In the late 1800’s, American entrepreneur Marshal Field acquired a dry goods establishment in the heart of Chicago.  At that time in history, business culture centered around the idea of “caveat emptor,” Latin for “buyer beware.”  The phrase is essentially a warning that the merchant is not required to disclose information about his product that would decrease the product’s value, and that the buyer is making a purchase at his own risk.  Such was the common business landscape of the time.  Customers were not familiar with the idea of unconditional refunds or consistent pricing, and merchants at that time had no qualms about pushing merchandise on customers who really had no need or desire to buy.

Field sought to change the face of the retail industry, by integrating altogether new methods of customer service into his stores.  His business model was as follows:

“To do the right thing, at the right time, in the right way; to do some things better than they were ever done before; to eliminate errors; to know both sides of the question; to be courteous; to be an example; to work for the love of work; to anticipate requirements; to develop resources; to recognize no impediments; to master circumstances; to act from reason rather than rule; to be satisfied with nothing short of perfection.”

Field was wildly successful at achieving this goal.  Rapid economic growth of the time was producing highly concentrated pockets of wealth.  Rather than exploit those customers, Field believed that by creating a helping culture, by treating them with dignity and respect, and by acting in such a manner himself, the enjoyment of the luxurious shopping experience of the Guilded Age would increase exponentially.  At the time of his passing in 1906, his net worth exceeded 1.5 million dollars, equivalent to sixty-six billion dollars today.

Was his business model a successful one?  Um… yes.  We think you would agree.

Snapscapes seeks to promote this helping culture of customer service by using image based customer support with our one-of-a-kind app that allows you to obtain a visual representation of any project a customer has in mind.  Like Field’s customers, yours will no longer be buying things that don’t work for their space, or things they don’t need.

The net result? A more pleasant shopping experience for them, and a customer who will return to you.   Additionally, business owners can use our app to create a record of each customer’s project and track their progress through all its various stages from beginning to completion.

More questions about how Snapscapes can create a helping culture in your business?  Contact us for answers!

If you’ve been in the business arena for any amount of time, then you already know that it’s competitive. In fact, this idea is shoved down our throats all the time – you have to get the sale before the next guy does, every time.

This can be healthy. It can motivate you and your employees to work harder and be more innovative – provided the competition is constructively guided. But if that competition becomes corrosive, and has your employees fighting tooth and nail for every advantage, it can destroy your company from within.

Fortunately, there’s another way. Many companies are succeeding by fostering a “helping culture” – one in which every employee is primarily motivated to assist, not compete.

This helping culture doesn’t just improve staff relations, however. It can also set you apart with your customers. Here’s how:

Helping Makes You Accessible

According to a recent study, the people in a company that are most likely to help aren’t necessarily the biggest experts. Instead, they’re the most accessible.

By encouraging your employees to be accessible, both to customers and each other, you open up their knowledge base to everyone who needs it. This in turn spreads that knowledge across the company, so that everyone benefits.

Encourage your employees to be easily accessible to customers. This means not only being physically present, but relatable. That’s the idea behind SnapScapes – that by bringing in easily understandable photo data, you can foster an environment of learning.

Helping Makes the Success of Others a Priority

Helping is a selfless act. It shows that you are committed to the other person succeeding and understanding, which in turn makes you a trusted resource.

When your employees help customers, they become personally invested in that customer’s problems – and their solutions. This investment can’t be faked – and it’s what separates great companies from competent ones.

This can’t be overstated. Many companies offer solutions – and many products are comparable in quality. What keeps customers coming back is a feeling of investment – and that is born through help.

Likewise, employees helping each other create an environment of selflessness, which in turn buoys the whole company.

Create Your Culture Today

If you’d like ideas and suggestions on how to create a helping culture in your company, contact us today. We’ll assist you in identifying areas where help can be increased, so that your business will grow – and your customers will thank you.

Creating a strong brand is more than just coming up with a visually appealing logo and a catchy tag line. It’s about defining your business, making promises that you can deliver on, building a relationship with consumers, and motivating those consumers to take action. Brand strength is an imperative element of business success.

Promise

Your brand is your promise. When you have a strong brand, consumers see that promise and call you on it. Part of strengthening your brand is following through on the promises you make so that every time consumers think of your business, they know exactly what to expect. You promise and deliver; your brand strengthens, becoming synonymous with quality.

Values

Your brand reflects the values of your company. It tells consumers what you consider important. For instance, a health food store’s brand may imply values of environmental friendliness and healthy lifestyle centered on organic product. A strong brand has values that are easily recognizable and relatable to your company’s target audience.

Relationships

When your brand has effectively targeted an audience, informed, and motivated them, a relationship between company and consumer forms. A strong brand is the foundation upon which you build. Think of big names, like Apple, Starbucks, and Coca-Cola. They all have strong brands and strong relationships with their customers. They use their identities to begin and maintain solid customer relationships. The same goes for companies of all sizes, not just those nationally and internationally known.

