Elizabeth F Diehl

Ultimate customer experience probably means a few different things to different people. In my own experience (as both a customer and on the “other side” of the counter, I think ultimate experience is when you go above and beyond- not just the norm. We used to call it “Wow”-ing the customer- each store had a poster in the back that had suggestions for how to wow the customer. For example, once an elderly customer had a long list of Christmas cards to purchase, and couldn’t see very well, so I offered to read them aloud to her. It meant the world to her, for someone to take the time and do that and she was very appreciative. We gained a long time customer that day, and she made sure she told others!
It really doesn’t take much to give a good customer experience, in my opinion.

As far as the preferablility of shopping in-store or online, I personally rather shop online because it is convenient and there is a wider range of items that you can look at. For me the “ultimate customer experience” would involve human interaction in where they would help me find the item that I am looking for and then having the ability to make sure that I am satisfied with what I purchased after the sale.

I think shopping online is better in various perspectives. For one, the product is always there. You can simply look up what you’re looking for and purchase it. However, stores don’t always have the things you need in-stock, so you would end up traveling to many different stores in order to find the product you need if it is out-of-stock elsewhere. In regards to online shopping, you can also view a product’s specific details to see if it fits your needs. In my opinion, online websites always provide more information about their products than if you were to go to a store and buy something. There is the downside to paying for shipping and waiting for it to be delivered, but websites such as Amazon offer special services to help with that problem, which makes customers happier. The ultimate customer experience would entail finding the product I want with ease, purchasing it at a reasonable price, and having no problems with it. However, if there is a problem, the company would have to provide quality customer service to enable a solution that suites my preferences. Also, when shopping in-stores, I like finding what I want on my own, so I don’t want employees constantly asking me if I need help or anything. So, not too much human interaction is required unless I need customer service to fix a problem.

Great article and questions, Elizabeth! I think my ultimate customer experience does not include human interaction, which may be sad… I prefer to complete my research online and then make the final decision and purchase on my own!

I prefer to shop in stores for the easy access to see the products. I can pick things up to see how they feel or see how they fit when tried on. The “ultimate customer experience,” I think, varies for everybody. Some people prefer to have an employee there to help them and others do not. I work in a makeup store, and we have to go through training on our products and how to service our products. We have categories for different customers because we want to provide the right kind of service for everyone of our customers. One of the categories is the unapproachable customer, whose ultimate experience would include being left alone and only talked to when she/he asks a question. There is also the pampered client, who prefers to have someone helping her through her shopping, trying on the different products, and having someone talk to her through the whole experience. My ideal experience is for me to be left alone to look with little human interaction, but if I have a question, a person is there to help.

I personally prefer to shop in a store as opposed to online. Unless I am purchasing an item that I consistently get the same brand, style, type, etc. then I like to be able to examine the product in person. There is nothing worse than buying something online, only to have it shipped to your house and you find out that the product was not what you were expecting. Things like clothes are very difficult to buy online since you never know how something will fit you until you try it on. Some products, however, I almost exclusively purchase online. Items like electronics are easier to compare on an online platform and there are more options available. So the type of item that I am purchasing matters when I decide if I want to buy something online or in a brick and mortar store, but ultimately I tend to buy things in person more often.

I am not a real big shopper to begin with and I really never do any online shopping. I am not really sure why but I always just go to the store to buy something, so for me human interaction plays apart into the purchase. I believe that if stores would focus more on this and make shopping more of an experience then they may do better compared to shopping online.

Whether I shop online or in a store depends what I am shopping for. If it is clothes then I will get it in the store so I can try them on. But if it is like something for the house (like a painting or a carpet or something) that I don’t necessarily need to have in front of me then I will order that stuff online if it is more convenient. I think my ultimate customer experience does involve some human interaction. I would like to be able to do research on my own but have a person to talk to should I need their help or assistance or have any questions about the product(s) I am looking at.My ultimate customer experience would not involve any automated phone numbers but ones that will connect to real people the first time without having to go through so many menu options just to try to talk to someone.