Queue wait times can be a significant frustration for customers and can lead to poor customer experiences, leading to lower sales and revenue.

After spending more than half an hour browsing and finding what I wanted to buy, I walked out of the store without making a purchase. Why? The checkout queue was too long. With more than ten people ahead of me, I estimated that I would be in the queue for at least another thirty minutes. This was because despite two employees nearby who were breaking up cardboard boxes, only one person was operating the tills.

Consequently, the delay gave me time to reflect on my purchase and I decided it was simply not worth the wait. I’m uncertain if it will deter me from returning, but one thing is certain: I won’t be rushing back anytime soon.

So, what can we learn from this? Firstly, as soon as a queue forms at the checkout, it’s crucial to notify other staff members for assistance. Aldi, the German supermarket chain, implements an effective system where a checkout employee rings a bell if their queue becomes too long. The next available employee promptly opens an additional till. This is why you rarely see more than three or four customers in line at Aldi.

Of course, the individuals responsible for non-checkout work would need the necessary training to operate a till. Having a versatile team capable of expediting the checkout process is essential for stores to optimize sales and profits.

Here are some more ways retail stores can cut the queues and reduce customer waiting time.

Opt for Self-Service Checkouts

Self-service checkouts are designed to help customers quickly scan, bag, and pay for their purchases without having to wait in line at a traditional checkout counter. Customers can scan their items, weigh them if required, and pay for their purchases using a self-checkout kiosk, which saves time and reduces wait times. Also, retailers should encourage customers to use self-checkout through incentives, such as loyalty programs.

Use Mobile Checkouts

Mobile checkouts are another great way to reduce queue wait times. Retailers can use mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets to help customers scan, bag, and pay for their purchases. This way, customers can complete their transactions without ever having to leave the shopping aisle. It is an excellent way to optimize the shopping experience and provide customers with a better overall experience.

Offer Pre-Order and Pickup Services

Pre-ordering service is an excellent way for customers to avoid queues altogether. Retailers can allow customers to pre-order items from their app or website and notify them when the items are ready for pickup. Customers can then pick up their purchases at a designated counter, avoiding the long checkout queues altogether. Pre-ordering and pickup services are convenient and time-efficient for both the retailer and the customer.

Increase the Number of Checkouts

Increasing the number of traditional checkout counters is another way to cut down queuing times. During peak hours, such as weekends and holiday shopping seasons, retailers should ensure they have enough checkout counters to cater to the demand.

Employee Training

Employee training plays a crucial role in reducing queue wait times. Retailers must train their employees to handle various processes, such as handling returns and exchanges, scanning items, issuing refunds, etc. Inadequate training can lead to errors and delays, which eventually result in longer queue wait times. Retailers must ensure their staff members are proficient in the necessary skills so that they can efficiently handle customers and reduce wait times.

Summing Up

By implementing these methods, retailers can significantly reduce queuing times and provide a more enjoyable shopping experience for customers. With fewer queues and shorter wait times, shoppers are more likely to return and become loyal customers, which ultimately contributes to higher sales, revenue and growth.

About the Author

Ian Miller is Editor of Customer Service Manager Magazine – the leading resource and community for customer service professionals.

Customer engagement has become one of the most critical success factors for retailers looking to drive sales, loyalty, and overall business growth.

However, with the increasing complexity and diversity of today’s retail environment, engaging with customers has become a more challenging task.

The good news is that with the right strategies and processes in place, retailers can achieve higher levels of customer engagement and build stronger relationships. This article will provide you with ten effective ways to improve your retail customer engagement efforts.

1. Leverage Technology

In today’s digital age, customers want to engage with retailers through technology. By implementing the right technology, such as chatbots or AI-powered chat assistants, you can create a more personalized and convenient shopping experience for your customers. Technology can also help to reduce wait times, improve order accuracy, and make it easier for customers to communicate with your brand.

2. Focus on Personalization

One of the most effective ways to improve customer engagement is to provide a personalized experience. Use customer data to tailor your marketing messages, offer personalized recommendations, and create customized promotions and offers. By understanding your customers’ preferences and behavior, you can build stronger relationships and increase their loyalty to your brand.

3. Create a Loyalty Program

A loyalty program is an excellent way to increase customer engagement and drive repeat business. Offer rewards, discounts, and other incentives to customers who frequently shop with your brand. Hand out high-quality vinyl die cut stickers with offers to keep your customers coming back. A loyalty program creates a sense of community and makes customers feel valued and appreciated.

4. Offer Exceptional Customer Service

Nothing beats great customer service when it comes to building relationships with customers. Make sure your employees are trained to provide exceptional service and support, and empower them to solve customer issues quickly. Train your team members to listen actively and respond promptly to customer inquiries, complaints, and feedback.

5. Use Social Media to Engage with Customers

Social media is an excellent platform for retailers to connect and engage with customers. Use platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter X to share news and updates about your brand, offer promotions, and respond to customer comments and feedback. Social media can also help you to gain valuable insight into your customers’ behavior and preferences.

