A Customer Service and Empowerment Solution to Replicate

Unfortunately, during a retail experience or customer service exchange, you may have heard some, or all, of these statements before:

• I'm sorry, we don't have that.
• We can't do that.
• It's not our policy.

In other words, NO! More than likely, if you received this response and you couldn't resolve the situation or locate what you were searching for on your own, you probably left that shopping experience unfulfilled. You may have found another retailer to shop with that was customer-oriented — in a word, helpful.
Customer service-focused companies pay attention to the needs of their customers. Such companies are amazing. They empower their employees to avoid such negative phrases. They hire the right people, train them properly, and motivate and praise them when they come up with solutions to their customers’ needs and problems. In other words, they empower their employees to come up with solutions where they can say, "Yes!"

Ace Hardware is a perfect example of this. (The company is the role model for my upcoming book, "Amaze Every Customer Every Time.") One of the tactics many Ace stores have adopted is a concept called One to Say Yes and Two to Say No. The concept is simple: At Ace, a single associate can't just say "No" without considering all options. Furthermore, it takes two people to say "No" to the customer. In other words, relaying a "No" requires the approval of a manager.

Here's an example of this concept in action: a shopper wanted a Toro lawnmower that Ace didn't stock. While the store carried Toro lawnmowers, it didn't carry the specific model the consumer wanted. It would have been easy for the store associate to tell the shopper that the store didn't carry that model, sending him down the street to a competitor. However, that's not what happened.

Once the associate realized the store didn't stock the model that the shopper requested, he called the store's Toro representative and asked if it could ship that model to the store. It was that simple. A few days later, the customer had the lawnmower he wanted.

Here's another very important point to that story: The associate didn't have to get his manager's approval. He was empowered to say "Yes" to the customer. He was given permission to find a solution. What's even more interesting is that the associate is required to get the manager's approval to say "No." That's the opposite of what most companies do.

The idea of empowering employees to say yes to customers seems natural. With this strategy, employees are trained to come up with solutions that are customer-focused. The idea of having to go to a manager for approval to say "No" to a customer is what empowers the employee to come up with a "Yes" solution.

There are other companies that have embraced this approach, however, it's not the norm. The best customer-centric companies are focused on the customer and not a policy. Employees are given the latitude to stay within broader boundaries vs. having to walk a narrow line. Companies that do so will enjoy happy customers, happy employees and more success.

Shep Hyken is the chief amazement officer at Shepard Presentations. As a customer service expert, he helps companies build loyal relationships with their customers and employees. For more information about his upcoming book, "Amaze Every Customer Every Time: 52 Tools for Delivering the Most Amazing Customer Service on the Planet," go to www.AmazeEveryCustomer.com. Shep can be followed on Twitter @Hyken.