Subtle Customer Service

During the Christmas holidays, my daughter and I participated in a couple of craft shows. We both sew, and made a variety of handmade items for children and adults. Gift bags made out of sparkly organza Christmas fabrics were particularly popular, and I was feverishly sewing another batch before one of the shows. Sewing assembly-line, I had just completed stitching all the sides of the bags together when my sewing machine began hacking and screeching. It then ground to a halt. I still had to finish the top edge of the bags, and without a sewing machine I stood to lose an opportunity for a lot of sales.

Desperate, I called our local Bernina sewing center and was relieved that I could get a loaner while they tried to resuscitate my critically ill machine. When I arrived at the store, they made a quick assessment and found that the sewing machine would have to be admitted. I was welcome to the loaner, which only did a basic straight stitch, but they also had some lovely new sewing machines that just happened to be on special holiday discount.

The salesperson ushered me into the demo area where several brand new, sparkling sewing machines were ready to entice the next frantic sewer like myself. She put it through its paces, even demonstrating how the machine could actually thread itself. She answered all my questions honestly, even pointing out that the only difference between the least expensive machine and the next one up the line was a removable flat bed attachment and a couple more built in stitches (and $700!). I could buy the cheaper machine, and she would sell me the flat bed attachment and give me a 20% discount.

I spent about 20 minutes with her, and while I was tempted to the end of my resistance, I decided to take the one-stitch-wonder loaner sewing machine and finish my gift bags. She was gracious, told me that the machine sales prices were for the holidays only, and completed the paperwork for the loaner.

I didn’t spend any money on my trip, got a loaner machine without any hassle or paperwork, and was relieved of my stress knowing I could complete my task. Customer service isn’t just for people who are paying on the spot for goods or services. It is also building good will by offering services, where possible, to those who are in need and can be potential customers. When I am in the market for my next Bernina sewing machine, I’ll certainly go to Colonial Quilt first to check out what they have to offer. They could have taken advantage of my situation and charged a fee for the loaner, but they treated me as a long-time customer. First take care of the need, and then let people know what you have to offer and what their options are. You may not make a sale on the spot, but you will be laying the groundwork for the future.


Mary Nestor-Harper, SPHR, is a freelance writer, blogger, and workplace consultant. Based in Savannah, GA, her work has appeared in "Training" magazine, "Training & Development" magazine, "Supervision," "Pulse" and "The Savannah Morning News." You can read her blogs at www.skirt.com/savannahchick, www.workingsmartworks.blogspot.com/ and on the web at www.mjnhconsulting.com.