Kat chats about how she bought a coat she’d seen in a magazine from the comfort of her own home; and no, it wasn’t online, over the telephone with a credit card or contactless via her mobile! It came about through a commitment to stunning customer service, with a simple question and a little bit of serendipity.
I was flicking through a glossy magazine featuring lots of expensive furniture and gadget ideas, home décor articles, clothing adverts, and all the usual stuff you’d expect to find in a glossy magazine. Then I came across a full-page picture of a lady in a gorgeous coat, along with just the name of the retailer and an address and telephone number. The shop was located in Northampton, about 20-odd miles from me. I decided to give the number a call to firstly find out the price of the item and secondly to see whether the shop stocked my size, as it would’ve been an expensive and wasted trip for me had either of those been out of my range!
The lady I spoke to was delighted that I’d called after seeing her full-page advert… always good to know all that money spent on marketing is earning its keep! She told me she did indeed have my size, although that particular line came up quite small so it would be worth trying on the next size up too. She also asked me where I was located. When I told her I lived in Market Harborough she was very pleased to tell me that she could save me a trip to Northampton, as her mother lived in Market Harborough too. So she offered to pop by my house when she came over, bring a couple of the coats, along with another two of the other colour they were available in, so I could try them on at home?
Well, of course, I invited her over and gave her a cup of tea while I tried on the coats. I bought the one I liked while she waited and everyone was happy.
Sometimes it’s the little things that make all the difference. It wasn’t a problem for the sales assistant to visit me since she was coming to my town anyway to see her mother. For me, it was a nice gesture which saved me time and money, and the result was that we both were more than satisfied. What’s more, it all came from just asking a simple question and truly listening to the answer. This allowed her to provide stunning customer service which was ‘over and above the call of duty’. Easy!
