Here’s a little chat to share with you some of my thinking behind The Kerrie Phipps Retail Experiment which I introduced to you in my previous blog.
Cheering you on
Kerrie
The Kerrie Phipps Retail Experiment
April 20, 2012 By Leave a Comment
The Retail Experiment.
Why step out of my ‘entrepreneurial bliss’ and walk in someone else’s shoes? Am I crazy?!
The Kerrie Phipps Retail Experiment
You might see me one day in the next few months behind a shop counter and wonder if I am. (Maybe my crazy pursuit of learning, stretching myself and getting out of my comfort zone is a little weird, but there’s something buzzy about it)
Sales and Customer Service is an issue that affects all of us – as consumers, employees or business owners – in any industry. As I deliver all kinds of workshops, my favourite being on customer service and leadership, I decided it was time to expand my thinking and experiences in the retail sector (this may mean more shopping too 
). I want to enrich my workshops on the above topics, along with team dynamics, which is also oh-so-relevant. I also coach individuals in these areas, and it’s an opportunity “to walk a mile in their shoes”.
So I’m stepping out of my entrepreneurial bliss and complete flexibility to be part of a retail team for a few hours a week. Of course I had to choose somewhere that would not only give me customer service experiences, but a creative outlet also.
I needed somewhere that has well developed systems and a successful history, so that I can just be there as a customer service/sales assistant and not need to coach the business owner, so I’ve chosen a chain store with great fashion products. So for those few hours a week that I’m in there as a humble employee, I’ll just be doing my best to serve the customers, the business and my fellow team members. Of course once I get home I can reflect on the whole experience and write about insights I had in-store – and hope that these insights are useful to my community.
And the insights keep coming… insights about customers, about the way the brain works, about how to shift someone’s focus to give them a positive experience… and insights about my own learning (biggest stretch thus far is their computer system! I keep touching the screen, not the keyboard, iPad user that I am!) but insights will unravel in future writings – just wanted to keep you in the loop about the start of The Kerrie Phipps Retail Experiment.
Off to the shops now to update the ‘smart casual’ wardrobe for above experiment…
Cheering you on,
Kerrie
PS. If you’d like to see a previous rave about Customer Service (in a fabulous cafe not far from home) see http://kerriephipps.com/2012/01/the-hub-bathurst/
Interview with Mark Crutcher – Customer Service
June 11, 2011 By Leave a Comment
Mark Crutcher On Customer Service from Kerrie Phipps on Vimeo.
Kerrie Phipps interviews Mark Crutcher of IGA (Independent Grocers of Australia) about great customer service.
Mark also shares his thoughts no being in Lifting The Lid On Quiet Achievers.
This is part of the Kerrie Connects with Inspiring Entrepreneurs series.
A little rant…
November 24, 2010 By Leave a Comment
Permit me a little rant today. If that doesn’t appeal, go back and check out my 100 Days of Gratitude, but if you stick around, you’ll see that my little rant comes from the same heart for people and valuing people as my other blogs.
I was ironing my shirt today, a new one that’s a designer label that I picked up on sale in Myer recently. It looks great with the skirt I bought, but my issue is with the quality and the way the garment is made. It’s like a lot of “fashionable” pieces at the moment – they’ve been around a few years actually – unfinished edges, where the fabric is just cut and left unfinished.
When I did sewing at school, everything was hemmed and finished neatly. Now things are “supposed to fray.”
It really looks like the people making the garment don’t care! Like they don’t care about the quality of their work, or the people who will be wearing it.
There’s a “don’t care” attitude that permeates our society, that’s not just “don’t care what other people think” which has merit, but it goes further than that. People don’t care that people deserve quality, they don’t care about swearing or being obscene, or not doing a quality job or providing quality services because “it doesn’t matter what other people think”.
It does matter that people are valued – not for the dollars they’ll spend, but because they are fellow human beings!! I think it reflects a general low self esteem. Jesus Christ said “Love your neighbour as you love yourself”. I think neighbours are getting a raw deal because people don’t value themselves, so of course don’t value others.
People are important. Their thoughts and feelings are important. We can’t be responsible for anyone else’s attitudes or responses, but we can endeavour to give our best to make someone’s life a little brighter.
That’s the essence of my passion for customer service – it’s my passion for people. People are important, valuable, and we don’t have that conversation enough. No wonder suicidal people would say “you don’t really mean that” when you try to tell them that they’re valuable and their life is worth living – if nobody’s told them before now. We shouldn’t place value on people only when they most need it.
