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Nov 30

Retail Customer Service Definition

Posted on November 30, 2011 by Phil

You have strong feelings that your store should provide good customer service, right? But if you were asked to define the phrase, could you do it?  What is your retail customer service definition?

It’s not as easy as one might imagine is it? In the book titled Discovery-Based Retail  we came up with a retail customer service definition that we believe works quite nicely and if you search to see how many times its quoted on the Internet apparently a lot of people agree.

So here you go, a good succinct retail customer service definition is:

Customer service is the sum of the acts and elements that allow consumers to receive what they need or desire from your retail establishment.

But wait a minute, you might say. By your definition almost everything that comes in contact with the customer would be a part of customer service. Yes, yes, you are right. Customer service is not a single act or interaction and in fact, great customer service can happen with little interaction at all.

Let me give you an example. Our sample shopper parks on a well-maintained safely lit parking area. It is an easy walk for her to enter your store. Upon entry to a nice decompression zone, her eyes adjust to the bright environment you have created. She is short on time and immediately spots the directive signage that you have put in place to make sure that it’s easy for her to find what she wants. She makes her way there, picks up her item(s) and then proceeds to a cash wrap area where she transacts her purchases quickly and conveniently. She makes her way across the clean and safe parking lot we described and she goes on her merry way.

Here’s what just happened.

  1.  It was easy for her to get into your store.                                Customer Service!
  2. There was a decompression zone in which she could adjust.  Customer Service!
  3. The store was well lit inside and out.                                          Customer Service!
  4. You had great signage to direct her to her interest.                 Customer Service!
  5. You made it quick and easy for her to finish her purchases.  Customer Service!

You see by any definition that limits customer service to one on one, all of these important elements are omitted. The truth is that we could compile an almost endless list of elements that would enhance the shopping experience.

So the next time you analyze your customer service use this new retail customer service definition and you’ll probably begin focusing on the customer experience rather than customer service.

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Nov 29

Tips to Increase Retail Sales

Posted on November 29, 2011 by Phil

In a highly competitive holiday market, every store manager is looking for an edge. Here are the three tips to increase retail sales.

1. Create a more festive atmosphere. Although you may view your store as simply a store, given the current economic conditions shoppers will gravitate to the stores that are more “experiential”. Focus on the 5 senses: create visual displays, of course, but don’t forget the small things that appeal visually. E.g. Red bows everywhere. You want shoppers to think that you’ve got the perfect gift. Placing red bows on many items reinforces the theme. Follow the same line of thought through each of the senses. Does you store look, smell, taste, sound and feel (tactile displays) like Christmas?

Here are a couple more tips to increase retail sales.

2. Use “social proof” tags to help with buying decisions. Social proof is the phenomenon that describes something we’ve all experienced. E.g. there are many cars parked at a restaurant and we think “wow, that must be a good place to eat”. Since we assume the collective must be right we pull in and make a buying (dining) decision based on an “invisible recommendation”. Use this same very real normal reaction by placing tags on certain items. E.g. “this is our best seller for boys age 5-8”. Remember that many people shopping will appreciate the guidance and the responsibility of choice that you have removed from their frantic holiday schedule.

3. Spend extra time with your employees to make sure that they all know what is expected of them. It’s a great time to reinforce “suggestive selling”. You might try this: Many clerks react negatively to the thought of “suggestive selling”, so sometimes when we’re working with a sales team we reframe the principal by calling it “actively assisting”.  Something as simple as making sure people have the batteries they need for a toy can save them an additional trip, which they’ll no doubt appreciate. Oh, and by the way, it’ll put more change in the register too. The selling opportunities you have will be finite, make sure that all staff members know that and that each is focused on making every opportunity count! Reinforce this over and over!

Christmas season holds great opportunity! It is a joyous time of year (intended to be anyway). If you have tips to increase retail sales, please share them with us.

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