What do customers want? They would like to know that somebody in the company is thinking, and thinking of them.” The example of grocery stores creating preferred treatment for the wrong customer with express line checkout followed.

Reader Terri Thal asked; “I’m curious about what you would do with the supermarket conundrum of express lines for customers with few purchases and longer lines for customers with a lot of purchases?” Great question. What would you do?

The Hudson Valley is filled with bright people who are innovative and solution oriented. Is there a business problem when, inadvertently, the supermarket industry treats it’s better customers less well than the “few item shopper?”

Consider the airline industry as well. Does it really make sense to charge your best customers, business travelers, three to four times more than the occasional traveler who books 30 days in advance. What are the solutions as Terri Thal asked, to these and other “conundrums?” Let me know your thoughts.

Think outside the box. Are supermarkets competing with convenient stores? Are they trying to be all things to all people? If they did away with “express” would that free more cashiers to take better care of there best customers? Could that give them a competitive advantage? What are your thoughts?

Research study found that customers divide companies into three levels of service. Level one is accommodation. It means meeting a customer’s expectations, which implies that you know them beforehand. That’s why L.L. Bean will replace items, even if the customer returns them years after the purchase.

The next level represents a more intimate interaction, in which the consumer is educated with information about the product or service. That implies that you have staff who can speak intelligently about your wares. It leads customers to prefer your business.

At the highest level, there must be customized service. That may mean tailoring products and services, actually customizing what you offer to fit the specific needs of each customer and to seal that bond of intimacy.

Superquinn is a chain of grocery stores in Ireland that is obsessively concerned with its customers. They provide scissors beside the broccoli so customers can trim off the heavy stalks that they would otherwise throw away when they got home. Perishables are delivered twice a day to ensure freshness.

Fish and meats are cut to order. The store stocks special items for customers, even items that are normally only carried by a competitor, to eliminate the need for customers to make special trips for one or two items. Superquinn’s customers wouldn’t dream of shopping anyplace else.

Are you willing to truly customize your product or service offerings to meet the needs of an individual customer? Wal-Mart doesn’t. Like L.L. Bean they offer an “accommodation” service level of business. If you’re differentiating on service, are your customers educated or informed when they do business with you?

Successful Hudson Valley Organizations will decide what level of service they wish to offer, average, good, or superior and by relentless thinking about your customer will show them that your business genuinely cares.

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