Any and every opportunity to place value on people, to make them feel special are the best opportunities. Look for them today!
Cheering you on,
Kerrie
A confessional blog…
November 17, 2010 By Leave a Comment
I’ve realised (a while ago) that making my blog about customer service isn’t working for me. My heart wasn’t in it as much as 100 Days of Gratitude. I love great customer service, but gratitude is a much easier, uncluttered subject. I’ve realised (oh, again and again) how I complicate things.
Great customer service is something to celebrate, but after I see examples of less than great customer service I see the learning there and want to write about that too. I announced when I began the 100 days of Great Customer Service that I was committed to only celebrating the good (and great) here. There is great learning in the poor customer service stories – the “all it would have taken” flow of ideas, but that’s a different conversation.
I do complicate things. I don’t mean to. I did say this was a confessional blog hey…
I want things perfect. I want to do things perfectly, because I love and honour people, the people in my world, and you deserve the best. For some reason I decided that I have to have a photo in every blog… but I could JUST WRITE sometimes!!! I could just get on with it.
I’ve made up a whole lot of rules about how things should be. So I’m going to list some of the rules I’ve made up and challenge them.
Feel free to do this for yourself too… I’m on this journey of self discovery, finding limitations and areas for growth, and I invite you to come along for your own ride.
Rule No. 1. I should blog consistently on the same topic. (ie. 100 Days of Great Customer Service)
What!! Just because I did that for 100 Days of Gratitude, does not mean I have to do it now. It’s blocking me from sharing other thoughts.
Rule No. 2. I should post a photo with every blog.
What!!! I may not have the appropriate pic, or the time to upload it, or get it from Lyndon’s computer, if that’s where it’s been saved to…
Rule No. 3. A blog should be a certain length… Well says who?
Rule No. 4. I have to have everything “just so” or it won’t be inspiring or useful to anyone. Ok, well that’s ridiculous too. Who defines perfect or “just so”?
Rule No. 5. I commit to doing what I said I would do. Yes. I will hold to this as much as humanly possible. I am human after all. I knew this rule, which is why I didn’t commit to blogging every day, having experienced 100 consecutive days of blogging last year, I knew that I didn’t want to take on a commitment of that size this year. I do have other things to do!
I’m sure there are plenty more rules floating around in my head, so if I see them trying to slip by, I’ll grab them and have a conversation.
So where are we at now? Well I’m free to blog about anything I’m thinking about – as long as it might be useful or inspiring to others – and I can’t always know that – so I just put my heart out there and trust that someone will be blessed. Now I just need to let myself write! I think of things everyday that I want to share, in books, magazines, newsletter and blogs, so I want to get on with it.
I have too many amazing things going on that haven’t been blogged about (but mostly have appeared at least for a while on facebook) so now that I’m “unstuck”… please accept my apology – and stay tuned
Cheering you on,
Kerrie
Great Customer Service – Example 12
July 17, 2010 By Leave a Comment
If you followed my 100 Days of Gratitude you’ll know that I posted a comment every day. Not so with these examples Customer Service. I decided against 100 consecutive days for a couple of reasons. 1. posting something everyday can be challenging when I’m really busy. 2. every post must be authentic – and I don’t experience Great Customer Service every day. (Almost every time I shop though). Customer service is also featured in many of my videos – see my YouTube Channel for these.
I’ve been thinking about Customer Service from different angles, and Day 11 is the “when I refer someone” angle. I love referring people – clients, friends, family, even total strangers. I want people to have a great experience when they’re making a spending decision.
I recommended one of my clients to Leanne Berry, who was delighted to take time out to meet with her and answer her many questions about business, especially bookkeeping systems, which we don’t all have our head around. No-one I know has their head around it like Leanne does, so I was pleased to recommend her, and thrilled to get really great feedback from my client.
Who are you recommending? And who’s recommending you?
Cheering you on,
Kerrie
Leanne and I in Lithgow, NSW
PS. As I post this picture, I’m reminded of how Leanne has been recommending me! How could I forget? Leanne is such a fan of my new book, and it’s how we met actually – Leanne connected on facebook after reading the book. She not only tells so many of her clients and friends about it, she nominated me for the Telstra Business Womens Awards! How’s that for a recommendation