Small Business

Small details secure a point of difference

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by Peter Switzer

As a customer, how would you like service tailored to suit you? Here’s a business that built itself on service from the first day it opened its door.

Service was the inspiration behind Karaline Loiterton starting her bridal registry business in the first place. After a ‘not so special’ experience with wedding registries herself, she set out to develop a niche small business with a first class feel.

Now her business, The Wedding List Company, is revolutionising the ‘traditional’ bridal registry in Australia and providing a premium package with a focus on customer attention, pleasure and satisfaction.

Wedding registries were not something Loiterton thought about much until it was time to use one herself. Living in London and planning her wedding in Europe, Loiterton experienced different wedding registries and learnt first hand the importance of customer service and how it’s the little things that make all the difference.

“We had many guests coming from Australia and for them my husband and I used an department store in Australia, however, for our European and American guests we used a business in the UK which provided more personalised service,” she says.

“I was overwhelmed with the difference in service and began questioning why the bridal registry market was largely untapped when it came to first rate service. It got me thinking about taking this kind of service to the next level,” she says.

While working as marketing manager for a prestige cosmetics company, Loiterton busied herself in extensive research into the UK and Australian bridal registry market, spending nights and weekends planning and raising capital. Eventually she began taking the big steps to get the concept off the ground.

“I produced a business plan with the help of my husband and raised capital through private investors in the UK who were equally enthusiastic with the concept. I returned to Australia in January this year to start up,” she says.

The Wedding List Company was launched in Darlinghurst in Sydney’s eastern suburbs a few years ago, providing a shopfront service to bridal couples and their guests, as well as an online facility that was one of the first of its kind. It has since grown beyond this first shop.

“This is an enormous benefit for those couples with overseas or interstate guests, or even busy local guests who cannot make it into the store,” she says.

For Loiterton, the online facility was another way to empower all her customers. A visit to the Wedding List Company reinforces that personalised service is Loiterton’s business mantra, and that it has obviously been integrated into every facet of her business.

“I honestly believe in good old fashioned service and do not see why this should not be extended to this industry,” she says. “In retailing there appears to be a trend away from the large malls back to the smaller independent operators on the high streets. People are looking for advice, quality and trust and so are back buying from the local butcher, fruit shop, deli etc.

“A wedding is a very personal thing, you hope that it’s only going to happen once and you want everything to be perfect. It’s the little things along the way that make all the difference.”

Loiterton has invested much time and effort into knowing exactly what it is her customers want. And from the beginning, she has tailored her business to suit their needs.

“We have the ability to offer gifts to suit each individual, spanning everything from kitchenware to silverware, appliances to decoration, art and antiques or wine. There’s an extensive range of gifts on display by trend-setting designers or items that are simply the essence of tradition,” she says.

“There are more and more couples these days who have lived together before they’ve become engaged, and people are marrying later in life than they used to. Their tastes are far more developed and they often have many of those things that have been traditional wedding gifts.”

Loiterton and her team work with couples to compile a wedding list that reflects the couple’s tastes, lifestyle and budget. They aim to ensure the ‘wedding list’ has a sensible range of prices available and advise couples on the appropriate number of gifts for the number of guests they are inviting.

“Our job is to help couples clarify their needs, and also to help their friends and family in selecting wedding gifts. With such a cross section of things to choose from, there are few people who will know exactly what brand and style they will want. In the same way, guests would like advice as to what the couple really wanted,” she says.

And personal attention is in store for all of The Wedding List Company’s customers, even if you’re not actually the bridal couple. “In this way we are as much about the guests as we are about the couple. We want the guests to feel they have bought something they will be remembered for and that they wouldn't have minded buying even if it wasn't on a registry.”

Holding constant attention to the finer details that add to the overall experience, Loiterton has ensured that the experience for her customers is pleasurable and special.

“Another way we add an element of service is by offering a complimentary glass of champagne, tea or coffee to the couple during their appointment. It adds a feeling of indulgence and makes the occasion special. The small touches we hope make The Wedding List Company experience fun, stress-free and a memorable part of wedding preparations,” she says.

The feedback Loiterton has received has been positive – everyone has commented on how much they enjoyed the consultation. “In fact, some couples who had been in department stores to find out how they operated were very pleased with the fact they didn't have to walk around my store and write down all the codes,” Loiterton says.

For Loiterton, customer satisfaction is paramount, particularly at this stage of her business, in an industry that she believes is all about word of mouth and building relationships.

“Most brides choose everything from their dressmaker to their florist through a recommendation. Therefore we are doing our best to make a good impression and building relationships with everyone from the leading caterers, event organisers, photographers and florists to encourage as many referrals as possible,” she says.

Feeling as though she has covered every base when it comes to customer service, Loiterton believes she has research to thank for a lot of this success.

“My research gave me an understanding of my customer, which is really what this is all about. But also it was imperative for me that I was an expert on this market. This is a new industry for me, and the first time I have started a business, therefore it was important my decisions were supported by facts rather than opinions.”

Upgrade your service

Use this checklist to ensure your customers are receiving the best possible service.

Thoroughly research your customers to gauge their needs and wants. Build a profile of the different types of customers you may come across and use this to tailor your service to meet their requirements.
Be an expert on your service and industry. Your customers should be able to look to you and your staff for expert advice.
Add value to your service where you can. It may be as simple as offering a customer a cup of coffee when they visit.
Be predictable. Customers like to know what they should expect. Make sure your service is always of a consistently high standard.
Try to build morale with your regular customers. Everybody enjoys service when they feel it is personal.
Brush up on your communication skills. In today’s busy world many people forget their manners. Customers notice when staff are courteous and pleasant.
Always ask for feedback on your service. If you know your strengths and weaknesses, you have a much better chance of improving your service at large. And don’t think that because there hasn’t been any complaints, that your customers are all happy. You have to ask to find out for sure.

Work on your business, not in it. To learn how, book a complimentary business assessment today with a Switzer Business Coach.

Important information:This content has been prepared without taking account of the objectives, financial situation or needs of any particular individual. It does not constitute formal advice. For this reason, any individual should, before acting, consider the appropriateness of the information, having regard to the individual’s objectives, financial situation and needs and, if necessary, seek appropriate professional advice.

Published on: Thursday, November 26, 2009