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Create an Excellent Customer Experience at Your Truckstop
Posted in: Truckstop Business
Monday, October 1, 2012
Earlier this summer, Nunwood released the Customer Experience Excellence study. The study analyzed more than 100,000 customer comments on every major brand in the U.S. on six criteria: valuing a customer's time, demonstrating empathy, resolving issues, matching the customers' expectations, personalizing service and demonstrating corporate ethics.
According to the study, H-E-B, Trader Joe's, Publix and Wegmans all scored within the top 10 retailers largely due to their ability to create a "sense of theater" around in-store experiences.
During my NATSO Profitable Retail Reviews at member locations, we are constantly discussing customer experience issues that are created by poor messaging and ill found product placement.
It is imperative to understand from the perspective of the customer just what their experience is and when it truly begins. Each opportunity to touch your customer is an experience:
- Are customers greeted at your operation by miss-mashed soda or beer displays that are thrown together by your vendor with little to no professional collateral?
- Is the first messaging experience a potential customer has your billboards with inconsistent messaging?
- Is the final experience the PAYING customer has at your location a team member talking on their cell phone while waiting on customers?
The experience of the shopper often trumps the prices of your retail.
Like Wegmans, Publix, Trader Joe's and H-E-B, you too can join the “custom experience revolution” and focus your efforts on service, atmosphere and decor. You may think it is difficult, but I would encourage you to start small:
- Try asking your customers without assumptions over breaking bread;
- Go out to the fuel island and ask those fueling that never enter the store why they don’t; and
- Ask those that only enter to use the restroom why they do what they do and what they think about their experience while at your location.
With these small steps, I bet you be are able to use the feedback to create a direction and a plan very soon!
About the Author
Darren Schulte
Darren Schulte serves as Vice President of Membership at NATSO. In this role, he directs recruitment, retention and customer service for truckstop and travel plaza members. He is also responsible for developing NATSO products and programs, particularly those relating to education, research and training for truckstop and travel plaza operators.
Schulte joined NATSO with nearly three decades of experience in truckstop and travel plaza operations and merchandising, most recently as the Vice President for Retail Merchandising for TSC Global/Barjan LLC. Prior to his time with TSC Global/Barjan LLC, Schulte also worked for Petro Stopping Centers and Love’s Travel Stops and Country Stores.