In a world, where customers are the top-most priority, making a customer happy and customer satisfaction are the two most important things that sit atop a bunch.
From entering the premises to completing the purchase and leaving the store, a customer should totally feel satisfied and delighted with the customer service.
A happy customer means more happy customers visiting the store which might be the result of the word being spread around.
Be it a small shop or a massive showroom, every salesperson or the employee should be trained and know how to treat the customers. Because treating the customers decently plays a very important role in the flourishment of the businesses.
So, what points do we keep in mind while showing a customer around? Let’s take a look at 25 simple customer service tips that all retailers should give a try!
1. Focus and Listen to the Customers
The most typical mistake an employee could do is ignore the customer who might be standing right in front of him.
Now the employee could already be busy in any other work, be it replacing the items to its original stacks or talking on the phone or whatsoever but that is no excuse to not listen to the customer.
This could agitate the customer and lead him to post bad feedback in the future and losing himself as the customer of the company altogether.
It is always preferable and advisable to focus solely on the customer and give him/her what he/she needs almost immediately. This would create a good impression on the customer.
2. Use the Magic Words
Using magic words such as ‘Thank you’, ‘Please’ etcetera, never goes out of style. In fact, these words are the pillars of being polite and humble which is an important quality that every salesperson should have an exhibit.
Also, for example, a customer makes a huge purchase, you can extend him/her a special note of thanks by offering the customer a discount or any kind of special offer the next he/she purchases something to show gratitude.
This will also motivate the customer to make another visit.
3. Stay with the Customer but Don’t Get Too Much Into their Personal Space
A customer might require your time and again and hence, it is your duty to remain available to the customer whenever he/she needs you. But while doing so, don’t push yourself too much into their personal space.
In short, don’t hover over them.
This wouldn’t be liked by the customer and might infuriate him. So, what you can do is keep yourself busy doing something else but use your peripheral vision to keep a check on the customer in case he/she needs something you can help with.
4. Don’t Ignore the Customer
Never purposefully ignore the customer even if you need to urgently do some work that needs to be done. This will make the customer feel disrespected and would find your behavior immoral.
Even if you are genuinely busy, just make sure to passively help them or assign the duty of showing them around to some other employee.
5. Take Down Notes
Every shopper/customer wants to feel important. You can make them feel so by showing them that they are valuable. You can jot down everything they say and make a note of it.
This way you wouldn’t forget the intricate details that might be present and you’ll be effectively able to provide the customer with what they need.
6. Make Some Extra Efforts
There definitely must be some things which might not immediately be available at the store.
So instead of turning the customer down telling him about the unavailability of the needed product, put some efforts and cover the extra mile to your warehouse and restock the product in your store.
This will impress the customer and he/she might as well spread the good word about the store.
Alternatively, you can also assure the customer of getting the product delivered to his/her door. This will take you to the customer’s good-books.
7. Make The Customer Feel The Experience As Personal
Making the customer feel the experience as personal is going to do wonders. In doing so, you’ll build a connection with the customer and will work magic. Next time the customer goes out shopping, he/she will prefer to visit you first.
Whenever you are allocating some other employee to the customer, make sure to introduce each other by names, and there you go! This will build the required connection and then you’ll be good to go.
8. Organize the Checkout Queue
More than anything, the shoppers hate the long, unfair checkout queue. There would be some customers who would unfairly try to get in the middle of the queue in order to skip the long waiting line of customers.
This might irritate other customers and would not serve as a pleasant experience for them.
For such customers, set up some policies and make the use of signboards to let them and all the others know that such behavior won’t be tolerated.
Make the use of available tools to grant shoppers a perfect checkout experience instead of long queues.
9. Devise Ways to Entertain Shoppers during Long Wait Times
More often than not, long waiting queues tend to agitate and irritate customers. Now, this necessarily may not be the fault of the store staff or anyone for that matter, but it doesn’t make the customer’s experience so exciting.
Try to prove to your customers why shopping at your store is better than anywhere else. Try to devise some innovative ways of entertaining your customers while they wait. This is sure to attract new customers.
10. Send Gifts on Customers’ Birthdays
Try to make the customer feel valuable by sending them special gifts on their birthday. Not in the literal use of the word, gifts can be anything from special offers to some great discounts.
Now, this can be done by taking the consent from the customer to add them to the birthday club and set up some alerts to provide them with special offers in their birthday month.
