Face to the Customer
by Rosabeth Moss Kanter

No matter how large or small your business may be, there's a lesson to be learned behind "Face to the Customer" — the long-standing credo and modus operandi at Neiman-Marcus, an organization that has always been extraordinarily concerned about how it performs for the customer. Neiman-Marcus has often been called "the world's greatest department store" because of its reputation for providing a dazzling array of high-status goods and because of the outstanding quality of its customer service.

At first thought, a specialty store like Neiman-Marcus may seem to have little in common with non-retail businesses whose contact with customers is less direct, and where most managers and employees work in "back rooms" without ever seeing the public. Yet every employee plays a role in staging a performance for the customer. A look at how Neiman-Marcus "does it" provides important lessons on quality service. Here are seven that apply to any business, regardless of size or industry.

1. Develop a customer profile. Be clear about which customers you are trying to reach; select a segment of the total market whose needs you will try to meet directly. Neiman-Marcus has focused on a small wedge of the total customer pie, the affluent. Its most typical customer is a woman who not only has a good deal of money available to her but also has plenty of time on her hands. The store is designed to woo this kind of customer.

2. Project a clear and consistent image. Every organization that has "a face to the customer" needs to clarify what image it wishes to create and to communicate this image systematically. Every form of communication from decor to employee orientation and training to messages from top management should project this core concept. The Neiman-Marcus image is one of simple elegance: special, fresh, chic, and style are other often-used words.

3. Form a relationship. In even the briefest exchange, employees can attend to the interaction between themselves and their customer. At Neiman-Marcus, the specific techniques that are used to cultivate a relationship vary. One salesman will introduce himself to the customer; another will ask a few questions as an opening gambit. Almost always, though, its salespeople favor a soft-sell approach. And the first-time shopper at any Neiman-Marcus store is urged to open up a charge account that day, communicating a sense that he or she is trusted and accepted.

4. Attend to "the need to know." People want to feel on top of things and in control. One way to help them feel this way is to provide information about the product or service they are considering. Neiman-Marcus salespersons are briefed in full about the products they sell and what makes them special. Customers can expect to hear mini-lectures on any question they might have.

5. Treat the customer as unique. People do not like to feel like a number. Waiting in lines, getting bogged down in procedural issues, and being told that what one wants is "not possible" diminish a customer's sense of individuality. At Neiman-Marcus, the lengths salespersons will go to meet the individual needs of a customer are legendary. Can they special order a pound of the British butterscotch that is no longer carried by the store? Can they bring the dress to the customer's house so she will be sure to have it that evening? Regular customers are treated differently from others. Salespeople joke with those they know and inquire about their families. They do not spout canned speeches, but often use the personal "I" statement: "I really like the blue on you." "I'd wear sandals with that outfit."

6. Remember: It's show biz. Service is always partly performance, and one aim of performance is to amuse, entertain, and divert. Neiman-Marcus unabashedly creates extravaganzas to entertain its customers. The decorations are lavish and change frequently. It is not unusual for customers to hear a live musical group perform while they shop. Models displaying the latest fashions meander among customers, taking time to chat.

7. Don't forget what goes on behind the scenes. Neiman-Marcus has always recognized the important connection between how an organization treats its employees and how they, in turn, treat customers. It has carefully nurtured a "culture of pride," and rewards and recognition are lavish. For an organization to put its best face to the customer requires that employees be highly motivated to put out their best effort day after day, month after month. They must, themselves, be satisfied with their experience within the organization — which means that all the internal systems and organizational practices must be tuned to this goal.

Rosabeth Moss Kanter is Class of 1960 Professor of Business Administration at Harvard Business School, specializing in innovation and entrepreneurship.

Copyright © 2000 Executive Excellence Publishing