Big Picture - September 2018 - 2

insight

Happy Customer

he customer is always right" is an understatement in 2018.

Snapchat's stock lost $1.3 billion when Kylie Jenner tweeted her disdain of the
app's new redesign.
A restaurant can close their doors forever after a negative Yelp comment.
And after reading a few unsavory guest reviews on Airbnb, I'm on to the next
house, even if it's at a greater cost.
According to Walker's "Customers 2020: A Progress Report," "Customer experience will overtake
price and product as the key brand differentiator by the year 2020."
My most recent customer experience happened at the mall. (Who says brick-and-mortar retail is
dead?) I was in Nordstrom hoping someone could adjust my recently purchased, but ever so crooked
Ray-Ban sunglasses. Unfortunately, they didn't have the proper equipment, solution, or friendly employee
to fi x my problem. Slightly defeated (and a bit taken aback by the brashness of the salesperson), I perused
the shopping center looking for help.
I spotted LensCrafters and hesitantly walked in, expecting a "service for customers only" sign to greet
me. To my delight, Linda, the helpful sales associate on duty, was more than happy to not only straighten
my shades, but also suggest she tighten the prescription glasses I was wearing. She took her time, she asked
me questions about the fit, and we bonded over the amount of makeup hiding between my lenses (not a
proud moment, actually). As she handed me back my glasses, I inquired on price. "No charge," she said.
Amazing customer service in a business I had no purchasing affi liation with, plus two pairs of
practically new glasses, all for free.
"But," she continued, "if your lenses break, here's my card. If you go through the dealer, it'll cost you
$200. If you go through Luxottica, you'll pay $35."
Add on "a reason to come back" to the earlier equation. And a quick trip to my social media accounts
to share the pleasant experience.
Of course, Linda had plenty of buying customers that day to keep her shop afloat - we can't give
everything away for free. But what services can we offer at no cost, with a smile on our face that will
leave them coming back for more with $$$ and a rave review? And how can we ensure that our paying
customers leave our shop with that same warm and fuzzy feeling?
PSPs may spend their days outputting wide-format graphics, but our industry is fueled by people as
much as by print. Happy, loyal customers with stellar customer experiences are more valuable than even
the most glowing Yelp review. Be the customer service experience you wish to see in the world.

EDITORIAL
Adrienne Palmer
Editor-in-Chief
adrienne.palmer@stmediagroup.com
Kelsey Johnson
Associate Editor
kelsey.johnson@stmediagroup.com
Anya Rao
Associate Editor
anya.rao@stmediagroup.com
Kathleen DeZarn
Art Director
kathy.dezarn@stmediagroup.com
Marty McGhie, Craig Miller,
Rachel Nunziata, Sino Tour
Columnists
Brian Adam, Ryan Clark, Terry Corman,
Scott Crosby, Michelle Gobert,
Kirk Green, Diana Herrera, Brian Hite,
Hayes Holzhauer, Kerry King,
Robert Kissel, Stan Lucas, Craig Miller,
Nicole Piach, Carmen Rad,
Gary Schellerer, Elaine Scrima,
Jon Sherman, Reed Silberman,
James Swanson, Mark Taylor
Editorial Advisory Board
SALES
Murray Kasmenn
Senior VP/Group Publisher
770/578-2577
murray.kasmenn@stmediagroup.com
Lou Arneberg
Senior Market Strategist
East and Midwest US, E Canada
800/654-5169
lou.arneberg@stmediagroup.com
Jim Karwowski
Senior Market Strategist
West and South US, W Canada, Europe, Asia
630/474-4038
jim.karwowski@stmediagroup.com
Karen Jones
Senior Market Strategist
GA, NC, SC, Classiﬁeds
843/697-3802
karen.jones@stmediagroup.com
Linda Volz
Production Supervisor
linda.volz@stmediagroup.com

Tedd Swormstedt
President

September 2018
BIG PICTURE
2

bigpicture.net

Steve Duccilli
Senior VP of Content
Christine Baloga
Audience Development Director

BY ADRIENNE PALMER

Michael Pence
Director of Technology

Editor-in-Chief

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Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Big Picture - September 2018