One of the sessions that I attended at the NRF convention in New York this past week was conducted by McMillan Doolittle where they unveiled their "8 C's Model of Customer Experience." The model included: Clarity, Convenience, Choice, Communication, Cast, Control, Consistency and Connection.

This is a great list, but I can't think of one chain brick and mortar retailer that gets it all right on a consistent basis. But, I'm not going to focus on consistency as I think the biggest challenge is cast and connection. It's relatively easy for the chain retailer to get the other 6 of the 8 C's right through the use of technology, but getting the people, training, and connecting with customers in a meaningful way takes more than a mobile app or a twitter account.

Is Technology the answer?

Technology whose goal is to encourage and enhance personal customer service in the brick & mortar store was nearly non-existent on the show floor. Which begs the question, when you need to deploy a great cast and connect with the customer who makes the effort to visit your stores, is technology the answer? For the most part, I think not. The Container Store was noted as an example of a chain that executes cast well, and I agree. They also do a fabulous job connecting with their customers in their stores. I will tell you that they spend a lot of time and money on selection, training, and creating an environment that encourages personal growth of each employee. Sound a little Kumbayah? Maybe, but when you walk into one of their stores you don't need a mobile app or an augmented reality android to find out about a product or service. You get a real person who knows the products well and can help you with your particular storage problem. Sounds so last century, but it's what their customers expect. What's really interesting is that they sell commodity product at a premium that can be bought from Walmart or any other discounter, but they're doing well and growing.

So instead of spending on sexy tech solutions that ex out the associate and promise to be the silver bullet, brick & mortar needs to invest in their people and technologies that help them create a differentiated experience, build customer loyalty, and most important, sell more product.