ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1997, Roanoke Times
DATE: Sunday, March 16, 1997 TAG: 9703170002
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV-3 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
DATELINE: PULASKI
SOURCE: TOM ANGLEBERGER/THE ROANOKE TIMES
Whether helping a customer find the perfect present - at another store - or training its staff to always have a friendly smile, several businesses in the New River Valley have won loyal fans through their exemplary customer service.
Recently, The Roanoke Times asked readers to tell us which local businesses gave the best service. Readers responded with tales of businesses that went the extra mile and other businesses that were just plain friendly.
Donna Ward of Pulaski wrote to tell us about a business that actually went many extra miles.
Ward's husband went to Emmanuel Bookstore in Pulaski in search of a Christmas present for her. She had made a specific request - a new video she had seen advertised. Unfortunately, the bookstore did not have it in stock, and store owner Jean Keith said she could not order it in time for Christmas.
Keith found a store in Roanoke that had the video and offered to go buy it. Ward's husband said that was not necessary, but Keith believed it was.
"If we say we can get it, I have to get it," says Keith. "That's what she wanted, so I had to make sure she got that."
Keith bought the video in Roanoke, even though it meant giving another store the business. She says that going the extra mile is a necessary part of running a business.
William Foster of Christiansburg wrote to us about Midas Muffler in Christiansburg, because he believes they went the extra mile for him, too. It all started on a snowy day this winter when his car started making a horrible noise. He canceled his plans and drove straight to the Midas shop.
"I expected to be there about an hour or so," says Foster. He even called his wife to warn her of the delay. But, instead of a long wait, Foster says, he was on his way in 15 minutes.
Even though the muffler shop was busy that day, a mechanic was quickly found to test drive the vehicle with him, he says. The mechanic recognized the sound immediately. It was a piece of ice stuck in a rotor. The problem was quickly fixed.
"They did a great job," he says. "They definitely went out of their way."
Foster thinks this attitude is an important one. "When times get slow [the businesses] going an extra mile are the ones who are going to stay in business," he says.
Howard Feiertag, a professor at Virginia Tech, agrees, and he should know - he teaches customer service in his hotel management classes.
"I'm more of a nut about customer service than a lot of people," he says. He is particularly impressed by A Cleaner World dry cleaning service in Blacksburg.
"They really, really are interested," he says. "They smile; they're very friendly. I'm very comfortable dealing with them."
Feiertag says the staff of A Cleaner World has taken the time to get to know him and build a relationship with him. Now, when he walks in the door, he doesn't have to give them a ticket or even tell them his name. They know just who he is and immediately pull his clothes off the rack. In fact, the employees even know his car. When he pulls up for drive-through service, they've already spotted him and gotten his clothes ready.
Like other readers, Feiertag was especially pleased by an extra service. When he brought in a special request, not only did they meet his needs, they also did it for free.
"As long as you do the service, you're going to do the business," he says.
Keeping current customers happy is much cheaper than trying to pull in new ones, he says. "Even if business is good, you want people to come back. It's the service that brings me back."
He says that a customer will go back to a business even when something goes wrong if they have a good relationship with the staff.
Feiertag offers some tips for businesses that want to offer good customer service:
Telephone skills are vital in attracting new customers because many customers' first contact with a business is over the phone. Feiertag says that if he calls a restaurant to make a reservation and the person who answers the phone is not friendly, he simply goes to a different restaurant.
Greet customers when they walk into the business. Feiertag says he is especially annoyed when he is met with a quizzical tilt of the head instead of a friendly greeting.
Good customer service means never telling customers they "have to" do something. ```You'll have to wait.' I'm the customer. I don't have to do anything," he says.
Pay attention to the customer. He notes that at his favorite restaurant, Applebee's in Christiansburg, managers and the staff stop to say hello and see what they can do.
"Building relationships, that's the whole idea," he says. At Applebee's, not only does the staff know him, they also know he likes two lemon slices in his tea.
At Holiday Ford, he says, the general manager as well as the staff know his name.
Feiertag says these relationships have made him extremely loyal.
Other readers shared his feelings. Ward says she'll be shopping at Emmanuel for all her book needs. Foster says he took his next auto problem to Midas, even though the part was under warranty at another repair shop.
LENGTH: Medium: 99 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: Alan Kim. Tami King, manager of A Cleaner World,by CNBprovides Howard Feiertag the usual curbside service. Customers can
drop off and pick up laundry by just driving up to the door. color.