Scan This!

We're doing it backwards.

By Scott Lewis
Managing Director PR, Willard

That thought occurred to me as I was finishing a business lunch, during that awkward moment when the participants briefly battle for the check.  It doesn't really matter who invited whom, nor is age or gender important.  We grapple over caf? bills like wolves fighting to determine Alpha dominance.  Picking up the check has become a status thing. We've made paying for someone else's lunch a privilege to be coveted, which is strange, but not my point.

My luncheon companion opened her purse and pulled out a stack of plastic discount cards that must have been 50 centimeters thick.  She fanned through them until she found the appropriate card, and then presented it to the server.

Businesses have been offering discount cards in Ukraine for at least seven years. Restaurants blazed the trail, followed by supermarkets, pharmacies and other service-oriented firms. 

To customers, the cards represent a discount.  To issuers, the cards are a wonderful opportunity to build relationships.  They can be used to recognize frequent customers by name, and based upon previous visits, to anticipate their needs.

But their potential is not being fully realized.  We present the card at the end of our transaction, rather than at the beginning.  After reading Bernard Micallef's excellent piece on service (see page XX), it's easy to realize just how backward this is.

With the right software, the cards can collect a great deal of information on a customer - from his or her name to the date of the last visit, to buying preferences. A card can tell a restaurateur that a customer prefers a secluded table for two in a non-smoking area, and drinks only Borjomi, which allows the server to anticipate needs and provide better service.

Is it all a bit paternalistic?  Perhaps, but customers want to feel special and that they are valued.  And remember, the customer is still in the driver's seat.  He doesn't have to drink Borjomi, though it's nice that the server knows what is preferred.    

Card issuers should ask for the card up front, when a reservation is made or upon arrival, at the latest. That enables all involved to match the customer to his profile, ratchet up the level of service, build a really special relationship and, as Micallef notes, call the customer by name. 

Supermarkets operate on notoriously low margins, and arguably have the most to gain by building customer loyalty.  Yet they almost uniformly inculcate an overtly hostile atmosphere.  We meet three kinds of people in the market: promoters, security guards, and cashiers.  If I can't find the olives, the young woman promoting vodka won't be able to help much.  All I've ever been given by the radio-toting security guys is a shrug and a 'Not my job' attitude. And queuing up to ask a cashier is only sporadically helpful.

Why not trsansform the security men into customer assistance managers?  They can still watch for shoplifters, but they can also know where the olives are - even making the effort to walk the customer over to them.  Hire the right ones - outgoing, friendly people - and give them interesting work.  They'll be happier, and customers will love concierge-style service.

But back to the cards and the cashiers.  I actually feel sorry for supermarket cashiers, who sit for hours watching a parade of products pass by and making change. They rarely look a customer in the eye, smiles are rarer still, and I have never heard one use a customer's name.  Here again, the omnipresent discount cards hold the key to great service.  Why not scan the card before scanning the merchandise?  The customer's name appears on the cashier's computer screen, allowing her to offer a smile and a greeting:  "Good day, Elena.  Good to see you back at Hypermarket World."  Or, "Good morning, Andrey Viktorovych. Thanks for shopping here.  We hope to see you again soon."

The first reaction from customers will be to gasp in amazement.  We aren't used to more than a scowl and a request to provide exact change for our purchase.  But it won't take long before people start talking and returning for more.

Will it be impossible to retrain cashiers?  Some will not find it easy and will move on to other jobs.  For the majority, common courtesy is not that hard.