What a difference people can make in today’s competitive world!
One of the activities I undertake in Central London is a “customer experience store tour”. An opportunity for attendees to experience the best of retailing and benchmark performance against current company results.
One of the locations visited is “Lush” in Regent Street – the soap shop. But this is no ordinary soap shop – it is a place where the staff enthusiastically put on a “show” for customers , bringing soap to life. The result? Enthusiastic customers many of who buy the products on show.
Just down the road in Piccadilly Circus is Barclays flagship store………..plenty of glass and technology and a wonderfully shaped “queue barrier” but little “enthusiasm” in delivering the product propositions…………….
What is it about leading retailers that banks struggle to replicate in people terms…………………yes banking can be boring but surely banks are also “dream makers” – helping people achieve their aspirations?
People are these brands in the eyes of customers …….banks still have much to learn from the best of retail.