Service Departments Are a Necessity for Jewellery Retailers

It's ever so easy for us as jewellery retailers to bow, courtesy and roll out the red carpet for people we think are potential buyers at our retail outlets, but why do we make people feel so ill-at-ease when they walk in with jewellery that needs servicing, repairs, resizing, etc, and especially so if the jewellery is not a product of our store?

Customers today are very well-informed, and they realise that jewellery retailers are most often willing to polish their old jewellery because of the small amount of precious metal dust that is a by-product of the polishing process. They accept this as “unavoidable” , but, imagine how we as jewellery retailers must irk walk-in customers when we are willing to carry out a service that is profitable for us, but not other services they need of us because they are not as profitable. It's time we realise how heavily a refusal to help with jewellery servicing requests costs us in terms of customer-relations and future revenue.

That we need to go that extra length and offer complete servicing for jewellery repairs, is a given. Here's how you, as jewellery retailers, can start:

Far from Shunning, Publisize Jewellery Repair Services: Anyone who owns a piece of jewellery would be a potential customer at your store. Why not look at people in need of jewellery repairs as a peripheral target audience. Even go so far as to advertise your willingness to undertake jewellery servicing. This will get a lot of people into your store, and will guarantee many on-the-spot sales, and a lot of brand recall for future sales. Posters outside your store will help you connect with many neighbouring residents.

Invest in Jewellery Servicing Machinery: If your store is large enough, it would be a good idea to invest in at least some basic servicing equipment. That way, you can offer quick services, and perhaps more importantly, your salespeople will have a chance to work their charm on your sales-prospects while they wait. Even if you do not have the space for servicing machinery, make arrangements to send the jewellery to your workshop, or if you outsource the manufacturing process, strike a deal with even just one trusted jewellery-maker near each store, to whom you can pass on the servicing job. There's every likelihood that customers will be more than willing to pay the small servicing costs involved.

Always, Say "Yes, But" and Not "No":  It's so much nicer for your customers to hear "Yes, we can undertake this service for you, but, this is what it will involve" rather than "no we don't do that". Always be ready to pick up the phone and find out who in the organisation will be able to get the job done. Whether it's a necklace that's twisting around when worn because of a wrong choice of links; Someone who wants a family heirloom resized or reworked?; A clasp broken on a small piece of jewellery; or really any other conceivable scenario, customers of our industry deserve easy access to services that we can only so easily offer them.

Making the small time and money investments needed to offer jewellery repair services, will not only help you build on relationships with your existing customer-base, it will get many new potential customers to your store. It will also create a wonderful brand experience and ultimately build a very positive brand image. Let's get started!