A popular grocery chain in The Netherlands is implementing a talky approach to customer service that has similarities to those used in some American companies.
For at least the past decade, we’ve all encountered superficial schmooze by a growing number of front-line employees who seem more intent on hearing about our days rather than getting us out the door after purchases and bank transactions.
Look no further than Trader Joe’s, Nordstrom, Best Buy, and Wells Fargo as places where cashiers attempt to uplift us no matter how grouchy or rushed we’re feeling. The tactic is entrenched in their training manuals.
At Jumbo supermarkets throughout Holland, the strategy goes even further. The company is currently introducing special checkout areas tailored specifically to elderly customers in need of human interaction.
The “chat checkouts” (called kletskassas in Dutch) factor into a government program known as “One Against Loneliness.” It is a socially conscious initiative that urges companies and community organizations to help the country’s 1.3 million seniors combat feelings of lonesomeness and depression.
Based on its success in a few stores so far, Jumbo plans on implementing the chat checkouts in nearly 200 more stores in the coming year. They’ll be staffed with seated employees ready to engage generously with consumers who don’t mind being asked how their week is going or what plans they have on tap.
(Lead photo from Google Images)
Love this. Let the chatters go where they can get what they want and the non-chatters more interested in just getting the transaction done do the same. Something for everyone.