6. Participate in Community Events

Participating in local community events is an excellent way to engage with customers and build brand awareness. Host in-store events, sponsor local charity events, and participate in local trade shows or fairs. Engaging with your community creates goodwill and strengthens your brand’s reputation.

7. Create Interactive Displays

Creating interactive displays in your store is a great way to attract and engage customers. Use digital signage, touch screens, and other interactive displays to showcase product features and benefits, offer product demos, and provide educational information about your brand and products.

8. Build a Branded Mobile App

A branded mobile app gives you another touchpoint to engage with customers. Use your app to offer exclusive deals, send push notifications with relevant information, and create a rewards program. A branded app can also help you to gain valuable insights into your customers’ shopping behavior and preferences.

9. Use QR Codes and NFC

QR codes and Near Field Communication (NFC) technology are excellent ways to create a seamless and interactive experience for customers. Use a QR code to provide more information about products, offer exclusive deals, and drive customers to your website or social media channels. NFC technology can be used to offer contactless payment options and provide customers with a seamless shopping experience.

10. Offer User-Generated Content

User-generated content (UGC) is content created by customers that promotes your brand and products. Encourage customers to share their experiences, photos, and videos on social media or your website. UGC provides social proof and creates a sense of community surrounding your brand.

11. Participate in SMS Marketing

SMS marketing is a simple yet highly effective way to keep customers informed and engaged. Retailers can use SMS to send customers updates on sales, special promotions, or events. By maintaining regular contact with customers via text messages, retailers can cultivate a strong connection with their audience.

12. Use Augmented reality (AR) 

Augmented reality (AR) is another technology that is transforming customer engagement in retail settings. AR allows customers to visualize products in their desired contexts, which can facilitate informed purchasing decisions. For example, customers can preview furniture in their homes using AR-powered apps before making a purchase.

13. Utilize Feedback Effectively

To improve retail customer engagement, it is crucial to have a well-planned strategy for effective use of customer feedback. Gathering feedback through multiple channels like surveys, social media, or directly from customers during in-store visits can significantly improve the customer retention rate.

Analyze the feedback, both positive and negative, and identify patterns or trends. This will provide valuable insights into customer preferences and expectations. Use this information to make necessary adjustments to products, services, or store layouts. Recognize and appreciate the customers who provide valuable feedback. Engaging with them can lead to increased customer satisfaction and higher customer retention.

14. Hold Contests and Giveaways

Contests and giveaways are effective tools to enhance brand promotion and drive customer engagement. They can create excitement among customers and encourage them to interact with the brand more actively. Brands should ensure that contests are easy to participate in and the giveaway prizes are relevant to the target audience. This not only increases participation but also contributes to creating a positive brand image.

15. Promote Positive Customer Reviews

Positive customer reviews are essential for enhancing the brand image. They can not only attract new customers but also build trust among the existing clientele. To encourage customers to leave positive reviews, brands can offer incentives or loyalty rewards for those who share their feedback. Displaying these reviews on the store website and social media platforms can help in improving brand visibility and promoting brand experience.

Summing Up

The retail landscape has significantly changed, especially due to the impact of the recent pandemic. As retailers strive to adapt and thrive, innovative ideas and approaches are essential to engage customers and increase revenue. By effectively employing these strategies, retail businesses can develop a loyal following and enhance customer engagement.

About the Author

Ian Miller is Editor of Customer Service Manager Magazine – the leading resource and community for customer service professionals.

In the wake of significant inflationary pressures leaving consumers with less disposable income, retailers can’t afford to ignore the critical importance of creating exceptional customer experiences.

Verint has conducted independent research into the positive influence customer experience strategies have on earning shoppers’ discretionary dollars in the inflationary era.

The data, based on a survey of 2,000 U.S. consumers who had purchased from a mass market retailer from February to July 2022, provides insights into how retailers are doing in their customer experience initiatives to maintain “share of wallet” at a time when global inflation is soaring.

To the Retail Customer Experience Victors, Go the Spoils

More than two-thirds of consumers surveyed are less confident in the economy than a year ago and 76 percent are spending less, trimming retail purchases.

Struggling with inflation and economic uncertainty, 56 percent of shoppers indicated “value for the money” as one of the two most important factors impacting their loyalty to mass market retailers. The survey also reinforced the fiscal benefits of customer retention and keeping existing customers happy. Ninety-one percent of consumers shop at their favorite mass market retailer at least once a month, with 83 percent spending $50 or more on average.

After having an amazing customer experience, 88 percent are likely to make a repeat purchase, 82 percent are likely to recommend to friends or family, 68 percent are likely to join a loyalty program, and 63 percent said they are likely to write a positive review.

