Service Untitled

I talk a lot about technology and about how to use technology to improve the customer service experience. What I don’t talk a lot about (and I should talk more about) is providing customer service in person – physically interacting with and talking to customers in person, issues relating to the design and flow of stores and businesses, etc. This is different from what I usually write and consult about, but also very interesting to me and very relevant to many companies (I don’t write about things I don’t find to be interesting).

A lot of companies that do provide service in the physical world (as opposed to online or over the phone) often neglect something they can almost always use to their advantage: signs and signage. No matter what business you’re in, signs and signage can always be helpful. They direct customers, answer questions, clarify points, address issues, and so on.

Well placed and effectively written signs make it so your employees don’t have to answer the same questions all the time (where is the bathroom?) and just as importantly, make it so your customers don’t have to ask in the first place. Like with anything, though, you as a store or business manager need to keep some things in mind when ordering, placing, or deciding whether or not to use signs.

Don’t overdo it.
As someone who has gone “sign crazy” when setting things up before, take my advice when I say it is not necessary to have a huge number of signs. There will always be people who will not read your signs, no matter how many you have or how effective they are. You want your signs to stand out and be useful. You don’t want your signs to detract from the aesthetic appeal of your business location, annoy the customer, or most importantly, overwhelm the customer.

Keep it simple.
Signs should be simple and should convey simple information. Where’s the bathroom, where do I need to go for a refund, who do I see about a job opening, etc. are all great things for signs to answer. They shouldn’t have too many words on them and the copy should be simple (“Bathrooms” with an arrow instead of “Bathrooms to the Left”).

Make them look nice.
It’s worth it to pay (or find) someone to design nice looking signs. Signs that are designed by someone with a background in design (especially graphic design) tend to look better and say more with less.

All of these are simple things (just like the signs themselves) that you can keep in mind as you design, order, and setup your signs. If your signs are effective, your customers won’t ask those same four or five questions nearly as many times. And your employees will stop looking for the exit sign.

Technorati Tags: Customer Service, Customer Service Experience, Signs, Stores

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