Quality service in the store

How to establish quality service in the store: unforgivable mistakes and basic criteria for service at the level of

The business goal is to attract and retain customers. To achieve this, sales tools are used, such as demonstrating a sincere interest in solving problems, regular promotions and discounts. Therefore, the service in stores should be on par with and ahead of customer expectations — a customer who does not expect to receive something gets it. For example, when a customer comes to a bank, he expects a money transaction to be completed quickly. If the consultant or cashier is polite, smiles and wishes you a good day, this is service. And if the customer is offered coffee, candy, or an umbrella to rent because it suddenly started raining outside, this is "wow!" service. If the store has good salespeople, they will sell customers anything, but only once. Therefore, the essence of service at the level is to form a relationship with the client that he or she will want to maintain when returning to the store.

Criteria for quality customer service

Everyone understands and sees the concept of "quality service" subjectively. For one category of the population, an open window in a shop and a salesperson in an apron who does his job without much enthusiasm is enough. In fact, no one expects more, because it is an ordinary kiosk store. Only 10% of customers will pay attention to the unfriendliness. For the rest, it's a mandatory smile and a "have a nice day" or "if you have any problems, please contact us"; for others, it's unexpected bonuses and surprises that don't need to be paid for. An example is the American company Lands' End, which has been engaged in e-commerce since 1995 with a loud slogan "to become a clothing store for the whole world." The corporation's customer base includes 32 million names. The company specializes in three segments: overseas sales, specialty products, and the main assortment. The catalogs sent to customers abroad are translated into local languages, and the prices in the price list are in local currency. Lands' End has been earning the trust of its customers for two decades and continues to work on it. The main criterion is convenience. Toll-free telephone lines are open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The order center has three hundred lines for incoming calls, so operators answer 50,000 calls a day, and on holidays (New Year's Eve or Christmas Eve) this number increases to 100,000. Customers can contact the company via live chat or email, and employees respond to each letter. At Lands' End, staff is trained on a regular basis, because the task is not just to accept orders "for the sake of it." Therefore, employees have no time limits on calls, and managers help customers make a purchase. If the customer is not satisfied with the product, the money is returned.

6 basic principles of quality service

1. Answer phone calls. The waiting time on the line should not exceed one minute. To ensure that calls are not left unanswered, expand the staff of operators and enable call forwarding to managers working remotely.

2. Don't make impossible promises, otherwise customers will see the store as unreliable, which will prevent good relationships. If the operator says on the phone: the sofa will be delivered on Thursday, make sure it happens. If you can't, don't promise. It is better to deliver the sofa on Saturday, and the client will be ready for it. Apply the same rules to meeting arrangements.

3. Listen carefully to customers to find ways to solve the problem. Consider complaints — the store will not be good for everyone at the same time. Be prepared for this.

4. Remain polite even if you don't get an immediate return. The customer is not ready to buy the product right away and wants to "walk around and look". Do not impose, tell them about the benefits of buying in the store so that they will return because they will not find anything better. A real-life example: a man went to a home appliance store where he planned to buy a microwave and an electric kettle. The price was different from the planned one, and he needed to pay another three hundred. After listening carefully to the consultant, the potential buyer left the store, saying that he would return if necessary. He visited three more competitors' stores, but did not choose anything — the words of the salesperson from the first store were constantly running through his head. In the end, he returned there and bought a microwave and a kettle at a higher price than he had planned. This happened because the employee was polite and knowledgeable, spoke convincingly and knowledgeably, did not put pressure and gave the client complete freedom of action, which bribed the buyer.

5. Take on the role of a guide. When we ask supermarket clerks where the vegetable or fish department is, we often hear "it's in the third row on the right" and look at the finger pointing somewhere in the back of the store. It's not much of a clue. Ideally, employees should guide the customer and stay behind in case the customer has additional questions.

6. Reward system. Do something the customer doesn't expect. For example, give a gift card for a discount after the purchase, or if you sell clothes, give an extra set of buttons, a spare tie fastener, etc. as a gift.

Mistakes in customer service

• Email inquiries go unanswered. If there is no response within two hours, the client is lost. People apply to 2-3 stores at once, so contact the potential buyer within 20 minutes after submitting the application form.

