Home Depot Customer Training Case Study

(The Home Depot, Inc, 2006) Customer service at home depot is one of the most important priorities. What better than enhancing customer service than providing a small coffee shop in the store for our early risers? The benefits of this service will make it convenient. Most of The Home Depot early risers are contractors who purchase their materials early to start their projects for the day. Having a small coffee shop in the location will save the customer time by not having to stop elsewhere for a quick breakfast before a long day at work.

One of the differentiating factors of Home Depot was that it incorporated within its members a major aversion to any kind of beauracracy and hierarchy. It was a usual practice at the stores to ignore all kind of paperwork that was sent to them by the headquarters. They undervalued such directives to the extent that they would throw these papers in the waste basket or mark them with “BS” stamp and send it back to the headquarters. They believed that all this was a waste of time of the managers and they had more important things to address to at their stores, the most important of them being : satisfying the

The Home Depot mission statement reads as follows: “The Home Depot is in the home improvement business and our goal is to provide the highest level of service, the broadest selection of products and the most competitive prices. We are a values-driven company and our eight values include the following: excellent customer service, taking care of our people, giving back, doing the “right” things, creating shareholder value, respect for all people, entrepreneurial spirit, and building strong relationships.”

The Home Depot’s two main customers are at home “do-it-yourselfers” and contractors. The main products and services offered help solve the wants and needs of customers involved with home construction and maintenance,

Home Depot is the fastest growing retailer in the U.S. by some accounts. It has a fascinating history of innovation and entrepreneurship. The company had some difficulties in the mid-2000s that some attribute to cultural clashes. However, during this period the company was able to take full advantage of the housing boom. Yet when the bubble burst, Home Depot was forced to claim substantial losses. Despite these loses Home Depot has weathered the storm fairly well and is in prime position to take advantage of an economic recovery; if it ever comes.

The Home Depot knows how important it is to have knowledgeable employees on hand at all times, in fact, it is one of their main goals and they focus on it consistently. According to The Home Depot (2003-2010 Homer TLC, Inc),”The Home Depot’s goal is to help customers create the home of their dreams whether they want to do it themselves or have it done for them” (para 4). This gives them an advantage because they believe in well trained employees who are very knowledgeable and able to help customers on the sales floor. They set up training programs for all employees where they learn basic information and may also specialize in an area, for example, bathrooms, and an employee will be able to inform a customer about everything there is to know about bathrooms and remodeling them or such. The Home Depot offers and encourages extensive training programs to stay above the competition and keep well knowledgeable employees. The Home Depot (2003-2010 Homer TLC, Inc) website also states that for most people, their home is their biggest financial and emotional investment they make. The Home Depot really takes that to heart and shows deep appreciate for their customers by offering many “How-To” and

Lowe’s also offers several development opportunities and resources through the company’s Generous Tuition Reimbursement Program, Certified CPE course offerings, Management Development programs through the Lowe’s Leadership Institute, and skill and competence development courses (“Learning and Developing”, n.d.). The Home Depot continues to give raises, bonuses, and develop and promote employees with good work ethics. Home Depot typically promotes from within the company.

Advocate: Home Depot’s corporate leadership, project sponsors and store leadership will also be responsible that the change process goes smoothly and that the store associates have all the tools they need to succeed in this change.

Home Depot strives to provide the highest quality service to its customers. Home Depot achieves this by hiring professionals such as, carpenters, plumbers, and paint specialists. These experts are invaluable resources for less knowledgeable customers looking for a certain product or working on a new project. The Home Depot staff can help customers pick out larger and more difficult items such as showers, vinyl siding, carpet, appliances, and plumbing. After the purchase, Home Depot will have the items delivered and installed in the customer’s home. Home Depot’s focus on “product authority” is one of the main and drivers for the company’s high quality service.

Bernie Marcus and Arthur Blank founded Home Depot Corp in 1978 (The Home Depot, 2013). The business created strategic product analysis providing an assortment of items to consumers. From the beginning, workers have been able to deliver superior customer satisfaction in the business, helping consumers with jobs such as handling power tools, changing out parts on appliances, laying tile, etc. The Home Depot employees all underwent arduous training to familiarize each employee with products. In addition, the business began hosting workshops to teach consumers on how to do things themselves.

Home Depot was founded in 1978 by Bernie Marcus and Arthur Blank. These founders envisioned providing one-stop shopping for the “do-it-yourselfer,” and this vision became a reality after working with investment banker Ken Lagone and merchandising expert, Pat Farrah. The first two stores were opened on June 22, 1979, in Atlanta, GA. These first stores were approximately 60,000 square feet in size each, and stocked 25,000 products, which made the stores drastically larger than any competitor or hardware store at that time. In addition to offering more products than competitors, store associates were also expected to offer the best customer service in the industry. Associates at

Home Depot is the world's largest home improvement retailer operating in 45 states, Canada, Chili and Puerto Rico. Home Depot stores aim to serve both do-it-yourselfers and professional contractors with home improvement superstores carrying between 40,000 and 50,000 different products. Home Depot has also been listed as one of Fortune's most admired specialty retailers for the past six years. In order for companies to succeed in the competitive current marketplace they must consider not only the bottom line and their investors but also their impacts on the community, their employees, and their customers. Home Depot was founded on the idea that treating employees well is an important responsibility. Home Depot believes employees that are

Home Depot’s most important resource is their brand name and image. The company has long relied on repeat business and customer loyalty. Home Depot has created a brand that many people associate with top quality products and American

Changing Home Depot culture to restore its reputation by provides the best customer service. First, I would make sure the team members have a retail background and then we will plan together ideas how to implement the change. We will look at a few complaints from the customers to see what we are lacking and then begin reshaping the vision. Initially we will start out with having the store clean, the aisles are fully stocked, stock room are organized, salesperson for each aisles and a monthly training for employees on customer service relationship followed by a quiz. Finally, a monthly meeting with the team members to review any comments from customers to see if there are improvement and how the changes are being developed. As customer

A strong foundation for success and growth was already in place in Home Depot under Marcus leadership. The company demonstrated a very strong culture, built on entrepreneurialism and customer service. Abundant promotion opportunities were created due to rapid growth attracting carpenters, plumbers and other building professionals as salespeople. Most of the non-entry-level jobs were filled internally, and from the 400 department heads, just a dozen came from outside the company. Additionally, employee stock