Communication

Part of strengthening your brand, and maintaining that strength, involves consistent and valuable communication. Through websites, advertising, and social media, interact with your current and potential customers. Helpful information, reminders of service, and calls to action through these mediums will keep you connected and visible.

Having a strong, well-rounded brand elevated businesses. It lets people know who you are, what’s important to you, and what you can do for them. The stronger your brand is, the stronger your customer relationships are.

For information on how SnapScapes can help you build and strengthen your brand, please contact us.

On the sales floor, customer service lies entirely in the hands of your employees. Your customers never get to see your training manuals, your policies, or your good intentions; all they see are the people out on the floor. Each one of your employees is quite literally the face of your business.

As an employer, it’s your responsibility to empower the folks on the sales floor to do the best job possible. So how do you go about this? It starts by empowering your employees with Training, Trust, and Technology.

Empower through Training

We’ve all experienced walking into a big box store with a question about a product and meeting only blank stares. This is not necessarily because the kid behind the counter doesn’t care; it’s because he genuinely doesn’t know! He hasn’t been trained, or at least not very well.

This is where you can shine as a small business. You can afford to invest the time in thoroughly training your employees. The result is a knowledgeable, empowered staff, which in turn results in the best possible customer care.

Empower through Trust

We’ve written before about how important it is to act quickly to resolve customer service issues. Every delay in which your employee has to go seek your permission to act on behalf of a customer is a delay in which that customer can walk out the door.

You’ve hired good people. You’ve trained them well. Now empower them by giving them authority on the floor. Allow them to make decisions on their own, for the good of the customer. In retail we speak often of building customer loyalty, and rarely about building employee loyalty. This needs to change. Empowering your employee by entrusting them with authority is one step toward this change.

Empower through Technology

The technological landscape is shifting. Your customers are walking in with more information on the devices in their pockets than was even conceivable a generation ago. It’s time for customer service to catch up. Empowering your employees with image based customer support can make a world of difference in how your customers view your business.

Want to learn how SnapScapes can help empower your employees? Contact us for more information.

Customer loyalty has always been maintained through relationships. Building a relationship with your customer is the best way to build loyalty.  In the past, relationships were limited. Today, these relationships have evolved into more of a conversation. Communication is the key to building customer loyalty.

The advancement in technology and communication is the primary reason for this shift. Social media is especially responsible for the increase in conversations between customers and companies. The opportunity to build relationships is easier and more important than ever. Because customers expect accessibility and communication with companies, it is crucial that businesses make themselves available and have a strong communication platform.

Information is the new marketing and conversation is the new way to build customer loyalty. People expect to have questions answered and concerns addressed  in a quick and efficient manner. They want to speak to real people. They want to interact with companies they same way they do with family and friends. We do this through conversation, texting, and  sharing images Customers need to feel that companies care about them and their problems. Every business sets out to solve a problem or fulfil a need for customers. It is time to take that one step further and infuse real conversations into your business plan.

There are several platforms a business can utilize to encourage conversations with customers. Social media is the most obvious choice. With the increase in use of mobile devices, texting has become another important means of communication between companies and customers. Emails, blogs, and a general web presence  are also important. The bottom line is you need to be accessible and available to customers. Use technology to your advantage to reach out and have conversations with potential customers and retain current customers. This is no longer optional in business, it is mandatory in order to be successful.

Want to learn how SnapScapes can help you to encourage conversations between you and your customers? Contact us for more information or go to SnapScapes.com.

As noted in the previous blog, SnapScapes is not only about helping sales associates share specialized knowledge with clients, but also “about keeping millions of customers happy and coming back for more.”

So, how exactly does one do that?

Whether discussing the unique image-based customer support provided by SnapScapes or a routine customer order at the local coffee shop, great customer service begins with building trust between the client and the service provider.

In a recent article on Inc.com, How to Deliver Great Customer Service, trust building was among the top 10 tips for garnering repeat customers. Building trust is perhaps the most important of these 10 ideas, as it creates a strong foundation for current and future collaborations.

In today’s digital world full of DIY project videos, Pinterest, and online storefronts, it is easy to see why building a foundation of trust and collaboration though difficult, is very necessary. Collaboration seems to be a forgotten element in the field of customer service, when it should be at its core. In any given situation, the customer should believe that the employee, salesperson or service provider, is working alongside them to help solve a problem.

A customer should never feel as if they are navigating the waters alone, especially in any sort of diy project, whether it be crafting, building a model ship, designing a landscape, or redecorating a home.

Finding a sales assistant that you can trust is key. In this situation, a customer wants to know three things:

1. Their sales consultant is sincerely concerned about solving their problem.
2. If their sales consultant does not have the tools or means to find a solution, they will direct the customer towards someone who does.
3. Their sales consultant is working with them and not just trying to push the latest gimmick, gadget or sale item.

Great customer service, is not, in fact, about selling, it is about building and maintaining long-term, positive relationships between the client and the service providers.

