Missing a Trick - Using a Database to Improve Service

Kenny Harris is President of the Scottish Chapter of the Professional Speakers Association and my sponsor in the PSA. Reading one of his highly entertaining blogs (http://www.kennyharrisblog.blogspot.com/) about the ‘database trick’ pressed my Victor Meldrew button.

The ‘database trick’ is the use of a database to record information about people – guests, customers, whoever – and using it to ‘remember’ them when they come again or call you so that you can appear omniscient about them and make them feel special.  The point here is that it is not ‘cheating’. Well, it is really. But there is no need to pretend you really remembered them. It is still good customer service in that you bothered to do it at all.

Anyway, my ‘gromp’ (grumpy old man rant) on this topic is about buying items in certain (electrical) retail stores, in particular one (or two) I am going to call ‘Dixies’. They have to take your name and address every time you buy. I’ve lost count of the times I have lost my rag with the poor old assistant and lambasted him/her with my “haven’t you heard of databases” speech. “I’m an existing customer. Why don’t you know my address? Why don’t you know everything I’ve ever bought from you? Why don’t you know I give this bloody speech every time I come in to your stores and have security stop me at the door!?”

I spend a lot of time advising small businesses of ways that they can use the same methods and techniques that larger businesses use but spend millions on. Here’s one that a small business can do but a large respected national retailer seems unable. No doubt they have a reason. But they’ve lost me – in more ways than one. I’ve stopped buying there.

And yes, I’ve written and told them.