My dad was a barber; the “old fashioned”, red-pole-outside-the-window type of barber. He left school at 15 and began work in his father’s barbers shop in a small town in North East Scotland. He worked full time until three weeks before he passed away at 83 years of age.
Our family home adjoined his little shop. I can remember the queue of men at 9am and 2pm (after his lunch/nap hour!) waiting for the shop to open and the sound of his customers chatting and laughing. I remember earning pocket money by sweeping the floor on busy Saturdays.
There were times that no cash was exchanged for a haircut. Instead, a bartering system took place; local fishermen would bring fish or prawns, the local butcher would bring a steak or two and farmers would bring potatoes or carrots in exchange for a short back and sides.
My dad ran his little business for almost 50 years. He was proud to say that he had cut the hair of four generations of some local families.
So, what did I learn about customer service from him?
- Be authentic. My dad was a real extravert; a goatee-bearded, larger-than-life, joke-telling, karaoke-singing, watercolour-painting character. He was entirely himself, always. One of his favourite sayings was, “You’re better than no-one and no-one’s better than you”. People responded to him; it wasn’t just a haircut; it was an experience.
- Take a genuine interest in your customers. It seemed that my dad knew the story of everyone in town! He knew who was related to whom, what their previous jobs had been and who was ill or bereaved.
- Go the extra-mile. In his seventies, Dad would still visit the local Nursing Homes to give haircuts to “the old guys” who were unable to come to his shop. I don’t think he saw the irony of a 70-year-old calling them “old guys”. But, then again, he never really was an old guy.
- Don’t price yourself out of the market. Dad’s prices remained low. He could, perhaps, have charged more but he preferred to keep his prices competitive so that his customers would keep coming.
- Get out of your comfort zone to provide great service. I remember once, in the early 1970’s, way before the punk rock era, a young man coming into his shop and requesting a Mohican haircut. My dad was daunted…but created an amazing Mohican! Dad had tried something different and his years of experience had paid off!
- Enjoy what you do. If you love what you do it will come across and the customer experience will be all the better for it. My dad was content; a rare thing in this age of discontent and aspiration. He loved his job and his customers. He loved to chat, to sing and to regale them with his stories and jokes which is why he continued to work long after most people have retired.
- Take pride in what you do. My dad took pride in every haircut he did – right to the end.
- Value every customer. My dad was grateful for, and valued, every customer who entered his shop. They knew that and they kept coming back…year after year…
Julie McDonald
Director of People Solutions
www.whitecubeconsulting.com