At the same time, retailers that delight first-time shoppers can also benefit greatly. Three-quarters of consumers who tried a new mass market retailer for the first time in the past six months shopped there more than once, with 90 percent of first-time shoppers making purchases at least once a month thereafter.

Still, a negative customer experience can send shoppers packing. Reasons that consumers were likely to stop purchasing from a retailer included: if a customer service issue isn’t resolved in a single attempt (62 percent), if unable to communicate on their channel of choice (57 percent), if forced to repeat themselves (55 percent), and if they have to endure long wait times (50 percent). Customer patience has been depleted and there are competitors eager to take advantage of any less-than-stellar retail experience.

Brands Must Optimize All Channels for Engagement

Email, phone and in-person interactions are the most commonly used channels for brands to interact with their customers. However, our research found that customer interactions are increasing most on modern digital channels, and as customer journeys become more complex, it’s important to develop effective omnichannel strategies to cover all bases.

Opportunities for digital engagement are not being optimized; 62 percent of companies have websites, online communities, or digital forums, but less than 15 percent of customer interactions happen there, and it’s a similar story for messaging and social.

Meanwhile, overall customer interactions are growing in volume; 82 percent of respondents say their interactions are increasing on at least one channel. Modern digital channels saw the most frequent reports of volumes increasing, with social media (61 percent), chat (56 percent), messaging (56 percent) and website, online community, or forums (54 percent) the top four. There’s room to expand the number of conversations across those four channels, with the average percentage of customers interacting with companies less than 16 percent.

At a time when customer retention is extremely important, concentrating only on the traditionally most popular channels such as email, phone, and in-person, is not an option. With only around one-third of people surveyed saying their company is looking to add chat and messaging in the next 12 months, companies could be missing the chance to engage customers via these increasingly popular digital channels. Automation will be the key to engaging on these channels at scale and managing the increasing volume of customer interactions.

The Importance of Knowing Your Customer Better

Not only is providing amazing experiences likely to generate higher revenues through repeat purchases, but great customer experience is also likely to lead to more referrals and grow a company’s loyalty program.

The first step is understanding exactly how a company can deliver standout omnichannel customer journeys and ensure they keep their share of wallet during times of economic hardship. Then companies can pinpoint which areas of their customer engagement strategies are working well, or badly, and act swiftly to make any required changes.

This is where collecting customer feedback in real-time becomes critical. Gathering customer insights in the moment enables retailers to take immediate action, often through customer self-service or a hand over to a contact center employee for assistance. Real-time digital feedback data means issues can be identified and handled early, on a micro and macro level, before becoming widespread.

Automation also plays a key role in the delivery and analysis of customer insights. Companies can drill down into the recurring customer issues and identify areas for improvement across each touchpoint and channel. With the level of automation growing for 8 in 10 companies, ensuring it’s deployed on the right channels, for the right use cases, will be key.

Keeping Customers Coming Back

Today’s retailers are putting a premium on building positive experiences across multiple engagement channels to help retain loyal customers during the economic downturn. Success is predicated on retailers embracing a channel-less mentality and a “One Workforce” approach in which a high-quality customer experience is guaranteed, no matter what channel is used or what type of employee (human, bot, hybrid) handles the engagement. It makes providing a consistently exceptional customer experience possible.

About the Author

Jenni Palocsik is Vice President, Marketing Insights, Experience and Enablement, at Verint.

It is more important than ever to ensure customer satisfaction in a consumer environment where competition is high and disposable income low.

To have the consumers speak of your company with high regard is the sure way to guarantee success and longevity in business. Ensuring customer satisfaction requires your team’s behaviour to be impeccable, as it is the human-to-human contact and the quality of the service or product which will bring customers back again and again.

Here we list some ways to ensure the best experience for the customer and their satisfaction.

Celebrate the value of politeness

Most people go through their day feeling disconnected. Consequently, one of the greatest assets you can instil in your employees is politeness. A simple “thank you”, “please”, or a door held open can be the difference to an individual.

It shouldn’t be surprising that politeness is valued, though sometimes we must consider these things consciously. Think of a hair stylist, there is the one who stays with you until you pay and then opens the door as you leave, and you think they are your friend. Then, the stylist passes you off to an assistant and doesn’t even acknowledge you as you walk away. The difference between the sense of care and attention is intense.

Remember to smile

Part of this connection is our smile. We deploy a smile far too reluctantly, yet it is the best way to welcome another and to help ease any sense of conflict. On a more complex level, explore with employees how the person can mirror the body language we speak with. Therefore, if there is a need to deal with a lack of satisfaction, we can manage the reaction of others with the way that we choose to stand and the expression we have on our faces.

Encourage patience

When a customer is browsing, there is always a tricky balance of when to engage and when not. There is the need to stay present and look available without hovering. While you should never turn away from an approaching customer, you should not pounce on them either. Part of the talent of serving people and giving them the best experience is knowing when the individual wants to engage.

Avoid “I don’t know” and over promises.

