As we grow used to running a business with hundreds of decisions being taken every day, it is easy to allow standards to drop. This applies to service standards, greeting of customers, forgetting to smile, merchandise presentation standards, window displays, music in store and the list goes on.

We become creatures of habit and ‘store blind’ and so accept things that are below the best. How often don’t we say to ourselves, or worse, to others. “that’ll do”. This implies that it can be done better but to be honest, you are accepting and tolerating a lower standard.

When one sets out to be the best, that recipe includes every facet that the customer either sees, feels or experiences. As the future of retail gets tougher, in possibly a smaller post-Covid-19 market, customers are going to have more choice and successful retailers lift their game, in all aspects of running the business, as they move from survive to thrive.

There are many current predictions that consumers are going to be more cautious in their spending decisions.

Good business leaders actively work to reduce apathy in an effort to increase “employee engagement” because once apathy sets in, individuals become “disengaged” or even “unengaged” at work having a direct effect on the bottom line.

Let’s think about this in your world? Take a minute to think about the last couple of days at work.  When did you show a degree of disinterest, lack of enthusiasm or even negativity?

“ The greatest danger to our future is apathy.”

– Jane Goodall

Jeff Bezos, founder of Amazon, possibly the most successful retailer in the last decade, continuously fights apathy with daily statements like: “The most important single thing is to focus obsessively on the customer. Our goal is to be earth’s most customer-centric company.”

And in the post-Covid-19 world he believes that one of the most important changes to the new normal is how you use your time: “In the old world, you devoted 30% of your time to building a great service and 70 per cent of your time to shouting about it. In the new world, that inverts.”

There is no time when this will be truer than in the months ahead. If we think of our business in a “that’ll do” manner chances are your business will miss out on great opportunities that lie ahead.

There are many Australian businesses that are continually striving to do things better and those are the ones that will survive and thrive in the future, whatever the macro-economic situation.

Peter Sheppard is head of implementation at Retail Doctor Group.