The Pet Castle offers the absolute best in customer service. Aside from care of the animals, it is our number one priority. More than anything else, customer service is what keeps a business open. But what, exactly, is customer service?
For us, it starts with a genuine desire to make our customers happy. In order to do that, our employees must be happy with the work they do. Because of this, we strive to hire employees who love animals and people, and who understand that a good business relationship is more like a good friendship than just business. That is why so many customers here are also great friends.
One thing that has always gotten under my skin is when I visit a business and ask how things are, the cashier/salesman/etc. has a dour demeanor and answers something like “Well, I’m here” or “Can’t wait til Friday.” This tells me that they are unhappy with their job and that I won’t be getting the absolute best customer service.
But, customer service is more than just being friendly. While that is nice, to provide the best in customer service, a business also has to be willing to provide the product, information and knowledge to serve our customers. This is where we really shine. If we don’t have a certain product, instead of just shrugging our shoulders, we do our best to get that product in. This can be very difficult for a small business, since not all products are easily obtainable in the small quantities that we sell. But, we always do our best to get that product.
If we are unable to get that exact product, we do our best to find an equal or better product. This is where product knowledge comes in handy, and, while we don’t know everything, we do our best to educate our staff and ourselves on as many products as we can. This isn’t always as hard as it sounds, since all of us are animal lovers and are familiar with the products we use.
Customer service is a lot of things, it is friendliness, of course. But it is also the ability and desire to provide the customer with the service and product that they need. It is also the willingness to educate and inform the customer of a product they are considering. Most importantly, it is the honest desire of the business and it’s employees to provide this customer service because they WANT to, not just because they have to.
Customer service isn’t dead, but it is on the endangered species list. The best way to ensure it’s survival is to demand it wherever you go, and if any business is unwilling or unable to provide the best in customer service, use your dollars to vote them out.
Richard.
