Amount of Service

Several products require several amounts of service, & customer service preferences vary. Retailers can offer one of three levels of service-self-service, restricted service, and full service.

Self-service retailers serve customers who are eager to perform their own "locate-compare-select" procedure to save money. Self-service is the basis of all discount operations and is normally used by sellers of convenience goods (like supermarkets) and nationally branded, fast-moving shopping goods (like Service Merchandise or Best Buy).

Limited-service retailers provide extra sales assistance because they perform more shopping goods regarding which customers require information. Their increased operating costs result in higher prices. In full- service retailers, like specialty stores and first-class department stores, salespeople assist customers in each phase of the shopping procedure. Full-service stores typically carry more specialty goods for which customers suppose to be "waited on." They provide more services resulting in much larger operating costs, which are passed along to customers as greater prices.

Customer Service: Why is it Becoming Scarce?

Progressively more, customers complain regarding the poor state of retail customer service. What we expect from retail stores is to obtain the products we want when we want them, where we desire them, and to have them delivered in a pleasingly professional manner at a sensible price. This ideal can be slipping further from our reach.

Unluckily, since the economy improved, retailers found customers balking at paying higher prices for developed service.

In retail service levels, Experts have pointed to a host of other reasons for the drop. Some argue that such type of problems begin at the top. They argue that top executives is responsible for development a culture of customer service frequently do not understand their business or their customers, nor do they have correct ordering procedures or effective employee training programs.