Good customer service is the goal of businesses everywhere – and one that is notoriously difficult to achieve consistently. I was interested to recently come across a technique used in Tivoli, the amusement park in the center of Copenhagen that is one of my favorite places on earth. This quote is from Meik Wiking (author of The Little Book of Hygge) in his latest book, The Art of Danish Living.

“Around 3,700 people have Tivoli as their workplace during the year….what unites them is that they all follow the same “three-meter rule,” which means you are the CEO of everything within a radius of three meters.”  (That’s about nine feet, for those of us who are metrically challenged.) 

In Disney’s theme parks, employees are taught to acknowledge every guest or coworker within 5 feet of  them with eye contact, a smile, or a friendly “hello.”  That’s a great start, but according to Wiking, Tivoli takes it a bit further. “You also need to solve a guest’s problem, and help keep the gardens clean.  Employees are charged to do what they can when they see a situation that needs rectifying.”

“The three-meter rule is a language tool,” he states. “It is easy to communicate and easy to remember, but it also gives a great sense of empowerment, responsibility, and autonomy. There is no fixed script or manual. How you are a good host to the guests and make them feel welcome is up to you.”

What can you learn from Tivoli’s approach to improve your shop’s customer service? This would be a great topic of conversation for your next staff meeting. Ask each employee to come up with an example of a situation that they handled independently to make your store more welcoming. You can also solicit examples of issues that would have been handled better had the staff member felt empowered to do more. Discuss what policies or other obstacles stand in the way, and how that could change.

The best part of this approach to customer service is that it not only creates a better experience for shoppers, but also helps build your team’s self-esteem and confidence.

Happy Retailing,
Carol “Orange” Schroeder