• Wasting time on the phone. Studies have shown that waiting for more than three rings on the line is slightly annoying for a customer, and if you have to wait longer than one minute with music and messages "your call is very important to us," irritation grows three times faster. Sales decline at the same rate. The problem with calling is solved by expanding the staff and outsourcing call centers.

• There are no clear answers. Teach managers to introduce themselves, not to answer "Hello" as if a friend or relative called. There should be no phrases like "I don't know" or "I've only been working for two days and I'm not familiar with the assortment yet."

• Intrusiveness. When a customer comes to the store to buy a TV and clearly describes what he needs, indicating the cost limits, do not try to impose a more expensive model or offer a 10% discounted refrigerator as a bonus. Such actions scare away customers. A person either feels uncomfortable because they are forced to buy something, or unable to because they cannot afford it. The first desire is to run away. That's why customers prefer to buy goods online — they can choose in peace, no annoyance, no breathing down their necks, no empty talk.

• Dissatisfaction. A real-life case — an employee from a neighboring office went into a store to buy headphones. A girl consultant approached him. The buyer asked to see an inexpensive model, indicating how much he was looking for. As soon as the salesperson realized that it was unlikely to make a good deal — salespeople work on the basis of a rate + commission on the amount of sales — she waved at the stand and disappeared. Do you think your colleague bought the headphones? Of course not. The store lost a customer, and the salesperson lost a commission, albeit a small one.

• Buyer's evaluation. Do you remember Koroviev's legendary phrase from The Master and Margarita? "Are you judging by the suit? Never do that, my most precious guard! You can be wrong, and you can be very wrong." Let everyone remember this truth — never judge a customer by their appearance. First, it's unpleasant and repels people — they are not exhibits at an exhibition. Secondly, the seller can make a big mistake if he offers the client a product that he thinks he can afford.

• The dissatisfaction of salespeople who are distracted from important matters. Remember if you've ever had this experience — you walk into a store and the salesperson behind the counter is engrossed in his phone, reading a book or doing crossword puzzles. As soon as you approach the counter, he puts down what he's doing with a disgruntled look and reluctantly gets up to help you — as if he's doing you a favor. Will they buy the product from him? Most likely, yes, if the person is tired of searching and there is no other store nearby with similar offers. However, they won't come back next time.

• Unnecessary chatter. A common mistake is that a customer cannot ask a question because it is impolite to interrupt. Model the situation: you approach the stand and take a hair dryer. The salesperson immediately flies up and starts describing the characteristics of the hair dryer, even though you didn't ask for it. An uncomfortable atmosphere is created, and the customer wants to leave. Conclusion — ask questions to the customer to understand their needs and listen carefully to the answer to solve the problem.

• Don't put your competitors in an unfavorable light. The reaction the seller expects will be exactly the opposite. It's not nice to throw mud at someone, it's annoying. Even if the client asks you to compare your business with competitors, name your strengths.

• Rude flattery is off-putting. Don't try to please the client, you're not on a date. That's why phrases like "It can't be, I thought it was your sister, not your daughter" or "You must be working out regularly?" are very annoying. The buyer will instantly feel false flattery, and the feeling is unpleasant.

• Rushing the purchase. Don't make this mistake — if the seller has told you everything about the product and the customer is still hesitant, leave them alone, don't bombard them with other offers, and don't rush them. As soon as the visitor makes a decision, he will inform you about it. In the meantime, step aside and don't hover.

How to improve customer service in the store?

• Continuously train employees. Customers turn to a company to meet their needs. Expectations are to receive qualified advice, counsel, and respect. Therefore, make sure that employees know the product, competitive advantage, and sales techniques. Use passive and active training methods. Passive ones include attending seminars and trainings, while active ones involve respondents in solving situations and playing improvised games. The staff generates new ideas, trains thinking, and develops concentration. Regular training increases motivation and interest in work, employees are recharged with ideas, and labor productivity improves.

• Evaluate the quality of the store. Analyzing the current service allows you to choose the right improvement strategy, find out customer expectations, identify weaknesses in the current marketing plan, and eliminate them in time. The Mystery Shopping survey is often used, and the Mystery Caller technique is used to test call center employees in online stores.

