Personal Shopping and Customer Service

I am quite obsessive about the customer service that many of our “go to” shopping retailers provide. When Elite Image was established in 2007 we had high expectations  about the level of service that we would expect from the retailers that we were working closely with.

After our first 2 years passed, I began to realize why our business was growing so quickly. Retailers were focused on margins and cutting costs as opposed to putting their efforts into training their staff to provide outstanding customer service. As a personal shopper, I can’t tell you how many times my jaw has dropped  during certain shopping excursions. I can only imagine how a regular customer feels trying to navigate through a day of shopping. Actually… I know, as I have heard many times from new clients …its hell!

What happened to Total Customer Service ? It’s hard to find in the retail landscape of Canada. It’s taken quite some time, a lot of negotiating, and building relationships to get Elite Image to where we are today with the service we receive (note: there is still much room for improvements). We work closely with retailers such as Aritzia, Holts, and the Bay. We have contacts with many other mid range retailers such as Jacob, Armani Exchange, Club Monaco, Aldo, Browns, the list goes on. We can shop anywhere!

The reason for all my rambling is simple, Nordstrom. This giant US department store is finally coming to Canada, and I am very excited. Competition is great, it will force many Canadian retailers to focus back on the basics and take a long hard look at the level of service that they are providing to their customers! I have been shopping at Nordstrom when I visit the US for many years, and can honestly say that the level of service that they provide is outstanding.

Stay tuned for a few of my crazy good customer service experiences from Nordstrom, Neiman Marcus and some just plain crazy stories from Elite  Image  shopping excursions in Vancouver.