Simple Ways To Provide Excellent Customer Service In Retail
Working at a retail store can be fun and productive. Offering a warm welcome to a new customer is an enjoyable feeling. Helping customers find the items they need can be rewarding. Ensuring the cleanliness of the shop, monitoring suspicious behavior, or working with your co-workers to get the job done is a great experience.
However, there are times when working at a retail store can get hectic. Some customers are disrespectful and cruel without any reason. Sometimes, the shop can get messy with clothes, accessories, and shoes thrown all over the floor. There are also times when there are long lines at the cash register and there are loads of work for the associates to do.
Despite the ups and downs of working at a retail store, for the most part, it can be a fun and productive experience. Whether it is your first time working at a retail store or not, the key is to provide excellent customer service, no matter how heated things get.
Here are several ways to provide excellent customer service at a retail store:
1. Be Friendly To The Customer For Good Customer Service
The key to providing excellent customer service is by being friendly to the customer. You can do this by smiling and greeting the customer. When you smile and greet a customer whenever they enter a shop, it can make the customer feel welcomed.
Besides, no one wants to enter a retail store where the store associates appear to be unfriendly and refuses to acknowledge the customer. Therefore, saying a simple 'Hello' or 'Welcome' can make a great start for the customer's day.
To add on, you can also ask the customer, 'How is your day so far?' or 'How are you feeling today?' Creating a simple conversation with the customer will show that you care about the customer's well-being. When the customers are leaving, tell them, 'Have a nice day!' or 'Come back any time!'
You can achieve excellent customer service by being as friendly as you can be.
2. Pay Attention and Listen To The Customer's Needs
An awesome way to provide excellent customer service is by paying attention and listening to what the customer has to say. When you are paying attention to a customer's needs and listening to their concerns, it can make the customer feel appreciated.
On the other hand, if a customer arrives at a retail store, and the store associates refuse to listen or pay attention to what the customer is saying, it can make the customer feel unwanted. Therefore, the customer will take their business elsewhere.
That's why it is important to pay attention and listen to the customer. From there, you can be able to provide them with the assistance they need. With this in mind, you can prepare yourself to answer any questions the customer might have.
3. Help The Customer Find Merchandise Within The Shop
Offering help to customers so they can find the items they need is an awesome way to provide excellent customer service. By doing this, you are letting the customer know that you are available to provide assistance whenever they need it.
However, if you are not available to help the customer right away, let them know. For instance, you can state, 'I'll be right with you in a moment!" in a polite manner. Even when you are extremely busy, don't ignore the customer. When you ignore the customer, their needs aren't being met and they can grow impatient. With that being said, it is important to help a customer whenever you can.
Even if a customer doesn't ask you for help, it wouldn't hurt to ask if they need assistance with finding anything. If the customer needs help finding a product that the shop doesn't carry, you can offer a similar product.
4. Remain Calm When The Customer Is Upset
For many store associates, it is easier for them to become upset because of an angry and rude customer. However, it is important to remain calm and be polite to the customer. When a customer is upset and is directing their anger toward you, it is never anything personal.
If they are complaining about the slowness of a cashier, the treatment they received from another store associate, the appearance of the shop, or whatever it may be, don't allow their anger to affect you. Instead, you can apologize and reassure the upset customer. Let them know that everything is going to be okay, and whatever the problem may be, you will try your hardest to fix it.
Besides, when you decide to retaliate with anger, it will only make the situation worse. Instead, continue to be polite and calm with the customer. See if there is anything else you can do to try and make things right.
If the customer is still being difficult, you should inform your manager before you lose your cool.
5. Provide Quick And Courteous Service At Cash Register
Providing quick and generous service at the cash register is a great way to provide excellent customer service. Besides, it isn't any fun standing in a long line to check-out your stuff. That's why it is important to be as quick as you can when you are operating the cash register.
Keep in mind, when you are operating the cash register, you want to hand back the customer's correct change if they are paying with cash. Whatever payment it may be, offer the customer a receipt just in case they would like to return the item. If your shop offers reward points for shopping, make sure that you inform the customer.
To add on, you should carefully place their items into the bag. While you are doing this, you can ask them, 'How was your shopping experience?' or 'Were you able to find everything today?' Once you are finished processing their transaction, you can tell them to have a nice day.
6. Keep The Store Tidy And Organized For Customers
Keeping the store clean and organized is a good way to provide excellent customer service. So, it is important to keep the sales floor clean from debris by mopping or sweeping. After mopping, place a wet caution sign in the wet area. It is also a good idea to pick up any objects that have fallen onto the floor such as toys or hangers.
You can also keep the store clean by arranging merchandise on shelves, organizing items at the check-out area, and emptying full trash bins. You can also ensure the cleanliness of the fitting room by cleaning rooms that customers left their unwanted items in.
7. Monitor and Report Suspicious Behavior
To ensure the safety of customers within the shop, it is important to monitor and report suspicious behavior. You can do this by providing good customer service and reporting the suspect to your manager, or to loss prevention. This is a good way to provide excellent customer service.
Keep in mind, you do not want to put yourself in harm's way. You do not know if the suspicious customer is carrying a weapon. So, it is important to be cautious when dealing with them.
On the other hand, suspicious customers such as shoplifters, come in many shapes and colors. So, it is important to make sure that you are aware of the customer's inappropriate behavior before you proceed with the report.
8. Have Knowledge About The Merchandise In The Store
Having knowledge about the merchandise in the store can give a customer an easy shopping experience. When you are aware of the products that the shop sells, the customer can rely on you to give them the information they need.
Being able to locate and direct a customer to the desired item in the store, shows that you have knowledge about the store's merchandise. Besides, no one wants to enter a store where the store associates don't have a clue about the products that are being sold.
So, it is important to know where the items are inside of the retail store.
To conclude, working at a retail store can be fun and productive. Even though working at a retail store can be difficult at times, it is important to remain positive and be friendly.
The key to providing excellent customer service is by keeping the customer's well-being in mind. You can do this by greeting the customer, being polite, maintaining the cleanliness of the shop, and monitoring suspicious behavior.
Don't forget to provide a quick and courteous check-out! You'll make a great retail sales associate; I guarantee it!