As well as training staff in what to do, it is essential to help your colleagues understand what they shouldn’t do. The first is to say you don’t know the answer to a question. This is not an invitation to lie or fabricate a response; it is a suggestion that the employee seeks out the answer before allowing the customer to leave. Rather than saying, “I don’t know, ” you use the phrase, “Let me find out for you.”

The other thing not to do is related. It would be best if you did not promise what you cannot deliver. Being mindful of what is possible to offer prevents any possibility of disappointment. The best scenarios leave the customer surprised and delighted by over-delivery. Promising what you cannot deliver will never lead to this optimum outcome.

Spot the customer type

There are different customer types and so different ways of offering satisfaction. Knowing the customer type will help you know best how to serve their needs. First, there is the loyal customer who comes back time and again. Now, this might feel like the perfect scenario, yet loyal customers usually demand much better service from you and want the relationship to be nurtured.

The impulse customer will make up the most significant proportion of your clients, so leaving dump bins and ensuring your store layout is optimised for this buyer is an important step. Those looking for a discount will search for the money off labels, so make these bright and bold. These people are unlikely ever to become loyal customers, though you can maximise their desire for a bargain.

The new customer needs a lot of care and attention; you want to make an excellent first impression. This is where all the advice that has come before matters now. Finally, there is the customer who comes having researched in detail what they want. Here, you need to answer questions and reassure the customer with your expertise patiently.

Conclusion

When new customers are so tricky to find, the experience you offer must extend the lifetime value of each person that deals with you. Most of the requirements of a good customer experience are about being a good person and making connections on a human level. The trick is not taking it for granted that this exists in colleagues and training them well to behave the right way to maintain satisfaction.

The retail marketplace is only getting more competitive. The ongoing aftereffects of the pandemic, massive political disruption, and the spiraling cost of living crisis are combining to only make it more challenging to meet customers’ needs. Andy Wilkins, Co-Founder and CEO of Futr, explains.

Laying the groundwork for new innovation

Many retailers have already taken significant steps to retain market share and set themselves up to grow. With the pandemic having accelerated digital transformation plans, many have spent the last two years laying the groundwork to deliver exceptional experiences to their customers, irrespective of channel.

That foundation is critical for what comes next. While the considerable boom in ecommerce has naturally receded slightly as shops reopened, the behaviours it instilled have persisted. This has helped rapidly increase the digital literacy of many demographics that might previously have been resistant to more virtual and contactless engagement methods.

Capitalising on changing perceptions

This has led retail brands to investigate new forms of communicating with and serving customers, notably chatbots. First introduced on a large scale in 2016, advances in machine learning (ML) and artificial intelligence (AI), combined with the growing popularity of messaging apps, are helping to change both brands’ and the public’s opinion of chatbots.

Specifically, retailers are using chatbots to:

1. Revolutionise customer service: running 24/7 contact centres is expensive and challenging, but when something goes wrong, customers want answers immediately, not waiting for office hours. Chatbots offer a way of providing dynamic contact which can help source information without requiring large teams working through the night on the off chance a customer needs support.

2. Provide a platform for two-way communication: once, brands communicated to customers, with little opportunity for traffic to come back the other way. Consumers aren’t willing to accept that anymore; they want the means to get in touch as they see fit and via the channels that suit their needs. Text, Whatsapp, Facebook, Twitter, phone, web, emails, Instagram comments; the list goes on and on. And with more channels comes the risk of more silos, hampering efforts to deliver connected experiences and increasing the chance that customers will keep having to repeat themselves, affecting engagement levels. Chatbots can provide a presence across all channels, managed through a central point, so that brands can deliver a consistent experience.

3. Avoiding cart abandonment through conversational marketing: more than three quarters (76%) of online transactions in retail are abandoned, rising to 85% on mobile, with a total global value of more than £13 million. Conversational marketing, in the form of social commerce, automated display ads, and chatbots, can help tackle shopping cart abandonment, providing reminders at critical moments to customers. Chatbots able to bounce from platform to platform help maintain a consistent conversation and increase the chances of transaction completion.

4. Reducing operational costs: introducing chatbots can save money by reducing the need for large workforces. It can also help reduce turnover (and therefore hiring costs) by taking on administrative and repetitive tasks from human workers and freeing them up to focus on more value-adding activities. So, alongside the benefits that chatbots deliver to customers through a better experience, staff also benefit through improved working conditions.

5. Improving brand engagement: with chatbots now capable of not just holding conversations with customers but doing so in multiple languages across multiple channels, brand communications are easier to maintain than ever. Chatbots can be designed and adapted to have a tone of voice that matches branding, creating an even more conversational communications flow. That only adds to brand understanding, trust, and loyalty.

6. Personalise the customer experience: a customer service chatbot offers a level of personalisation that’s proving extremely effective for retailers. Customers are more demanding than ever and seek a tailored experience that makes them feel valued. Chatbots can address the needs of multiple customers simultaneously while giving the retailers a 360° view of the entirety of a customer’s data. This offers personalised experiences because retailers can be more proactive in their approach to customer service, as opposed to reactive.

