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It’s hard for a small, specialty store like The Tile Shop to compete with huge retailers like The Home Depot or Lowe’s. But while they can’t match them in size, they can build customer loyalty by helping people do great projects.
Here’s how The Tile Shop’s customer service inspires word of mouth:
1. Teaching
2. Tools
3. Tours
1. Teaching
Every Saturday, The Tile Shop holds DIY classes in their stores. Employees show customers how to set floor tile, teach them how to prep for a project, or answer specific questions about advanced topics. These classes are great because they get people back in the store and help them build relationships with The Tile Shop employees. These classes also set their customers up for a big word of mouth motivator in the future: the pride they’ll feel after completing their own tile project.
2. Tools
On their website, The Tile Shop shares tons of videos and PDFs on DIY projects, how to fix common tile problems, and other “handy person guides.” This isn’t just about useful content — it’s about making sharable word of mouth tools. By putting this content in formats that are easy to share, they’re making it easy for their customers to pass along great stuff.
3. Tours
When you step into The Tile Shop, it can be overwhelming. There are rows of different types of tile and showroom-style displays everywhere. To help you figure out where to start, an employee will immediately offer you a tour of the store — every time. That welcome is a great first impression, and it gives customers lots of information about tile and the industry. Since people love to look smart, the more insider information you give your customers, the more likely they are to tell other people about it.
