A great example of customer service

The other week we reported on an example of poor customer service in a cafe that did not allow the staff any discretion. This week we would like to balance this with a brilliant experience of customer service at Specsavers.

Hague senior was carrying out a mission in the Northern town of Horwich and had a couple of hours free to explore its shopping centre. He is of an age where he needs reading glasses and it is at least four or five years since his eyes were checked. He had heard some good reports on Specsavers both in terms of their prices and service and he spied one of their shops in the precinct. It was 5 PM and he wandered in. At the end of a working day it can be difficult for staff to be enthusiastic and yet he was greeted with a cheery "Hello, can I help you?".

He explained that he was just looking but needed an eye test and was interested in a new pair of reading glasses. The helpful sales assistant asked him if he was booked in for an eye test. He explained that he was not but he needed one and wondered if this sort of thing could be done without an appointment. He was asked to take a seat while the assistant reviewed something on the computer, lifted her head and asked if he wanted his eyes to be tested there and then. As it was nearing closing time he questioned whether this would be possible. The assistant said that she would just have to check with the optician and in seconds came back with an affirmative. No problem doing the eye test right now.

The first step, which took place immediately, was to peer into some new-fangled equipment and say whether rapidly appearing spots could be noted. From there he was greeted by the friendly optician who assured him it was no problem carrying out the test as they had a cancellation in their schedule. In a darkened room surrounded by the latest gizmos he was taken through every test possible for checking his eyes, he was given a prescription and the procedure from here on was explained. He could take the prescription away with him and buy glasses from anywhere of his choice or he could spend a few minutes and choose from the frames in the shop. Should he choose a pair from a shop he would receive a second pair free of charge.

He didn't want to miss the opportunity of sorting out his eye-wear there and then and quickly made a selection in the shop. One week later the specs were ready for collection, as promised.

Now the point of this story is that it would have been easy and understandable for the Specsavers staff to say that it wasn't possible to do an eye test so close to closing time. It would have been easy and understandable if the staff had, by then, had enough of Joe Public. And yet, every person in the shop was friendly, amenable and professional. At least three people were involved in the service and each one passed the customer seamlessly to the other. It was a great example of staff well recruited, well trained, and well motivated. It is how customer service should be.