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Customer service is a critical aspect of any retail business, whether products are sold online or in-person. Customers will always have questions about which product is best for them, and despite the best efforts of business owners, sometimes a product isn’t the right fit, there are shipping delays, or other issues cause customers to become frustrated. At these crucial moments, great customer service can be the difference between an angry customer who spreads the word or a loyal customer who becomes an invaluable brand ambassador.
Building strong relationships with customers will encourage repeat patronage and ensure the viability of your business. If you’re a retail business owner seeking to improve your customer service strategies, you’ve come to the right place.
Prioritize Staff Training
As a business owner, you might wish you could control all aspects of your business yourself. But, when it comes to customer service, it’s likely you’ll have to entrust much of the responsibility to your employees, which is why it’s vitally important to train them sufficiently. Employees should be trained to greet customers warmly, actively listen to their needs, and provide them with informed recommendations.
Even great employees who give stellar customer service should receive continual training to stay up-to-date on your products and services. When you introduce new offerings, take care to fully train your employees on features, prices, and other important details. This will help them feel in-the-loop and allow them to better market new products and services to customers, leading to higher sales.
Foster a Customer-Centric Culture
Without customers, you don’t have a business. So, as you make decisions in your business, you should always consider how these decisions will affect your customers and how you can provide them with a great experience. This customer-centric mindset will allow you to gain and retain customers, and should be taught to your employees as well. As you make customer satisfaction a top priority, your employees will see your example and follow suit.
There are limits to what you can do for your customers. You can only offer a certain level of discounts while remaining profitable, and some aspects, like shipping, are out of your control. Nevertheless, going above and beyond to give your customers a great experience will be remembered and will strengthen your business, and this effect will be multiplied if you empower your employees to do the same. Encourage your employees to treat each customer with the utmost respect, strive to resolve all their concerns, and provide them with the best service possible, while also following store policies.
Personalize the Shopping Experience
Offering a personalized experience can set you apart in the minds of customers. Depending on what kinds of products you offer, this can come in the form of talking with the customer to determine their needs and offering personalized recommendations. Some products, like outdoor products, for example, have specifications which make them a better fit for some than others. Providing this information can personalize the experience for customers. Other products, like food and clothing, may be more straightforward. For these products, personalization may be as simple as creating sections of your store that appeal to different demographics.
Collecting customer data can help you personalize their experience. While many people are nervous about companies collecting their data, some simple pieces of data can be helpful in serving the customer. Online retail outlets tend to keep a record of what the customer has bought in the past and recommend similar items to them in the future. In-store retailers can do the same when using a sophisticated point-of-sale system. Rain retail’s all-in-one point-of-sale system tracks customer purchasing data and can help you send targeted marketing emails to keep customers engaged.
Train your customers to make customer interactions more than just a transaction. Give them space to build relationships with customers and develop a rapport. When employees show an interest in customers and invest in helping them fulfill their needs, customers will feel valued and return more often.
Embrace Omnichannel Communication
You can help more customers by meeting them where they’re at. Offering multiple communications channels for customer inquiries and feedback will allow you to resolve more issues and ensure your customers are happy. These channels can include your website, social media outlets like Facebook and Instagram, phone, and in-person interactions in your store. Although running a business can be busy and time-consuming, try your best to respond quickly to all inquiries across all communication channels. If the volume of inquiries is too high, delegate this task to your employees, and if it becomes an extreme workload, you could consider hiring one or multiple employees as customer service representatives, exclusively working on responding to and resolving customer concerns.
Resolve Issues with Empathy and Efficiency
Even with the best of intentions from management, any retail business will have issues that lead to customer complaints. Some customer complaints will be more reasonable than others, but each one deserves the company’s attention. Seek to resolve issues with empathy, active listening, and a commitment to finding solutions.
When your frontline employees are sufficiently trained on product information, company policies, and other operations, they will feel much higher confidence in dealing with escalated customers. Employees who are unfamiliar with company policies and unsure how to resolve issues will exacerbate customers’ frustrations and may lead to lost business. For this reason, training your frontline employees must remain a top priority.
Solicit and Act on Customer Feedback
Some customers may have complaints or concerns that they don’t verbalize. Although receiving criticism can be discouraging, wouldn’t you rather know these concerns so you can serve your customers more effectively? Actively requesting feedback can help business owners identity areas for improvement they may never have even considered. Feedback can be collected through surveys, reviews, and social media messages.
Just as important as asking for feedback is acting on it when you receive it. Not all advice is created equal, and some suggestions will be more practical than others, but sincerely considering all the feedback you receive will help you determine what your customers’ priorities are and adapt your business to meet their needs.
Recognize and Reward Loyalty
Your most loyal customers are fundamental to your business’ success, and rewarding them for that loyalty is beneficial to both parties. Implementing loyalty programs, special discounts, or exclusive events show your appreciation for your most loyal customers and encourage them to keep coming back. Personalizing these rewards will strengthen customer relationships even more.
Providing Great Customer Service
Customer service is crucially important to retail businesses. If customers have sub-par customer service experiences at your business, they aren’t likely to keep it to themselves. To maintain a positive reputation and provide your customers with great experiences, there are several strategies you can employ. Train your staff sufficiently and create a culture that prioritizes customer satisfaction. Personalize your customers’ experience and accept inquiries and feedback through a variety of channels. Resolve issues with respect and take the feedback you receive seriously, considering which suggestions are practical and could help you better serve your customers. Reward your loyal customers, creating a relationship with them that will ensure repeat business.
Prioritizing customer service excellence can set you apart from your competitors. If a similar store seems to be doing about as well as yours, providing superior customer service may be what determines a customer choosing your store instead. When the proper customer service policies are in place and your staff are aligned in commitment to great customer service, the long-term success and sustainability of your retail business is much more likely.
Schedule a demo today to learn how Rain Retail’s all-in-one software can help you grow your business.
