Providing great customer service will encourage customers to keep coming back to your store. But just how do you offer incredible customer service? Below are a few ways that you may be able to improve customer service within your store and secure more sales.
Take time to train your employees
There’s nothing less discouraging than clueless staff. Make sure that your staff members are well trained to deal with different customer problems. At the very least, make sure there is an experienced and knowledgeable member of staff around at all times so that those who are still new can consult them for support. Measures such as creating a handbook and setting up e-learning can help customers to train themselves independently - although a certain degree of in-person training is still recommended.
Invest in robust payment technology
Slow and hard-to-use POS systems/card terminals will make customers impatient and irritated. When choosing payment technology, look for solutions that are reliable and user-friendly. The likes of the new North American Bancard website have information on an array of different card processing solutions from fixed card terminals to portable card terminals. With POS systems, try to set up a system that isn’t too complex with easy to find products (an RFID scanner could make scanning products easier). Having a fast and strong internet connection in your store will also help to speed up transactions.
Introduce a loyalty program
Loyalty programs encourage customers to come back by rewarding them for their regular visits. The simplest loyalty program system is a loyalty card or loyalty app. This card or app is scanned with each purchase, allowing customers to collect loyalty points. These points can then be spent like real money - allowing loyal customers to take advantage of discounts and freebies. This Hubspot guide offers more information about introducing a loyalty program.
Be accommodating to kids
If customers are likely to take their kids into your store, consider ways in which it may be possible to entertain kids. Unhappy kids in your store will lead to unhappy customers. Some stores have their own play areas, kids’ corners, bead mazes or games for kids. Others simply stock food snacks or small toys in the queue area that parents can buy. You could find that this greatly improves customer service.
Take steps to reduce queues
Long queues will make customers frustrated. If your store regularly has long queues of customers, consider ways in which you can reduce queues. The obvious solution is to set up another checkout, but this requires also having another member of staff. By tracking busy periods, you can work out when to employ extra servers and open extra tills. If you don’t have room for another checkout, consider whether giving a sales assistant a handheld POS system and portable card reader could be an option. If you’d prefer not to hire extra staff members, another option could be to set up self-service kiosks. When it comes to boutique stores in which customers require more time with each sales assistant, you could even set up an appointment scheduling system to deal with busy periods.
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