Page 160 - BWM March 2013

160 | Business World Magazine | March 2013
act together as employees,” says Schuler. “But
customer service is one thing to say, and a lot
say it, but it is another thing to actually do
it.” At Schuler Shoes, service connotes to
“bending over backward to make sure ev-
eryone is happy.” For example, Schuler says
early-on, it was determined that a simple re-
turn policy was insufficient. “We had to get
something more concrete,” he says, and this
led to an unwavering philosophy to focus on
customer satisfaction at any cost. “If custom-
ers wants to return their shoes, we appreciate
it if they are returned within thirty days, in
the original box, but there are always excep-
tions,” Schuler. “We’ve had customers return
shoes after six months, and we may not like
it, but if the customer isn’t happy with the
shoes, we’re going to take them back.”
Schuler, who sold shoes on the floor for
years before and after he became owner,
says nothing good ever comes from having a
confrontation with a customer. “It’s just not
worth it, and I have told that to staff, con-
frontations are not worth the stress.” To that
point, Schuler says the store’s overarching
mandate is ensuring customers are satisfied,
so even if a customer returns long after the
point of purchase, if the customer isn’t hap-