I heard the most ridiculous thing the other day, if you are in business you are there to make money and give great customer service, wouldn’t you agree?

So picture this, you are out with one objective in mind, you want to buy a wedding dress. You make it plain from your first interaction with the sales staff that budget isn’t a problem and you are ready to buy and you want to buy today.

Then you start looking and are interested in the dresses you are shown, but there is a dog running round the shop, you don’t particularly like dogs but it isn’t annoying you.  After a while when it is obvious the dog is not going anywhere, you decide you don’t want to buy a dress that might, or might not, have had a dog near it, so you leave the shop.

Entering shop number two you again repeat the “I have come to buy a wedding dress, budget isn’t a problem and I want to buy it today” opening line, you aren’t quite as blunt as that but that is the message.  The shop stocks dresses that are of interest but you need to, how shall I say this, use the little girl’s room.  You ask if there is a toilet you can use and are told the toilet is only for staff use, but there is a hotel down the road.

You leave, do whatever you need to do and arrive at your third wedding shop of the day, my friend’s shop.  After going through the I have come to buy a wedding dress, money is no object, but I need it today routine you ask if there is a toilet you can use.  There is, you explain you don’t need one but share that the objective now is not only finding a dress, loving it and buying it, but having great customer service while doing it.

My friend the lady that owns the wedding shop that day made a great sale, and I am told the customer left very satisfied.  Could there be a message for us all here, customer experience is key.

Photograph of one of the dresses from my friends shop The Wedding Gallery St Albans Herts