Everyone is there to support a sale
Gordon Segal, founder and former CEO of Crate and Barrel, has the belief that each person in the corporation is there to support a sale in the store. Think about that for a second. When he says each person he isn’t just talking about the stockroom and people wearing the iconic black aprons. He’s also thinking about those designers and programmers at the corporate headquarters.
I was a designer at Crate and Barrel before 37signals. In fact, I was there for 7.5 years which is like 14 internet years right? Before Crate I was working the rounds for several years at interactive agencies during the boom times of the late 90’s. I bring this up because I worked really hard to develop skills and experience to escape those minimum wage retail jobs.
A humbling experience
Human Resources said that I had to work for 2 weeks at a retail store when I was first hired as a Graphic Designer. I thought to myself, “Bullshit!” They want to pay me a to work in a retail store? I want to start designing and making all the great things I’ve been dreaming about during the interview process! Note that I wouldn’t get to see my desk at the corporate headquarters for 2 weeks either.
I started my first day as a Graphic Designer at the North and Clybourn retail store in Chicago — complete with khakis and black apron. It was an incredible and humbling experience. I was completely out of my element. My world was MacOS not walking the floor chatting with customers. If you’re ever been in a Crate and Barrel store you’ll know that they’re wonderful to browse yet terrible to find things quickly for a high maintenance customer.
During those 2 weeks in the store I worked in every department: Kitchenwares, Furniture, Basics (everyday stuff), Dinnerware, etc. I saw a customer try to return a set of glasses he actually bought from Target. I saw happy engaged couples zapping merchandise around the store to put on their gift registry. I saw a furniture salesperson make a $20,000 sale in a few minutes. I was seeing how the business was run on the front lines, in the trenches, out of my element.
On being a better Designer
When I was in college I believed that Design can change the world. I still believe that, but I’ve become more of a pragmatist. Let’s face it, most designers out there design something to sell something else.
You can be a better designer by copying someone’s style or reading design theory books. I, however, believe the best way to be a better designer is to be on the front lines, in the trenches. Graphic Design at its basest level is to communicate something visually. The best way to communicate something better is to understand what customers need or what they’re looking for.
When I was at the Crate and Barrel store helping a woman find a set of drinking glasses I had a short conversation with her about what sort of glasses she was interested in. There are so many glasses at the Crate. In this 5 minute conversation I helped her hone in on the right glasses. Making this one $9.99 sale taught me loads more than a graphic design book had ever done. I remembered this later as I designed the UI for the website.
Customer service and support
Recently we’ve really locked in our customer support workflow here at 37signals. It’s really easy for anyone to jump in and start interacting with customers — answering their questions and helping them in times of desperation. All of the designers (Jason and David too!) are starting to interact directly with our customers. I dig that.
I know that the more sales questions I answer the better designer I’ll be. I’m on the front lines and in the trenches.
Kyle Murphy
on 25 Feb 11If you can’t feel the pain yourself, how can you ever truly help cure it?
I loved this post, Jamie.
We have the same philosophy at our company: put everyone on the road in sales situations and help our team develop empathy over the phone on support calls.
Jason Wilson
on 25 Feb 11I think it’s Jeffrey Fox who says, the only reason for businesses (or any organization) to exist is to get and keep customers. That’s it. You’re either getting customers or keeping them.
Rob H
on 25 Feb 11Hi Jamie, Sound like C&B took a page right out of Zappos, by having you work on the floor. I can tell you from my own past experience of working for C&B during the Segal era, that practice of having corporate employees work at retail didn’t exist.
It makes sense that you’d want all your employees to get a better understanding of what your customers experience in their stores. The interactions offline can lead to greater understanding of user needs and help you design a better UX online.
Nice post! -R
Anonymous Coward
on 25 Feb 11Hi Jamie, Sound like C&B took a page right out of Zappos, by having you work on the floor.
Or the other way around. C&B as been around for decades.
Iain K MacLeod
on 25 Feb 11Wouldn‘t it be the other way around? Working at a non-internet company for 7.5 years would be like working at an internet company for 3.25 years.
JD
on 25 Feb 11Iain, maybe. Either way it was not a great joke. :P
Jason M Klug
on 25 Feb 11Excellent post! Nothing cures “head in the ether” design like knowing the specific, front-line, real-world business problems you’re trying to solve with your work.
Jason Wietholter
on 25 Feb 11C&B nailed it and you guys are too. When it’s all said and done, serving a customer is all about solving their problems. You solved it through helping the customer find the right glass. Graphic design is just an extension of that, but the principal is still the same.
Austin Dillman
on 25 Feb 11I’m a graphic designer and manage paid search marketing for a software company and benefit from taking sales and support calls everyday. What better way to understand your target audience than to actually speak to them? It helps me in both my design and marketing efforts.
A prior company I worked for requires all new hires, regardless of your position, to sit in on customer service calls. I think it’s a great practice for any business.
Joe
on 25 Feb 11Congratulations. You’ve just described user-centered design and to some extent design research.
foljs
on 26 Feb 11Gordon Segal, founder and former CEO of Crate and Barrel, has the belief that each person in the corporation is there to support a sale in the store. Think about that for a second. When he says each person he isn’t just talking about the stockroom and people wearing the iconic black aprons. He’s also thinking about those designers and programmers at the corporate headquarters.
Such deep insight.
Eddie Colbeth
on 27 Feb 11Great stuff! Pushing decisions as close to the customer as possible is one of the key’s to delighting customers. Once your removed a few degree’s from customers things get foggy.
Garrison Everest
on 01 Mar 11I agree, the more you know about your customer (target) the more insight you have in reaching them via design.
Benjamin Rodde
on 01 Mar 11Thank you for sharing your perspective on other fonctions than UX!
I’d love to know more about the kind of framework and tools you have put in place to enable almost anyone to directly interact with customers issues.
Thanks,
Paul
on 03 Mar 11During college, I worked at The Container Store. It was a very good job with a company which respected its employees and cross-trained them as many ways as possible. While I was in Visual Sales (stocking shelves, setting up displays) I was able to handle customer service and registers totally fine.
As an inverse to the Crate & Barrel story, TCS’s founders and C-level execs at the time would routinely come to stores and work. Not sit in an office and just do meetings with managers – they’d be out there stocking shelves, ringing up customers, and loading purchases into cars. One of my friends worked alongside one of the founders as they were unloading a truck at 5am. He just got in there and worked.
I really like it when it runs both ways.
This discussion is closed.