Yes, actually. The customer IS always right.

Can someone please tell me what happened to good customer service? You know, where you are greeted shortly after you come in. Where sales associates are available but not hovering. Friendly, knowledgeable and helpful without a hardcore sales pitch. Where you are made to feel welcome rather then an intrusion on their day.

I miss that.

There are places here in Swift that have AMAZING customer service. Earlier this week I was shopping for new eyeglasses. This is a chore I avoid for years at a time. Eye glasses are so much a part of your face that unless you are blessed enough to be able to afford several pairs you can change depending on mood, finding the perfect set is imperative. In my search I visited several options and was treated really well at all of them. But I need to do a shout out to Optical Image (you can find them on facebook under ‘Oi’ ). I was blown away by fantastic, AMAZING, yes I want to buy here customer service.

Their mission statement is right on their facebook page.

Our Mission Is:
To make every encounter at Optical Image an experience.
To create excitement and fun over a unique selection of eyewear.
And to provide customers with more than they pay for

I love it! Their MISSION is excellent customer service. And it’s not just on paper, the people there really do make that a priority. I was greeted when I walked in. Left alone to browse for a bit while the sales associates were helping others but with little check in’s along the way. They seemed to know exactly when I was ready to stop browsing and get serious and there someone was. They gave me honest input on my choices and made other suggestions as well. And not as an ‘upsell’ either. Suggested frames ran the whole gambit of pricing as they helped me narrow down and finally find just what I was looking for.

When you are in retail, this is who you need to be. This is who we try to be here at Unforgettable. Helping a person find their ‘Unforgettable Style’ is a careful balance between staying in a shoppers comfort zone while guiding them toward that look that will really make them feel beautiful. And just as importantly, we believe in taking the time to go the extra mile for every single customer. It’s the very foundation of what we do here.

Today we had a grad gown color issue that could have gone very badly if handled differently. The supplier made a mistake. A mistake that they could not fix beyond offering a credit on the return.  Many stores could have simply said “the gown is wrong, here is a refund, so sorry.”  And been genuinely sorry and not in the wrong to do that. The issue? A grad ends up left without a gown with 6 weeks to the big event. This is where true customer service needs to step in and say “Let’s fix this.” We found a comparable gown, in the right color, for a good price from a supplier who could get it here quickly.  We contacted the grad as soon as we had confirmation and called when it arrived. Today they were in and left the store happy.

Mistakes happen. No company or person is perfect and sometimes the wrong color or size will show up no matter how many times numbers are checked and double checked. What makes the difference between good customer service and AMAZING customer service is what happens after that. I would really like to think that our customers will be as happy and impressed with our store as I was with Optical Image this week.

Have you ever had an AMAZING customer service experience? I want to hear about it! What made it so fantastic?