Delivering better brand communications

For many, deploying chatbots might seem like a significant undertaking yet the reality is that they require little set-up time, as most are ‘plug and play’ and require very little technical expertise.

Retailers have already done much of the foundational work, so now is the time to invest and augment existing efforts with chatbots that can help businesses to scale their brand communications. With the retail landscape more competitive than ever, being able to deliver consistent experiences across multiple channels is one way brands will protect their market share and grow it.

About the Author

Andy Wilkins is the Co-Founder and CEO of Futr. Futr is a VC backed tech start-up with the mission of delivering superpowers to support teams everywhere.  From out of hours self-serve chatbots to making live chat agents instantly multilingual on any social or chat channel, Futr’s superpowers are transforming the way organisations serve their audiences.

In retail, the customer is king. It is common knowledge that the retail industry thrives on positive customer interactions and feedback, so when reviewing the ways in which organizations can grow and remain competitive in their field, it is vital to craft plans that revolve around optimizing the customer experience.

For retail business, the customer journey extends far beyond the initial sales engagement. Lasting brand loyalty is cultivated from continuous service throughout the lifecycle of any particular product and managing these engagements for quality can be difficult when multiple players are involved. When an appliance, device or system requires at-home service or repair, customers are usually connected with an original equipment manufacturer (OEM) who will leverage a contracted workforce to carry out these services. By integrating new digital field service management (FSM) solutions, retailers can maintain control of the complete customer journey, even when relying on third-party entities.

Adhere to changing expectations

According to Gartner, by the end of this year 85% of customer service interactions will start with self-service. The best field service solutions will include consumer portals that can make scheduling service visits easy for customers by offering control over their experience. Customers want to take control of their experiences and have the most streamlined service process possible. Self-service scheduling provides the flexibility to make appointments on their own time through an integrated branded portal, without the need to stay on hold with a call center. Consumers are empowered to upload relevant photos and equipment information based on their repair request and view their service history and product details online.

Additionally, clients can use this portal to track estimated time of arrival updates for technicians and receive real-time notifications from their servicer so they know when the representative will arrive or when to expect delays. Access to this information ahead of a service visit makes customers more informed and actively engaged in the process, building their faith in the technician and company before the site visit begins. Self-service is a proven necessity to providing a positive customer experience as 88% of customers now expect a company’s website to include a self-service application.

Increase service and revenue opportunities

As customers are taking more control of their own service requests through customer portals, retailers can use the opportunity to engage in sales opportunities. Even when customers are transitioned to a third-party servicer, retailers can use FSM to upsell and cross-sell to increase revenue. These are important strategies for retailers to build long-term financial viability, which allows them to keep prices low to maintain a competitive advantage, and with customized ads and targeted sales for each customer based on their specific products, retailers can up and cross-sell product enhancements or new models through the technicians who are already onsite or through the customer portal.

Also, by expanding technician knowledge of specific clients and their purchasing history through software-driven comprehensive customer profiles, service visits become an opportunity for retailers to exhibit their understanding of each customer by customizing each experience. Technicians have access to records from FSM and CRM software to glean actionable insights, ensuring that they can provide better service by satisfying the customer’s needs and addressing upcoming problems in one visit. This interpersonal engagement will maintain customer loyalty and drive revenue growth, as 91% of consumers are more likely to shop with brands that provide offers and recommendations that are relevant to them, according to Accenture.

Enhance performance

Field service management software can track this additional income and further increase retail revenue through actionable data analytics that monitor business performance and promote better decision-making. Businesses can track operational key performance indicators (KPIs), enhance forecasting and planning, and collaborate with third parties to optimize an end-to-end customer experience. Data analytics enable organizations to unify reporting and map demand to capacity and have been shown to increase customer retention by 42% and service profits by 18%.

Not only can this technology help business analytics, but FSM can also increase the efficiency of service operators. Through optimized scheduling and AI-based inventory management, FSM can ensure that technicians are intelligently scheduled based on their skill set and location and arrive with the parts necessary to complete the job. This capability not only quells a major customer complaint of low first-time fix-rates, but it also maximizes each technician’s efficiency through route planning, decreasing turnaround times and improving SLA compliance.

FSM allows retailers to monitor every detail of the service process as it happens, allowing them to manage the customer journey and coordinate with third-party workers and suppliers when product service is requested. Through intelligent scheduling, KPI tracking and customer portals, retailers can grow their business while continuing to personalize service experiences to each client, reaffirming brand loyalty and maximizing business outcomes.

 About the Author

Brad Hawkins has been with ServicePower since 2004, where he currently serves as Senior Vice President of Products and Solutions and oversees operations, development and product management. A long time veteran in the world of field service technology, Brad brings more than 20 years of experience in work force management software.

