Good customer service means building good relationships with your customers.  Making them feel as though their customer is important to you by creating a positive experience will ensure they leave your store with a good impression.  This will then lead to customer loyalty and great ratings on social media.

There are so many things that contribute to a great in-store experience such as products, price and store environment etc.  However, the customer service received is what will leave a lasting impression. 

For retail stores, it is easy to influence and monitor the service your staff are providing.  Using Mystery Shoppers/Secret Shoppers is a great way of seeing how you are performing in many areas and the shopper does not only report on the service but also can report on the store and staff appearance etc.  Mystery Shoppers play a vital role by pretending to be ordinary customer while observing and determining various factors that might require improvement within the store environment and the service given.  It is not a negative tool and does not only highlight areas where training might be required but also highlights when staff are doing a great job. 

Building a rapport with customers and displaying excellent knowledge of products and services is a great way to encourage additional sales.

The customer experience begins as soon as they enter your store.  Initial impressions are important which is why it is essential to have your store looking great with merchandise easy to locate and displayed appealingly.  It is also important that the staff are well presented and well groomed to give a great first impression. 

A warm welcome will make your customers feel like their custom is valued and this can be enhanced by staff asking an open-ended question such is “How is your day going?” or “What brings you in today?”  Building rapport and encouraging a conversation is a great way to get to know your customers and what their needs are.  It is too easy to simply say “Can I help you?” A customer can just say that they are happy browsing.  However, by opening the conversation with a non-business line will be very beneficial. 

When you have opened the conversation with a potential customer, it is then when staff should offer their assistance by asking questions to ascertain the customers needs.  This also shows that they have interest in the customer and will make them feel that the staff member really wants to help.

Showing customers merchandise and explaining the features and benefits will display their product knowledge which is also important when trying to secure a sale.  Being enthusiastic about what you are trying to sell with also provide more encourage for a purchase.

When a sale is secured, it is then a great idea to suggest add-ons or complimentary items.  Add-ons selling is one of the most powerful tools any retail sales assistant can have. It does not only increase the sale but also allows customers to discover things they need, and helps them get the most out of their purchases. This, in turn will increase your customer satisfaction and encourage return visits.

It's important for retail stores to remember that the farewell is just as important as the greeting. The farewell gives the lasting impression of a store and can be the influential factor for a positive feeling when that customer thinks of you.

Make the farewell a "hello" rather than a "goodbye"

It is vital for retail stores to obtain knowledge through first-hand experience at how their staff are performing.  By implementing a Mystery Shopping/Secret Shopping programme you will be able to gather all of the above information and will allow you to monitor your performance and the quality of customer service you are providing.  We can help you develop a programme with no set up costs and no reporting costs.  We believe in making things simple for our clients so talk to us today and enquire here https://www.customercare.co.nz/contact/ for a FREE no obligation quote.