Footwear Insight

GOLD MEDAL SERVICE AWARDS FOR OUTSTANDING CUSTOMER SERVICE 2022 36 • Footwear Insight ~ November/December 2022 footwearinsight.com fit the special person in front of you quickly and effectively. Wouldn't it be a nightmare to suggest a shoe on the floor that you know would work but then you get back to the stock room only to find it's gone already? Educate and be honest. People come in all day asking for the 'wrongest' shoe for them. I'm willing to lose the sale in order to protect the health of the customer and this seems to result in a longer relationship. Hugs and handshakes to all the salespeople on the floor that have customers use their time, expertise and energy only for the 'deadbeat showroomer' to walk out on you. Don't let this make you rude or mediocre. Leave that to big box and multi door chains." — Alex Maltezos, Tenni-Moc's Shoe Store "We are all about old fashioned customer service. We take our time with each and every customer. We show the customer what we think is the best combination of shoes and orthotics for them, their feet and their lifestyle. If we get push-back on the fit ("slips in my heel"), we do our best to educate the customer on the normality of this in a new shoe and that what is integral to a comfortable shoe is getting key parts of the foot lined up properly in the shoe. We really try to convey that we are pro- fessionals (pedorthists, certified therapeutic shoe fitters) and that we are a trusted voice. We will oen find that the customers are at ease and much of their shoe buying anxiety is alleviated once we begin listening to them, their aches/pains and they see that we know what we're doing. I can't count how many times I have heard a customer express relief that they found a shoe store that measures their feet, puts the shoes on them and educates them along the way. People have become so accustomed to self-serve big box stores that they find considerable relief in simply finding a store that will 'fit' them." — Matthew Gold, Comfort Plus Shoes "What's the secret to customer service? e secret is that there isn't one. We just treat everyone the way we'd want to be treated. Imagine you're in pain and you've gone through countless pairs of shoes trying to find a solution. Any time you've brought your problem to a big box store in the past, you've watched the associate's eyes gloss over, and you're pointed in the direction of the Dr. Scholl's inserts, which only provide temporary relief. We know how hard (and expensive) it can be to sort through all the options until you find the right one. So, we bring empathy to the sales floor, and we listen to you to try to work through the problem together. We're honest about what we can and can't accomplish, and we give as much time as it takes so that when you walk out of the store, you know you have the best fit for your feet. We try to live up to our mission — to improve people's walk through life, and we believe that it starts with compassion." — Lauren Klapper, Shoe Fly "Our customer service secret is very simple — listen to the customer's wants and needs, be patient and friendly. Be honest, tell them if a shoe is good for them or not. We also strive to build a relationship with our customers. Do not forget the basics." — Rick Baggett, Cartan's Shoes "As we all well know, you can run a shoe store many different ways even within the comfort shoe game. Chiappetta Shoes has been in business for 101 years with Pedorthics at the heart of our offering. Being able to solve a foot problem with proper mechanics and the right product has kept our business going strong for over a century. Whether we are in a recession or an economic boom, foot pain doesn't stop so THE FRESHMAN CLASS This year, 22 stores have been named Gold Medal Service Award winners for the first time. Congratulations to the honorees! Birkenstock Midtown Sacramento, CA Carl's Shoes Moorestown, NJ Cartan's Shoes Fort Worth, TX Earth Walk Flowood, MS Foot Solutions Orange Park Orange Park, FL Foot Solutions Scottsdale Scottsdale, AZ Hudson's Shoes Twin Falls, ID Kaufman Shoes Memphis, TN Mark Adrian Shoes Gloucester, MA Murray's Shoes Littleton, CO Plaza Shoe Store Springfield, MO Red's Shoe Barn Plaistow, NH SHOES-n-FEET Bellevue, WA Shoe Fitters Albuquerque, NM Snyder's Shoes Ludington, MI Sole Desire Shoes Sacramento, CA Tenni-Moc's Shoe Store Long Beach, CA e Walk Shop Berkeley, CA Tradehome Shoes Fort Wayne, IN Treads 'n' reads Gunnison, CO Village Bootery Stuart, FL Walker's Shoe Center Lancaster, OH Shoe Fly is a Pennsylvania mainstay.

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