Learning and development professionals in the customer service and retail industry are experiencing an evolution in how they engage their employees in ongoing job training.

Hours of sitting through slide presentations are becoming increasingly obsolete as top name brand stores are exploring how they can utilize Immersive Learning to ensure their customer-facing employees are prepared to handle a variety of challenges on any given day.

Immersive Learning utilizes the power of experience through Virtual Reality (VR) to simulate a modern working environment. This allows employees to interact with the training material in a safe and engaging environment that helps them to practice critical skills on demand.

What may be most surprising about Immersive Learning is that it is not a new idea. It’s an advanced approach to learning that is based on decades of neuroscience research. This learning modality operates under the notion that the brain treats learning experiences in VR the same as it would in the real world. This is what makes VR training more memorable and realistic than other less interactive learning techniques. An employee training built in a VR environment gives learning and development professionals a clear indication of how their employees will perform once they come into contact with real customers.

Measure the Success of Soft Skills Training with VR

Soft skills are the very core of the customer service industry. These are the most critical, yet intangible skills that often make the biggest difference in whether or not the customer has a positive experience. This can include the employee’s approach to teamwork, communication, punctuality, attitude, motivation, manners, and more.

Research shows that companies are facing a growing gap in soft skills training. Employers are increasingly frustrated with employees who spend more time staring into their phones rather than focusing on customer service. They want employees who are able to take direction from supervisors and work cooperatively with colleagues to achieve a goal. Yet, these skills are generally left off of the job description and are quite difficult to assess from looking at an applicant’s resume alone. So how is VR being used to train store employees?

Walmart has been able to create their own data around the use of empathy for their customer service associates in its beKIND training program. The program was designed to infuse more kindness into associate training as a way to help de-escalate recurring issues on the retail floor. Associates find that they are able to grow their confidence levels while being given constructive feedback about their performance in each training scenario.

One of the biggest challenges of any learning and development professional is measuring how much trainees are learning. VR can help make this task easier by tracking:

• Demonstrated proficiency in completing a task in the simulated environment
• Number of interactions in the training module
• Training frequency and completion

Build Company Culture with immersion

As a retail manager, there may be times when you experience a conflict between needing people to serve customers on the retail floor and spending time in training activities. Both are critical to the success of any retail outlet. However, how does a company minimize the time spent in training while maximizing the opportunity for new employees to embody the values of the company?

What is most promising about training customer service employees using VR is the opportunity to standardize the learning experience while also creating a personalized learning event. Each training experience is an immersive experience that allows employees to feel the emotions of working through complex tasks. As trainees become active participants in each learning session, they are able to internalize the key concepts related to company culture while becoming comfortable with how to apply the knowledge in real life situations.

Natural and organic grocery store chain, Sprouts, experienced a hiring spike due to the pandemic. This necessitated an efficient training system to teach new employees company core values and customer service techniques. Immersive Learning was key to developing onboarding that was scalable, standardized, and impactful for all. It also helped reduce time spent training by 81% without sacrificing effectiveness. New hires could get to work faster and feel more confident.

New team members who mastered job-specific competencies continually outperformed their peers in every key performance indicator using VR training. Existing employees were also able to benefit from VR training through a refresher course that helped them improve upon skills that may have been missed during new hire orientation.

How Can You Utilize Immersive Learning and VR for Your Training?

What data points are missing from your customer service training outcomes? What do you need to know in order to improve the customer experience? Immersive Learning is a game-changer for the customer service and retail industry because it allows companies to measure intangible outcomes that contribute to a store’s bottom line. No matter your line of service, VR can help your employees to be more confident and self-aware communicators who are excited to contribute to the improvement of company culture.

The trading environment in the past year has been challenging for retailers and has also reinforced the opportunity for retailers to completely rethink their operations to deliver seamless customer experiences. Carmen Carey, CEO of Sorted, explains.

What’s become clear is that customers hold the power. Brands need to be aligning to the preference of the consumer, not the other way round. This means creating 5-star customer experiences, the best way to both convert and keep those all-important buyers, becomes a basic hygiene factor.

While the retail world may be heating up like never before, the competitive advantage is there for the taking. To grab it, there are many considerations retailers will need to keep front of mind in this new trading landscape. What are the top trends we can expect to see right now?

1. Retailers will own the delivery experience

Branded tracking is now considered an essential rather than a ‘nice to have’ option. Although now expected as a standard, our recent research found that only 36 per cent of retailers offered branded tracking, leaving a huge opportunity for brands to transform their post-purchase experience and drive engagement. This is a call to action for those retailers who have not yet adopted this practice, and we expect to see retailers focus their investments on ways to take control of their delivery experience rather than relying on third-party carriers who own this instead.

By offering branded tracking, retailers can guide customers to track deliveries and returns in their app and website, not only increasing traffic but also keeping customers tight within the brand. Ultimately, moving customers away from third parties post-delivery experience will drive revenue, increase app adoption and keep customers coming back for more.