11. Lay Down Policies for Handling Disgruntled Customers
Some of the customers are generally moody and might destroy the atmosphere or good vibes of the store. Such customers have to be dealt with utmost care and precautions.
You would not want to lose some of your valuable customers even if they are being grumpy.
A human is not built to be empathetic towards the one who is attacking you so the employee should be given special training to deal with such customers. Certain rules and regulations should be laid to make clear as to how to handle a moody customer.
12. Organize Your Store
A customer would not want to shop at a store where things are not organized or hygiene is not maintained.
Being able to find things easily and effortlessly navigating through the store are two things every customer would like.
So, try to keep the store neat and clean and maybe add some aesthetics which would attract more customers.
13. Let Your Employees Know of the New Things in the Store
To be able to explain properly about a product or service to the customer, the employee should know about it thoroughly as well.
Keep your employees updated about the new products before stacking them in your store to be available to shop by customers.
You can alternatively make the use of screens with visuals explaining a particular product whose handling might be complex.
14. Don’t Give the Impression that You Don’t Care
It is very important for a salesperson to be able to explain a product to its customer properly. But in situations where he/she might unable to do so, refrain from saying that you don’t know.
This might make the customer think that you don’t care.
Instead, turn over the customer to some other employee whom you are sure of would be able to help.
15. Crosscheck the Order at the time of Checkout
It’s always advisable to crosscheck the order to make sure everything is in place and that you’re not forgetting anything. At this time, where almost everyone is in a hurry, you wouldn’t have time to go back and fix things.
And as it is said, “Prevention Is Better Than Cure.”
In cases of mistakes, which tend to take place, arrange for delivery as soon as possible.
16. Train Your Employees to be Service Oriented
Every employee should know how to treat a customer and should avoid saying things like, “that’s not my job” or diverting the customer to some other employee.
A customer should be everyone’s responsibility and if they do not know that, make them train or better, hire someone more fit for the job.
17. Give Rewards to Paying Customer
Giving out free things to large purchasing customers lets them know that they are important and that their purchase is highly valuable to the store.
After all who doesn’t love gifts. A gift doesn’t necessarily have to be something big but even small and simple things would do.
18. Do Not Insult the Customer
Customer’s payment is your salary. Insulting or scolding them in any way for something which they are not faulty of would cut it down or worse, might get you fired. Be careful to not hurt the sentiments/emotions of a customer.
For example, be empathetic towards the customer of their credit card is not working. This could happen to anyone. Ask them to pay through some other card or make arrangements to get the items delivered to their house.
19. Treat Your Employees Properly
While this might have nothing to do with the customers directly, but happy employees are more likely to properly serve their customers.
An unhappy employee would kill the happy atmosphere of the store and the store will most definitely not be the preferable place for customers to shop from.
20. Conduct Surveys
Surveying is the basic process to let you know about the needs and wants of the customer. A survey is the best way to reach a customer’s heart.
That’s so because while a customer can hesitate to give honest feedback on the service, that might not be the case in surveys.
Surveys help in identifying and resolving the issues of the customers as well as in tracking the progress of the company.
21. Don’t Forget to Smile
Maintaining a smile gives the customer a friendly impression. It gives a customer the feeling that he/she is welcome.
But the smile should be authentic and should not be plastered on the face just for the sake of it. Customers should never feel anything less than genuine.
22. Be at Your Best Behavior
Maintain your peace and calm even in the situation of distress. There can be challenging situations where you might be provoked but keeping your sanity is a very important part of keeping the customers happy and would prove to be beneficial in the long run.
23. Make Your Policies Known to Every Customer
Customers often ask for exchange or return of products for some of the other reasons. Let your customers know of the exchange and return policy thoroughly so they do not get disappointed when they wanted a return but got an exchange instead due to the unavailability of the return policy.
24. Think from a Customer’s Perspective
Relating to a customer by being in his shoes will make you understand better his/her needs and of his/her situation which will enable you to act accordingly. This will lead to the shaping of a bond between you two and will make the customer come back.
25. Stay positive in Every Situation
The key to being a better retailer than your rival company is staying positive in every situation. There may be days when the store might not be thriving.
But, staying positive and holding onto is the key to every problem. Learn and teach your employees to develop a positive mental attitude towards every situation.
Stick onto these 25 basic tips and voila! You are thriving!