In essence, great customer service is the ultimate “grassroots project,” which helps build your customer base. If they have a good experience, they tell two friends and then those people tell two friends and so on and so forth!

Learn more about how to keep your customers “coming back for more” by contacting us today!

“The single most important thing you can do for your business is to get to work building true customer loyalty, one customer at a time.”

– Micah Solomon

When you get a chance, read Micah Solomon’s Article  on customer loyalty.  Micah dropped a customer service truth bomb on his readers that had us at SnapScapes standing up and cheering.  We really do need to get back to our roots and do the hard work of actually serving customers and serving them well. No matter what product or service you offer, you have competition. Having loyal customers who see your business as the only one in your market space they will deal with is critical to you continued business growth and success.
What we are talking about isn’t a loyalty program. We are talking about having a personal one-on-one relationship with your customers that keeps them wanting to do business with you and only you. But how do you make that happen?

1.  Understand what your customer experiences. You don’t have to be profiled on Undercover Boss to learn what dealing with your company is like from the customer’s perspective. Put yourself in your customer’s place. Visit your Website, and look at it through their eyes. Call to place an order, and find out how customers are treated. Send an email, or use the online chat feature.
2. Act quickly and be helpful when there is an issue. Nobody likes being put on hold, and nobody likes playing transfer ping pong. Empower employees to find solutions to problems, and train them to own the issue until it is resolved. If other departments or a supervisor need to be involved, then your employee should become the customer’s advocate coordinating with the others to find resolution. No customer should be transferred more than once, or told “There isn’t anything I can do. It’s just our policy.”
3. Remember your customer’s preferences. If, for example, you know Ms. Jones prefers a certain style of clothing, let her know when you get in some new outfits she would like or make her aware when items similar to what she purchased before will be on sale. Remembering personal preferences will make the purchase experience worry-free, more satisfactory for the customer, and helps solidify the personal relationship you have.

One last thing… There was only one thing we didn’t agree with in Micha’s article and that was his advice to, “stop tinkering with technology.” SnapScapes is a tool especially created to help you build long lasting relationships with your customers, build trust, and create a whole lot of good, organic customer loyalty. But in his defense, maybe he hasn’t heard of us.

Want more ideas of how SnapScapes can help you build and keep customer loyalty in your business? Contact us for more information.

I ran to the office, downloaded the image, clicked ‘print’, and grabbed a marker. Somehow I inadvertently printed two copies of the photo and hurriedly attached them to a clip-board I’d found. I think I made it back to the poor woman just before she was about to give up and go home without a solution to her problem. “Here,” I said, gasping for air from the ¼ mile/minute run. “Where were you pointing?”

She regained her interest in getting her project finished as we used the pen to draw the plants over the image I had printed off. We walked through the greenhouse and picked out the plants I’d suggested in the drawing.

As I was loading the plants into her car, she asked if she could take the picture home for reference so she could remember where everything goes. I obliged and she left with the marked up photo. I was left in the parking lot holding the second image of the side of her house thinking, “There has to be a better way.”

I also imagined the number of times people have ::shudder:: left without buying something because they couldn’t visualize the benefits of our products.

So that was it: The world’s first instance of visual customer support. Kinda. OK, not at all. I knew, staring at the piece of paper, that this happens to tens of thousands of people across the US and hundreds of thousands of people around the world every day. I imagined the number of sales that I’ve lost because neither the customer nor myself could easily communicate our ideas. I also imagined the number of times people have ::shudder:: left without buying something because they couldn’t visualize the benefits of our products. Worse yet is thinking of how many times people have given up on their hobbies, design projects, or other household items altogether simply because no one had come up with a way to help them with their frustrations.

It took re-enacting that ritual of squint, print, and sprint over and over again to tell me that I had a problem that needed to be solved. I looked for a solution to this problem where every self respecting millennial would look: the internet. I came up with a bunch of solutions that were solving more general customer support problems like CRM (customer relationship management) software, support ticketing, and file-sharing systems like Dropbox and Google Drive. Each of them did a little of what I needed but they had to be cobbled together in a fashion that was no more efficient than an email and run to the printer. That’s when I decided to make it myself. Why not?

…it’s about keeping millions customers happy and coming back for more.

I’ll have to leave that part of the story for later because this blog is about why and not about how. So, to summarize, SnapScapes was built out of a frustration with an outdated process and a dissatisfaction with an inability to understand fellow human beings. But, in addition to that, it was also assembled with the mindset that helping others comes with rewards. And it does.

I still have that picture of the side of that taupe suburban house that reminds me of why I’m working on this project. SnapScapes is all about making life a little easier for the millions of sales associates around the world who must share specialized knowledge about their products with customers to make a sale. Perhaps more importantly, it’s about keeping millions customers happy and coming back for more.

Steve Ruprecht – SnapScapes Founder

Hi, everyone! This is the start of a new blog that will provide information on customer service, managing retail employees, updates on the progress of the SnapScapes app, and much more.

Hope to see you back again!