3 solutions you may not have considered
If you own or manage a brick-and-mortar store, you’ve more than likely encountered your fair share of frustrated customers and done your best to resolve their grievances. But how can you ensure that problems are dealt with before they even arise? Let’s take a look at some of the biggest complaint’s customers have and some solutions on how to improve customer experience.
3 Solutions to Improve Customer Experience in Your Store
Problem 1: Long Wait Times
According to The Robin Report, 57% of online shoppers biggest issue with retail locations is frustratingly long wait times. Who can blame them—especially if they’ve only come to your store to pick up one or two items for a “quick” trip?
This problem can be caused by a variety of things: “The most common reasons for checkout queues forming are price checking queries, slow replenishment of coins or till receipt, and the lack of staff colleagues available to open new tills or follow government policies like ID checks”, says Vocovo.
The Solution:
There are a few things you can do to solve this problem, depending on what’s most practical for you.
Self-checkout options are ideal for those with smaller purchases and making sure your store is adequately staffed goes a long way in keeping both your customers and employees happy.
As someone who’s been on both sides of the register, I can attest to how frustrating it is when there’s a long line and only one or two cashiers to check everyone out. If you know you have busier days, weeks, or months, prepare for those times as best you can.
Problem 2: Out-of-Stock Product
Nothing is more frustrating than making a trip to a store only to find out it was all for naught.
The Robin Report estimates that as many as 55% of online shoppers have experienced this problem. However, the truth is that this has probably happened to everyone at one point or another.
What can you do to make sure you’re adequately supplied?
The Solution:
Tracking your product and ensuring you’ve ordered adequate amounts to keep your shelves stocked is one thing. Inventory optimization is another: “Inventory optimization is a prerequisite, and trackers like Celect, connecting with (RFID) radio frequency identification tags, can analyze and assure that the right product in the right quantity gets to the right place at the right time – at the right price.”
Problem 3: Poor Customer Service
There are two dimensions to this problem: long wait times at customer service desks/kiosks and unhelpful employees.
“While customer service can also be a painful point on some online sites, the in-store experience of poor service combined with uninformed or unhelpful, or worse, lack of associates makes even an annoying online experience superior.” Waiting a long time to have a problem addressed only for an associate to be stumped by the questions or problem at hand is not a good look.
Even worse is when a customer can’t find an associate to help them: “Customer service is made up of two words. … Key to making sure they don’t leave empty handed is having staff colleagues available and accessible to serve them.”
The Solution:
Well-trained and thoughtful employees can solve a lot of problems on their own. They also add to the customer service experience in ways that ensure your customers know they’re valued and appreciated.
Often times, a cashier is the only contact a customer will have with an employee of your store. Ensuring they’re well-trained—and have a positive attitude—goes a long way in giving good customer service.
Good Customer Service Goes a Long Way
Ultimately, the solutions to all of the above problems involve customer service in one way or another. A little understanding (and preparedness) can go a long way! For more retail tips and info, make sure to visit the Petra blog.