A successful retail store will live or die by the quality of its customer service. Essentially, your customer is at the center of every decision you make from the products you sell the layout of the merchandise. While it’s a bit of a cliché to say that the customer is always right, if you want to secure a bright future for your enterprise, it’s a concept you’re going to need to take to heart and remember on a daily basis. You should be familiar with the basics of smiling and saying please and thank you (hopefully), but if you have recently opened or about to launch a new retail store, here are 5 less obvious customer satisfaction tips to keep in mind.
- Focus on one customer at a time
Even when your store is rammed with people and the phone is ringing, and you have colleagues vying for your attention, the customer in front of you is the most important person in the room. You will have to learn to multi-task, but the customer who has chosen to visit your store should hold your attention.
You may want to say that devoting increased time to one customer may turn the others upset. But, making use of modern technology may work wonders for you. For example, you can use counters from Accubanker for counting money. After all, it’s about reducing time and enhancing performance at the same time.
- Always go above and beyond
Sometimes a customer won’t be able to find exactly what they’re looking for, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that you stop trying. You might be 90% sure that you don’t have the top or shoes in the size they’re after, but you should always make the effort to double-check the storeroom. If you don’t have it, offer to order it in and let them know when it arrives. There may even be a similar item that they might be interested in.
- Streamline checkout
Slow queues, complex layouts, and a rushed checkout experience are going to leave a sour taste in the mouth of your customers. Use signage to direct customers where to pay for their purchases and in which directions they should queue. Touchscreen tills and contactless terminals can also help to speed up the payment process when you are very busy.
- Gather regular customer feedback
If you don’t ask your customers what they are looking for from their retail experience, you will never know. If you don’t know, you can’t expect to meet their needs. There are several ways to get feedback from your customers such as asking them to complete a questionnaire in the store or using a unique code to submit an online survey when they get home. Alternatively, happy-or-not.com specializes in in-store technology which captures real-time customer feedback which you can use to improve customer service.
- Provide employees with a comfortable rest area
Give your employees a break area where they can relax and recharge during their downtime will have a knock-on effect on the shop floor. When employees are feeling positive and energetic, they are more likely to deliver top-quality customer service, especially if their role requires them to be on their feet for long periods of time. Give them some comfortable chairs in a quiet area with some snacks to keep their energy up.
