Now that they can easily benefit from the convenience of online shopping, many customers will turn to e-commerce stores for their purchases. But an equally sizable number will still prefer the warmth and immediacy of physical stores, and will actively shop at brick-and-mortar retail stores if it means that human staff members can assist them face to face.
The onus is on small- and medium-sized enterprise (SME) and startup owners with physical retail stores to deliver value-added services and exceptional customer experience to satisfy shoppers who make the effort to leave their homes. As a retailer who still does brick-and-mortar operations, one thing you can do is train your staff to be able to meet these customers’ expectations.
Let’s take a look at the benefits of investing in training for your staff, plus some practical tips for helping them deliver the best possible in-store retail experience to your customers:
The Benefits of Proper Staff Training
1. Increased productivity
Staff that are exhaustively trained to deliver an improved in-store experience to your customers will become both more productive and more efficient when manning your counters. They should be upskilled in the use of new technologies at the point of sale (POS), for example the Maya POS terminal for retail businesses based in the Philippines, and brush up on best practices for reducing bottlenecks and entertaining waiting customers. Their improved efficiency can lead to shorter wait times, increased customer satisfaction, and ultimately, higher sales for your retail store.
2. Boosted employee confidence and morale
An often-underestimated aspect of staff training is its positive impact on employee confidence and morale. If your team members feel well-equipped to handle their roles, they’ll be able to trust their competence and replicate their good performance consistently. This, in turn, will boost their job satisfaction and leave you in charge of a happier and more engaged workforce.
3. Improved employee retention
Employee turnover can be a significant challenge for many businesses, including those involved in an industry as complex and demanding as retail. Proper training helps staff see a clear path for growth and development within the company, and when your employees feel valued and worth your investment, they’re more likely to stay with your organization. As a result, costs and disruptions associated with high turnover rates will be reduced, ensuring that you have good staff manning your store for the long term.
A Guide To Training Your Staff For The Best Customer Service Delivery
1. Establish a customer-centric culture
First, instill in your staff the importance of prioritizing customer satisfaction. A customer-centric culture should be at the heart of any of your training efforts. In order to achieve this, encourage your team to create a welcoming and friendly atmosphere in your store that leaves customers with a positive impression.
Creating a customer-centric culture should start from the very beginning of a new employee’s orientation and training. To effectively demonstrate proper customer interaction and show your brand’s way of doing things, senior members of your staff can supervise newer staff and let the latter learn the ropes.
2. Facilitate updated product and process training
One of the cornerstones of an exceptional in-store retail experience is your team’s overall product and process knowledge. Your staff should be well-versed in the products or services your store offers; for instance, if your store is anticipating any new arrivals, your employees should be kept in the loop. In terms of upgrading processes, such as the installation of a new Maya Terminal to accommodate credit card payments and other cashless transactions, your staff should be trained to confidently use the new portable device.
While some of your product training sessions may be done online, it’s always better to have in-person training so that staff can gain firsthand knowledge about a product’s features and benefits. Likewise, hands-on demos of new technologies like the Maya Terminal will help your staff become proficient with your improved processes at the rate you need them to be.
3. Develop your staff’s communication skills
Effective in-store communication is key to building strong customer relationships. Train your staff to communicate clearly and actively listen to customers who visit your physical store. Moreover, encourage them to ask open-ended questions to better understand your customers’ needs and preferences. Friendly and informative conversations can do a lot to enhance your customers’ shopping experience and make their visit to your brick-and-mortar store seem more worthwhile.
Your staff can improve their communication skills by learning techniques on various e-learning platforms or within the walls of your retail business’s headquarters. Better still, new staff can shadow senior employees and listen to how they deal with customers during each face-to-face interaction.
4. Let your staff practice their problem-solving skills
You should also allow your staff to improve upon and flex their problem-solving skills. They should be ready to handle customer issues professionally and find solutions in an efficient manner. The goal is to empower your staff to make decisions and resolve issues on their own whenever possible, which will make them more proactive about your customers’ satisfaction.
One of the best training techniques for this goal is learning through role-playing or simulations. Start with low-stakes training that won’t get in the way of your store’s operations. Your staff can be given various scenarios to prepare them for actual customer interactions, and there can be feedback sessions after each demo to help them fine-tune their choice of words, body language, and other aspects of their approach.
5. Teach your staff the art of visual merchandising
Visual merchandising is an often-underestimated aspect of in-store retail, but it can’t be denied that a store’s appearance greatly impacts customer engagement and sales. Your staff should also be trained to create eye-catching displays and to be consistent about maintaining the store’s visual aesthetics.
To ensure that your employees get to experience various tasks such as arranging the store displays on top of interacting with customers, they can undergo regular job rotation. Not only will this prevent boredom from repetitive tasks; it also ensures that your staff remains flexible in terms of their skills.
6. Set measurable standards for efficiency and speed
Lastly, you should make sure that your staff members have a concrete way to polish their speed and efficiency when managing your physical store’s counters. In retail stores, the checkout process in particular is one of the aspects where you’d want to increase speed and accuracy and eliminate friction.
Let your staff know what exactly to aspire for when it comes to improving their performance, for example a benchmark number of successful purchases to hit per day. You can motivate them to sharpen the skills they’ve learned in their training by offering performance bonuses, like gainsharing or spot bonuses, for successfully meeting the targets you’ve set.
Through your investment in proper staff training, your business can become more resilient against the constant changes in the retail industry and retain the warmth and goodwill that customers look forward to experiencing in physical stores. Leverage what your staff can do in-store, and you’ll be prepared to stay relevant in the world of retail.