2. Retailers will realise that the returns experience is just as important as the outbound delivery experience

Customers are now looking beyond the initial purchase experience before deciding to hit ‘buy’. While getting a delivery to a consumer’s front door is no doubt crucial, consumers are now double-checking that seamless, consumer-centric experiences extend to the returns process too.

This is especially true when we consider how reliant consumers are on ecommerce. Whether due to isolation rules, government restrictions or simply because it suits our lifestyle – consumers are now expecting – and demanding – faultless delivery and returns as standard. As such, to avoid returns becoming a growing headache retailers need to finally fix the process, particularly for growing businesses.

A convoluted returns process is more than enough to put a serial online shopper – or indeed any shopper – from ordering again from that brand. We discovered that 81% of shoppers would write-off a retailer if they saw issues with their return process, meaning brands need to up their returns game if they want to keep their customers sticky. Plus, an easy process is the best way to convert a straight up return into an exchange – meaning retailers can keep the cash and optimise inventory.

What’s more, customers expect these faultless returns experiences regardless of whether they order from a large multinational brand or a small business. Enabled via technology, we’ll expect to see retailers of all sizes compete on a level playing field to offer the best end-to-end customer experience.

3. Customer satisfaction as a key business KPI

Our research revealed that 75 percent of consumers would stop using a retailer if they frequently messed up communication updates regarding their delivery. This suggests that consumer expectations are higher than ever, and delivery is now a major point of differentiation between brands. As the most important touchpoint for influencing satisfaction, retailers will need to pull out all the stops when it comes to transforming their post-purchase journey.

We’ll see retailers blend a consistent online and offline experience by personalising the post-purchase journey, getting proactive with communications and connecting with customers more. With branded communications, you can stay one step ahead, keeping your customers updated on delivery and returns progress while displaying content tailored to them. Not only does this drive digital and brand engagement, but it generates sales and upsell opportunities by hooking the customer to the brand.

4. Retailers will need a disruption back-up plan

Considering the global supply chain issues over the past year, (Brexit, the pandemic, workforce shortages and the Suez Canal blockage, to name a few) we’ve been reminded that no two days are the same in logistics which highlights the critical importance of customer communication.

Should disruption arise, teams need to be empowered with actionable delivery performance data and insights so they can act before customers realise there’s an issue. With automated updates, customers can be notified with delivery or returns (whether it be status changes or disruption), protecting CX as a result.

Since consumers value transparency, retailers will give customers access to branded tracking pages or embed tracking directly in their app or website so customers can self-serve the delivery or returns updates they need. For contact centres dreading the waves of ‘where is my order?’ enquiries, this will dramatically reduce the pressure on teams and driving up operationally efficiency. Despite the uncertain trading landscape, keeping one step in front of the customer is what will drive brand loyalty in the months ahead.

5. Retailers will focus more on delivery and post-purchase data insights to monitor and inform change

Many existing retailers simply aren’t harnessing data they have in an optimised way. Structuring reliable and meaningful data is simpler than many brands think. Plus, it’s often the case that delivery and post-purchase data is some of the most transformative when it comes to considering customer journey innovations.

As more retailers come to realise this, we’ll see a real shift in focus towards technologies that ensure brands can better monitor and inform change through insights. For example, savvy tools such as delivery performance reporting can keep teams on track of issues and performance across all carriers.

By utilising actionable insights, retailers can protect the customer experience and ensure promises are kept. After all, better informed teams lead to better informed and ultimately happier customers.

6. Transparent communications and a strong post-purchase experience will be more important to customers

Despite the drastic shift to online, many retailers are still failing to make the investments needed to keep up with customers’ expectations. We found that 42 per cent of consumers say they have missed, on average, three deliveries due to miscommunication by a brand during the pandemic. In today’s market, it only takes one poor experience to lose a customer – so offering a tailored post-purchase journey and transparent communication is vital if customers are to return.

With real-time tracking and personalised comms available to enhance the delivery experience, there’s no reason why brands should make customers rely on cryptic SMS updates or email communications alone.

A tailored experience is no longer simply about putting their name on the top of an email – it means ensuring that customers have access to the information they want, through the channels they choose. As such, having a clear omnichannel comms strategy is vital for meeting and communicating with consumers to suit their preferences, while hooking customers to your app and helping to secure brand loyalty.

What to look forward to

The retail world is changing at a pace never seen before. Consumers are demanding more; ecommerce is taking over the high-street, and competition is fierce. Yet the opportunity is truly there for the taking. By putting the customer front and mind with seamless delivery experiences, brands will be able to reap the benefits back twofold in the years ahead.

About the Author

Carmen Carey is CEO of Sorted. Carmen has over 20 years of tech expertise under her belt – leading successful GTM strategies and developing cutting-edge solutions in her executive roles at brands such as Brady, Unbabel and BroadVision. As CEO, Carmen fuels Sorted’s strategy, drives business transformation, backs our vision, and supports the leadership team to deliver our growth plans.

