How customer service can save the holiday season

Let us give you 6 ways to enhance the customer service in physical retail locations.

This year has been a rollercoaster for the retail industry. September and October was the best two-month stretch of sales in the last two years. This made supporters of brick-and-mortar optimistic about the holiday season after several months of not meeting the sales expectations.

Sadly, during the Thanksgiving-Black Friday weekend, brick-and-mortar suffered. Not only did more people spend their money online, but brick-and-mortar sales also sank compared to last year. If the physical stores want to be successful during this holiday season they need to step up their game- maybe most important their customer service.

During holiday season, shoppers are extremely concerned about getting the most out of their money. When customers are looking for something specific, stores should make sure that they help that customer find it or find something similar. The holiday season is a stressful season and at times all the customers need is someone to help them find what they need. We’ve seen that retailers are still trying to compete on discounts, but the problem with this strategy is that it will be even harder to get the return that they need. Customer service is a retailers most important tool to make a customer happy and increasing the likelihood of the customer returning to the store. Good customer service also increases the chance of selling more to a specific customer, when they realize that they might get more done by receiving help from a sales associate. Stores in general needs to become more experience driven, rather than discount driven.

Actions a retailer’s staff can do to improve customer service

1 Gain the customers’ trust
The most important aspect of having a sales associate in store is to gain the customers trust. Trust in the retailer/brand, the product, but also the service after the purchase (warranties etc.). If the store employees fail to deliver on this point they are almost never going to close a sale. The best way to gain trust is to have knowledge and insights about the products, a genuine interest in helping you find the right products, and honest feedback and opinions.

2 Listen to the customer
The sales associates needs to really listen to the customer to understand the needs. Ask open ended questions — not yes or no questions. Try to ask some questions regarding lifestyle or interests to figure out what that customer is like, and if the customer is looking for more than what they originally asked for.

3 Don’t rush it — take the time that the customer needs
Remember that even though you have many customers to take care of, one customer can be worth a lot. Make sure that the associates spend whatever time necessary with a customer to increase the sale. If the customer sees that your employees are willing to spend time with them, they are likely to try to check off as many points from their list as possible at your store.

4 Smile
Nothing is better at a stressful day, than people smiling and being positive. It is all about how the employees greets the customers, keeps calm and gives the customer a positive experience.

5 New technology can get you far
There are a lot of things happening in the retail industry. It might be too late for this season, but remember that new technology investments might help your store in the future. A good tool that can help the sales associate perform better at their job, can be exactly what the store need to reach next year’s sales goal.

6 Not all customers are alike
Remember that different customers might need different service. Not everyone wants constant follow ups and help. It’s also important to give the customer space so that they don’t feel pushed to making the purchase. Having the insights and knowledge to when to give space, and when to step in is crucial, but difficult balancing act.