ACME Follow Up Fuel Program Disappointment

Last week I talked about my favorite grocery store and their new fuel program in the post Is Acme Measuring Customer Service.  Thought I’d follow up with a few new developments:

1.  I went grocery shopping again yesterday (because it seems there is always something we need to purchase) and I asked the cashier what kind of feedback she was experiencing with the new fuel program.  “Customers are upset,” she told me.  They don’t understand how it works.  I jokingly said “Well, it makes sense that you would get all of the flak considering you are the one who developed the program.”  She looked at me for a beat and then burst out laughing.  “Yeah, that’s right – it was all my doing.” 

• When we develop a new program that affects our customers – do we consider the fact that it will be the hourly employees that will have to explain, defend or take the guff for the change? 
• What training do we provide to help our hourly employees deal with the questions and concerns of a new program? 
• Do we ask the opinion of our hourly employees before we make a major change that will affect both the customers and the front line staff?  I’m just asking.

2.  Last night I was talking to my best friend and we were comparing the price of milk and who had the best price (with growing male teens we both go through a lot of milk) and I asked what she thought of the new fuel program.  She is also a fan of Acme.  “I can’t figure it out,” she said.  I explained that I had finally learned that you only get fuel points/cents when you purchase one of the private label items that Acme sells – and not on all of those.  She said “I have 20 cents accumulated.”  I explained that her benefit was not 20 cents per gallon – but merely 20 cents.  “Oh – guess it will take a long time for it to mean anything to me.”

So where is the value in the program?  I guess the lesson we can learn is this:

• When making a change or developing a new program/service – we need to ask the opinion of our front line staff and our valued customers.  Whether we use what they say or not – we may be surprised by what we learn.
• We need to develop and provide training to help our associates adequately understand the “why” behind the change and how to effectively communicate the new program to customers.  Also how to answer questions without referring them to a wordy brochure or a 1-800 – number.
• We need to make sure the program we are providing offers a value that the customer sees as important.  We may develop a program so that we can be competitive – but if the program doesn’t appear to offer a value to our customers we might as well not even bother.