Footwear Insight

want to build relationships. Especially over the past year where most people have been stuck inside, a welcoming concern on how their overall wellbeing is goes a long way." — Steven Rueda, Sole Provisions "We look at the shoes we sell as simply the byproduct of the experience and knowledge we provide. We make it a priority to get to know our customers, their families, and truly try our best to make their expe- rience one they'll never forget. Over the past year or two, it has [been challenging] to deliver world class service. State and local mandates have made us an easy target for people to get frustrated with... While the disruption has created challenges, simply smiling and remaining kind and friendly to everyone who enters our store, still remains our top priority." — Ted McGreer, Ted's Shoe & Sport "e shoe fitting experience extends beyond what happens in the store — measuring both feet, actively listening to the needs of the customer, analyzing the customer's gait, thoughtfully suggesting appropriate footwear, insoles and shoe care products best suited to that person's individual needs. It extends to how the customer will use and enjoy these products in real life. For us, customer service is about treating every customer like family. Since the pandemic, personalized customer service has become more valuable than ever. To combat the ease and convenience of internet shopping, we make sure that individualized relationships with our customer base are just as notable as the services and products we provide. Amazon and Zappos will never ask how the shoes you purchased worked for that vacation or special event the next time you're there to make a purchase." — Perry Calhoun, e Shoe Market "We always strive to 'Make A Friend,' like our founder, Stan Sajdak always said. Our customer service experience in-store and online remain the same. It continues to be our mission to solve their footwear needs with great product, delivery, education, style tips, in a welcoming environment… Over the last two years, we have had to pivot and find new ways to continue our excellence in customer service. We recently added curbside pick-up, strengthened our online chat, and continued our exceptional online customer service experience to support our brick-and-mortar operation." — Jim Sajdak, Stan's Fit For Your Feet 3. DON'T FORGET THE BASICS "We sit and measure the feet, we carry a good array of sizes and our staff gives their full attention to the customers, or guests, in our store. COVID has impacted the amount of hours we are open, and now we offer a little bit of curbside fitting. We are located in the small downtown of Quakertown (PA) and business is good. Many of the customers grew up getting their shoes from Moyer's Shoes and [we] GOLD MEDAL SERVICE AWARDS FOR OUTSTANDING CUSTOMER SERVICE 2021 Ready to help: Soft Shoe, Richmond, KY. Solving your footwear needs: Stan's Fit For Your Feet, Brookfield, WI. ese nine stores have been a model of consistency — earning Footwear Insight's Gold Medal Service Award for Customer Service every single year that we have held the awards since the program launched in 2015. Comfort One Shoes Fredericksburg, MD Miroballi Shoes Orland Park, IL Schuler Shoes West Roseville, MN Stan's Fit For Your Feet Brookfield, WI The Foot Spot Leawood, KS Tops For Shoes Asheville, NC Turnpike Comfort Footwear Fresh Meadows, NY Valley Sole Huntsville, AL Woldruff's Footwear Goshen, IN footwearinsight.com November/December 2021 ~ Footwear Insight • 29 CONSISTENTLY CONSISTENT

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