Most people have had the experience of shopping at common retail stores, and being faced with customer service that did not meet the expectations. Many problems could arise, such as rude clerks, over-friendliness of staff, and messy stores. Yet, we often forget to consider the retail stores from the clerks’ points of view, and the problems that they may face in their workplace.
In her blog, Ritvika Sharma, presented some interesting viewpoints on the level of friendliness retail workers should possess. First, she has a valid point in stating that the attitude of the clerks are very important, as customers will connect the value of the business by their experience with the clerks, as most customers never meet any other employees or upper management.
Moreover, she states the possible problems that could arise from over-friendliness or under-friendliness. If a clerk is too friendly, it can come off as fake and excessive, but if he is not friendly enough, the customer will view the store as an unwelcoming place. Being just “friendly enough” will give the store many advantages, as it can build loyalty, increase referrals, and be known for the customer service. Yet, focusing too much on the friendly customer service could lead to lack of innovation, and increasing costs.
Yet, she overlooks the fact that landing right in the middle of these two extremes can be very challenging for clerks. Customers’ needs are always changing, which means “your customer-focused business needs to have the resources, such as financing, staffing and time, to constantly keep up with customer demands.” It is often difficult to figure out exactly what level of friendliness is needed, also because it is different for every customer. Some people value it when clerks come and try to help them, while some shoppers would prefer to be uninterrupted. It seems it would be near impossible for the clerks to figure it out at first glance, and they may come off as too friendly or too inattentive.
Further, it is hard to agree with the author’s viewpoint that culture decides the level of friendliness that is needed. As a Korean-Canadian, I have shopped in both Korea and Canada, and in other countries such as the US, Mexico, Ireland and China while travelling. I never noticed that the attitude of the clerks differ based on country, but more on the type of the store that you enter. If I enter a night market or a market place in Asia, I would expect the clerk to be more verbal and friendly, and to come and talk to me first. On the other hand, if I enter a retail store, wherever the country is, I would expect a short greeting and occasional “can I help you”s, but I would not expect someone to come and make a conversation with me. If I am at a department store, I would expect a friendlier but formal customer service. Through my experience, I had felt that the adequate level depends on the situation, rather than the country.