I was with a friend who was looking for a new pair of sneakers yesterday at Dick’s Sporting Goods. He found an associate and he told him what he was looking for. The associate escorted him to the Adidas section. My friend picked up a pair and asked if they had them in 11. The associate whipped out his small tablet, scanned the SKU of the shoe, touched 11, said they did and was off. He came back, handed him the shoes and left. As an old shoe dog who put myself through college selling shoes, I was a bit put off. I had expected him to take out the shoes and put them on his feet to make sure they fit. Instead, my friend tried them on alone. Too small. Retail Customer Service Measurement & Success He then waited to catch the eye of the associate. “I guess I need an 11.5.” They too were too small until my friend finally got a size 12. And still not a word of connection between the associate and my friend. Efficient: yes. Friendly: no. Looking at a register right there in the department, my friend asked, “Can I just pay you here?” The associate said, “No, go to any register” and was off. While his attitude was fine, this was not customer service. Yes, he got the shoes and my friend purchased them, but that was it. And while there were Brannock foot-measuring devices scattered under the small benches in is this beautiful store, I didn’t see one associate using them. And on a busy Saturday, most shoppers who were trying on shoes received the same zero customer service. Big miss for such a big store. There's no doubt the retail industry has seen extraordinary changes since I worked the floor two decades ago. Yet one constant remains: You still need to realize the critical importance of great customer service if you want shoppers to return to you for their next purchase instead of going to their smartphones. Now that every prospective customer can shop in the comfort of their own home - or anywhere else - it's imperative that brick and mortar retailers offer something e-commerce outlets can never match... Peerless, human-to-human customer service, from the beginning of the experience to the end.