Retail Leadership – Five Tips for Encouraging Great Customer Service
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As retail training consultants we are often asked by our clients and others about how to improve their customer’s experience and loyalty. Often, the key lies in how you build relationships with your team members – after all, your employees are your customers!
Here are five tips for building a culture that focuses on customers.
1. Play Fair– Happy team members treat their customers better than those who are unhappy. So make sure that you are treating your employees with the same level of respect that you want them to treat your customers. Greet them with a smile, encourage laughter, and give compliments when it makes sense.
2. Build Trust– Share information about the Company and ask your team members for input. Work alongside of your team members to better understand what they do. Show them the right way to work with customers and then empower them to make great decisions.
3. Develop People– You can lay the groundwork by providing retail customer service training, product training and sales training, but just as important is working side-by-side with your team members on the floor. That allows you to provide timely feedback and coaching while learning about their daily challenges.
4. Lead by Example– Many retail employees feel that their managers are disconnected from their day-to-day challenges – and in many cases they are right. Even if you are a senior leader you should work the floor on occasion. It creates a bond with your team members, lets you learn from them and lets them see you doing it right!
5. Stay Focused on Customer– All too often we find that retailers have gotten lots in the weeds. They develop policies that are designed to protect the Company in every contingency. This includes refund/exchanges, bringing strollers in the store, bag checks and more. It is important to protect the assets, but you cannot forget your most important asset…the customer.
Are you looking for ways to improve your retail business? If so, contact us for a free one-hour consultation and let us develop a retail training plan for you!