By Jane Laskey
jlaskey@stcloudtimes.com

Every day, consumers are faced with a deluge of sales, giveaways and marketing gimmicks, all designed to part them from their money.

But it's a tough sell, especially this year. According to a December Gallup Poll, Americans are planning to spend 20 percent less than last year.

"We had to change quite a few things to be able to grow the number of people coming in our door," Facelogic owner Cindy Hennen said. "Things that worked when things were flourishing don't necessarily work when people are holding on tight to the money they have in their pockets."

With intense competition for customers, companies are trying to stand out.

The answer for many area businesses is renewed commitment to customer service. At Facelogic in Waite Park, Hennen uses secret shoppers, customer feedback forms and quality reviews to make sure customers are having a great experience.

"People have a lot of choices about where they're going to spend their money. I'm fortunate that I have a great group of people working (at Facelogic) that realize there isn't a choice in this," Hennen said. "We have to provide great customer service. There're no ifs, ands or buts."

Hennen's strategy is paying off. Despite the recession, business is up 25 percent over last year.

Simple gestures

Sometimes the simplest gestures mean the most. A friendly smile can make customers feel at home, while a curt response may send them racing for the door, never to return.

"Good customer service is huge to me," Kathy Sullivan said. "I yearn for the days when clerks would say 'thank you' rather than giving you your bag and saying, 'Here you go.' "

Sullivan, a Sartell resident, rewards great service with loyalty, frequently returning to companies that treat her right. She's been a loyal customer at Gateway Tire & Auto in Waite Park for years.

"They're the kind of people that, when you walk in, they remember your name," Sullivan said. "I don't even price compare because if you walk in the door and they remember and use your name, I'm going there."

That message isn't wasted on Linda Feuling, co-owner of nine Westside Liquor stores in Central Minnesota.

"We want every single person that walks in that door to be greeted when they come in and thanked when they leave. That's important in any economy."

Feuling wants patrons to have a "delightful" experience. That could mean carrying customers' purchases to their car or going the extra mile to locate a customer request.

"People can go to any liquor store in town. So everybody has to be willing to take that extra step right now. The bottom line is customer service is our No. 1 thing," Feuling said.

Good customer service can be surprisingly hard to find. Scott Widor, general manager of MaxWireless in St. Cloud, said many companies have forgotten the customer is the reason they're in business.

"It gets back to herding cattle. They just want to get them in and out," Widor said. "That's not how people around here want to be treated. They want to work with people who are genuinely interested in helping them out."

"It's that face-to-face connection," Troy Gunderson said. "Having somebody you know you can talk to and say 'Here's my issue, can you help me?' is a whole lot different than somebody in another country or seven states away who has no clue who you are."

Gunderson is a Waite Park resident and a MaxWireless customer. His experience is an example of how good customer service can transform a problem into a promotion.

When Gunderson had difficulty getting a MaxWireless product to work on his computer, MaxWireless tested the computer and determined its product was not the issue. Despite that fact, they spent hours running diagnostics and fixing the problem at no cost to Gunderson.

"Instead of saying, 'This isn't my problem,' they're saying, 'Maybe it's not our problem, but we'll make it our problem to make your experience the best that it can be," Gunderson said.

Now Gunderson is singing the business's praises to anyone who'll listen, providing priceless word-of-mouth advertising for the company. He has already referred three customers.

According to Widor, that kind of response is the reason customer service is a priority.

"It's an expectation around here that we will do everything we can within reason and sometimes beyond reason," Widor said. "Troy's case is probably going a little beyond what is reasonable, but look at the results. "He's telling everyone he sees about his experience, and he will probably be a customer for life."

Going the extra mile

Sonia Hessler, a salesperson at St. Cloud Hyundai, is constantly asking her contacts how she can serve them better.

"They told me they're all so busy, they want someone who will value their time," Hessler said. "They suggested I bring the vehicle to them."

Hessler has made the suggestion a regular part of her service, volunteering to deliver cars to customers' homes and workplaces so they can save time while they test drive vehicles.

In November, she drove a 2009 Hyundai Sante Fe to Willmar so Laurie Ortega could take it for a spin on her lunch hour.

"When I told her I'd drive it to her, she was completely happy and flabbergasted," Hessler said. "Her co-workers came out to see it and they got excited about it, too. She ended up purchasing the vehicle."

"I've bought a lot of cars in my day. This was the first dealership that actually offered to bring a car to me," Ortega said. "I was very happy with the dealership and would recommend it to anyone whose looking to buy a new car."

For Hessler, the drive would have been worthwhile even if Ortega hadn't bought the car.

"If they decide to buy another car, I've still built a relationship with them. In the car industry, they say 78 percent of people buy from salespeople because they like them and trust them," Hessler said. "They're probably going to think of me the next time they buy a vehicle."