fact of all the people working at our
store, I generated more sales than any other person.

My success was based on one thing. I was good at announcing the \"Blue Light
Specials.\" Most people reading this probably won\'t know what a Blue Light Special
is, but when I made my announcements shoppers came running to my department with
money in their hand. That was a long time ago and things have really changed since
then. Now K-mart is at the bottom of the heap.

In May 2007, Quality Digest completed a customer satisfaction survey of the best and
worst retailers as ranked by consumers. Here are the results.

TOP 10

Wegmans
Trader Joe\'s
Nordstrum
Publix
Amazon.com
Kohl\'s
Whole Foods Market
Costco
Barnes and Noble
Bath and Body Works

BOTTOM 10

Dick\'s Sporting Goods
Sears
Best Buy
Albertson\'s
Big Lots
Circuit City
7-Eleven
Home Depot
K-Mart

In addition to ranking the best and worst retailers, the survey analyzed the primary
reasons shoppers choose one retailer over the other. As a business consultant who
specializes in hiring, service, and employee retention, I consider this as the most
important aspect of the survey.

Consumer trends and brands change rapidly. What is popular today becomes history
tomorrow. However, there are two factors that consistently build customer loyalty,
no matter what business you are in.

Which is more important--the price of the product, or the shopping experience?
Quality Digest asked people to choose between two factors that would cause them to
recommend a store to others. The first factor was \"value\" which equates to the
feeling they \"got their money\'s worth.\" The other factor was the \"shopping
experience\" which included a gamut of elements such as friendliness, helpfulness of
employees, checkout lines, cleanliness, and location of the product.

Front Line Employees Provide the Key to High Customer Satisfaction Scores

In the end, the number one reason people choose a retailer is the \"shopping
experience.\" The survey further showed the major contributor to the shopping
experience was \"employee helpfulness.\" Value and price are important, but in this
survey as well as others, the number one reason shoppers come back over and over
again is the shopping experience.

Hiring good employees and then training them on good customer service skills remains
the driving force of either creating a positive or negative experience.

Trader Joe\'s is a different kind of grocery store that provides both value and a
pleasing shopping experience. Coming in at #2 on the list, these stores are growing
rapidly in popularity. One interesting customer service technique one store uses is
the Trader Joe\'s Fearless Flyer. This unique marketing tool generated an additional
$40,000 of business during one weekend.



Greg Smith\'s cutting-edge keynotes, consulting, and training programs have helped
businesses reduce turnover, increase sales, hire better people and deliver better
customer service. As President of Chart Your Course International he has implemented
professional development programs for hundreds of organizations globally. He has
authored eight informative books including 401 Proven Ways to Retain Your Best
Employees. For more information, visit www.ChartCourse.com or call (770) 860-9464.




Greg

Gregory P. Smith, MS
President and Lead Navigator

-Keynotes
-Training
-Employee selection solutions

Author of -- 401 Proven Ways to Retain Your Best Employees


Web Site: http://www.chartcourse.com

Contact Details: Chart Your Course International
2814 Highway 212 SW
Conyers GA 30094
770-860-9464 Office
770-760-0581 Fax
greg@chartcourse.com