• Gather a team of like-minded people. The labor market is expanding, which makes it possible to hire qualified personnel. The first thing a company owner needs to do is hire professional recruiters who will find applicants who meet the company's criteria. Describe the requirements for candidates in detail, which will save time and resources, as it will weed out "not your own" applicants. Include in the job description not only functional responsibilities and work schedule, but also information about the company and its values. In addition to politeness, punctuality, stress tolerance, and diligence, put forward 3-4 more requirements — look for those who quickly join the team, are able to think analytically, and are not afraid to come up with new ideas and suggestions for improving the service. Create a single goal for employees, a single vision of the concept. I remember a story: people approached a builder and asked: "What are you doing?". He replied that he was laying bricks. They approached the second worker and asked the same question, to which they received an answer: "I'm building a wall," and only the third one said he was building a house. That's why it's so important to form a unified mindset within the company. Employees need to see the overall result.

• Keep up with technological progress. Create an online version of your store and automate business processes. Automation reduces the workload on the staff (for example, the things that the seller used to enter manually — writing down purchases in a notebook — can be automated) and allows you to focus on the main goals of the company.

• Empower your employees. Eliminate the reasons that prevent them from fulfilling their duties. After 1-2 months, allow managers to make decisions on their own. This reduces customer waiting time and makes employees feel more important than "ordinary" workers with routine duties. Don't build a bureaucratic chain in the company.

• Educate customers, otherwise previous efforts are in vain. When the company takes a step forward and the client stays in place, communication will disappear. How to improve customer satisfaction? Maintain an ongoing dialog using technological capabilities — social networks, messengers, webinars, live workshops. Educate customers through articles, interesting videos, tips, and information about new products in the industry. Consider this stage as another sales technique.

• When developing a convenient schedule for customers, don't forget about employees. Study your target audience's lifestyle, habits, and daily routine. If you open a store in a metropolitan area, make sure that it is open on weekends until 10 p.m. However, despite the benefits for customers, this schedule is not suitable for employees. To ensure smooth operation on weekends and holidays, provide a shift schedule.

Conclusions. Create a portrait of your target audience and study their habits. Improvements are developed based on the data obtained, so we recommend conducting market research on a regular basis. Put the theory into practice.

Examples of first-class service in stores

This story happened in North Carolina, USA. A guy visited a Target supermarket to buy a tie for a job interview. The young man was looking for a tie with a clasp, but the store was out of such models. The salesperson was not at a loss and taught him how to tie a regular tie and, as a bonus, held a master class on confident handshakes and asked him questions that might be needed at the interview. Six years ago, TD Bank invited customers to test its equipment. Going to the meeting, the attendees thought it would be a focus group. Preparing to spend two hours "in vain" for a small monetary reward, customers could not even imagine what awaited them. The ATM was the first to talk, and then it was the turn of the gifts. The company's plan was a success — the bank thanked its customers for using its services. One woman who was raising her children alone was given tickets to Disneyland that she could not afford. A fan of a local soccer team was given the opportunity to make a shot before a crucial match. Another woman received tickets to Thailand, where her daughter was treated. That's why experts strongly recommend studying the target audience, its behavior and needs, and communicating through social media to solve problems effectively. Walmart is the largest supermarket chain in the United States. Brittany Walton, an employee of the chain, asked a colleague to cover for her and spent two hours accompanying a blind customer, helping him choose a product. The woman not only led the customer through the aisles, but also talked to the man, advising him on products based on her personal experience. This behavior established a trusting relationship not only between the buyer and the seller, but between the buyer and the chain as a whole. In a Walmart supermarket, a man was paying for groceries with a small change. He was very uncomfortable, his hands were shaking, and he lost track of the amount. Instead of being impatient and looking at the customer or at his watch, the cashier helped him count the money. I immediately remembered a story when, in a grocery store near my home, a woman standing in front of me handed the clerk part of the money in paper bills and part in small coins. The girl behind the counter shook her head in disapproval and said: "I don't need pennies, what am I going to do with them?" Store employees should not forget that they are at work and have no right to communicate with people in the way they are used to in real life. There are thousands of examples of this: cashiers use personal discount cards to cover the missing amount of money from customers, refund customers who have mistakenly overpaid, help them pack groceries. These are not ordinary cases. These examples are inspiring, but it doesn't mean that you should run headlong after a customer and try to help them obsessively, whether they need it or not. Train your employees to be attentive and vigilant, as service requires the same quality of service regardless of the situation. If you see someone who needs help, don't ignore them. Together, these factors form a favorable picture of the business in the eyes of consumers.