Principles of customer service
• Greeting the customer
Customer service includes all aspects of a customer’s experience
This often begins with the greeting the customer receives as they enter a retailers premises
Some retailers have dedicated staff at the doors to greet the customers, for example Tesco’s security staff will say hello to customers as they enter as well as carrying out their security tasks.
It could be as simple as smiling at a customer to acknowledge their presents in the store
It is important to make the customer feel welcomed as they arrive and for them to know that approachable staff are on hand if they need assistance
The level of greeting may change depending on the retail sector and channel of communication. For example, when you log into an Amazon account online it gives shows your name at the top of the page demonstrating that it recognises who you are.
• Interacting and building rapport with the customer
To make a sale in retail requires customer interaction no matter what channel you are conducting business through
The interaction opportunities will differ via channel, for example in an Apple store members of staff walk around chatting to customers and answering their questions. Whereas if you shop on Apple’s website, they offer a FAQ section or live chat.
To build rapport/a good relationship with customers it is important to be polite and professional at all times and listen to what the customer has to say. For example, bad language should never be used by a member of staff even if the customers is using it themselves.
When interacting with a customer, they will be looking to you to meet their needs. Therefore you should not just pass them off to another member of staff. If you are not able to assist them you should seek out the relevant member of staff to help and introduce them to the customer.
• Identifying customer needs
For a business to succeed it need customers to return time and time again. For this to happen a retailer must meet or exceed a customers’ needs.
Many businesses fail because they assume they know what their customers want and they get it wrong. For a retailer to retain its customers it must first establish what they are looking to buy.
Once they know what the customer is looking for they should then show the customer where the item is located in the store and answer any questions the customer has about the item.