1. 68 Better Business Magazine
It's the
little things
that make the difference
CUSTOMER SERVICE
p68-70 Karaline/JM 8/29/03 6:51 AM Page 68

2. S
ERVICE, or lack thereof, 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 here 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 a variety of 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 said.
“I was overwhelmed with the
difference in service and how it affected
our overall wedding planning
experience and began asking why the
bridal registry market was largely
untapped when it came to first rate
service. I began to wonder why and
started thinking about taking this kind
of service to the next level,” she said.
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 said.
The Wedding List Company was
launched in Darlinghurst in Sydney’s
eastern suburbs in July this year,
providing a shopfront service to
bridal couples and their guests, as
well as an on-line facility that is the
first of its kind.
“This will be an enormous benefit for
those couples with overseas or
interstate guests, or even busy local
guests who cannot make it into the
store,” she said.
For Loiterton, the on-line 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.
“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,” she said.
“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.
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.
Better Business Magazine 69
Customer service makes all the difference — as a
customer, how would you like service tailored to suit
you? Jess Blanch looks at a business that built itself
on service from the first day it opened its door.
Upgrade
your service
p68-70 Karaline/JM 8/29/03 6:51 AM Page 69

3. “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 said.
“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 and lifestyle.
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 said.
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 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.”
The feedback Loiterton has received
has been positive – everyone has
commented on how much they
enjoyed the consultation. “In fact”,
says Loiterton, “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.”
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 much marketing as
possible,” she said.
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.” BB
70 Better Business Magazine
CUSTOMER SERVICE
“Another way we add an element of service is by
offering a glass of champagne, tea or coffee to the
couple during their appointment.”
Remember,
customer
satisfaction is
paramount. Word of
mouth and personal
referrals are some of the best
ways to increase your
customer base.
If you give each customer a
little special attention, they
are likely to refer you to
everyone they know.
On the other hand if your
service is less than
satisfactory you may learn
that bad news travels fast
and you could lose potential
customers.
Be aware that your service
is a direct reflection of your
business.
tipstips
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