Lean On Me

1. Do we greet new visitors in a way that enables us to recognize them on subsequent visits? Develop an easy and nonthreatening way to identify arrivals, such as a guestbook, and use the information to customize your environment.

2. Do we offer service choices that logically move customers, based on how much assistance they need, from automated to personal service? FAQs can be handled by an automated-response system. More complicated inquiries might require one-on-one chat answers or an actual phone call.

3. Do we have a system that effectively tracks customer activities? Providing the right level of service at the right time is only part of the solution; you also have to track your performance and continually refine it. For example, with effective tracking, you might identify additional FAQs that can be shifted to the automated-response system, making your customer service systems more efficient.

4. How complete and accessible is our knowledge base? You want your system to work well and your customer service representatives to be knowledgeable. Make sure your e-mail system, online customer-support system and telephone staff have access to necessary company, customer and product information.

5. Are our shopping carts smart? A smart cart will give the customer quick, easy access to service tools as soon as a purchase is made. For example, when an item is selected, a smart cart might ask if it's a gift and arrange for wrapping and shipping. This service will reduce the number of full carts that are left in the aisles, so to speak.