If you’re the owner of a retail business, then you’ll know more than most about the eternal struggle of getting customers through your doors.

While strong advertising campaigns both online and on your high street can help spread the word and get the customers visiting your store, getting clients to spend money and to return in the future, can feel like a losing battle.

If you’re worried about the levels of returning footfall within your business, then taking a closer look at the customer experience within your store could highlight a myriad of reasons why people aren’t returning or telling their friends and family to visit your store. We’re in an age where customers can shop from anywhere – we don’t even have to leave our homes!

However, by making some subtle changes and creating a customer-focused experience within your retail business, you can add a little magic to the high street and have people returning to your store again and again. Read on to find out more.

Make Payments Easier

There’s nothing more frustrating than when payments are slow and you’re constantly apologising to your customers for your poor POS or problems with your card readers. It’s a common reason why people don’t return to certain stores, particularly for customers who are on their lunch break and those who are pressed for time. By using a reliable and modern contactless card reader, you’ll be able to streamline the payments process, serve your customers quickly, highlight your efficiency, and focus on customer satisfaction simultaneously. Updating your card readers can transform your countertop wherever you may be, whether you’re on a food truck or a pop-up store.

Make The Experience Safe

The impact of the Covid-19 pandemic is still being felt on the high street with customers slowly, yet cautiously, returning. To encourage customers into your store and to keep them coming back, highlight how you’re making the shopping experience safe for them and how you, as a business, are taking the safety of your patrons seriously. Keep your staff in PPE, provide hand sanitising stations and make the wiping down of counters and displays consistently active, this investment in the safety of your customers won’t go unnoticed.

Train Your Staff!

It might just be a Saturday job for your youngest employees, but if a customer enquires about a specific item or range and that employee has no or limited knowledge of the product, then they’ve lost a potential sale. Training your staff on all your product lines, actively encouraging them to approach customers who look like they may need assistance and providing in-depth and helpful information can mean the difference between a customer who makes a purchase and returns and one that leaves empty-handed and never comes back.

Final Thoughts

As customers cautiously make their way back to the high street, businesses like yours need to focus on a customer-centric approach. It’s the best way to get them coming back and to tell their friends and family about you!

Customer experience plays a key role in business success. As such, businesses are set to spend $641 billion on customer experience technologies by 2022.

By adopting tools like AI, big data, and data analytics, businesses can gain valuable insights about their customers in order to personalize and significantly improve their in-store experiences.

Table ordering systems

Table ordering systems and apps are revolutionizing the hospitality sector. They’re essentially a type of digital menu that lets customers select their order and pay with their smartphones — no face-to-face contact with servers needed. Some ordering systems don’t even require customers to download an app. Instead, they simply  scan a QR with their phones. Customers will then be asked to specify their location inside the establishment, place their order, and pay. Table ordering systems are hygienic, as there’s no need to handle physical menus and card machines. They also speed up the ordering process as customers no longer have to queue at the bar when making and collecting orders — they simply order from their own tables instead. Table-ordering systems also take the pressure off customers, who get to choose their order in their own time.

Personalized product recommendations 

Personalized product recommendations, drawing on cutting-edge technology, are being used to drastically improve the in-store customer experience. For example, Invertex employs AI and 3D imaging technology to analyze the anatomy of a customer’s feet. Recently purchased by Nike, this technology uses the data gleaned from the initial scan to provide customers with the most suitable shoe offerings and sizes currently available in-store. Moreover, this technology can also operate online. Customers just need to download an app on their smartphones and scan their feet in order to receive personalized product recommendations. With AI and 3D imaging technology, retailers can tailor their product lines to their customers’ exact unique needs, as well as create new and completely-personalized lines.

Cashierless store tech

Retailers like Amazon, Walmart, and 7-Eleven are beginning to adopt cashierless technology. Using a mix of sensors, cameras, deep learning, and computer vision techniques, cashierless technology lets customers shop and simply leave the store without queuing up to pay. In particular, Amazon’s “Just Walk Out” cashierless tech lets customers enter the store with just their credit card — there’s no need to download an app or have an Amazon account. Cameras track the customer around the store while shelf sensors detect when products are removed or placed back. When the customer exits the store, a charge is automatically made to their credit card. In-store kiosks are also available for customers who desire physical receipts (although email copies will also be sent). Amazon has also made Just Walk Out available to other retailers to purchase. This technology considerably improves speed and convenience for customers, who no longer have to wait around to pay — which is beneficial when they have limited time and face waiting in long lines.

New technology is helping to improve the in-store customer experience. Table ordering systems, tailored product recommendations, and cashierless store tech are some of the latest technologies improving personalization, convenience, and value for customers. Technologies like X-ray machine PCB inspection have many benefits.