Important customer-service practices assist shoppers with purchases that meet their felt and undiscovered needs

Customer service encompasses the entire shopping experience and can be done well by remembering and executing the “Three Cs”:

Convenience begins with being available to your customers when they want to shop. We generally recommend that retailers base their store hours on the normal hours of the center in which your store operates, the typical traffic patterns created by local employers and schools, and most importantly, by a review of your customer traffic and hourly sales for each day. 

If you do not yet have the technology to measure customer traffic in and out of your store by the hour, consider investing in such. Several low-cost options are available and the data can help you staff your store to maximize sales and minimize labor costs. Looking at sales for your early morning and late evening hours in a certain period will help you stretch the window of time your store is open to the maximum profitable time period.

Remember, too, that consumers expect your hours to flex seasonally to make it easier for them to shop during the holidays.

Comfort speaks to making sure your store is inviting and provides a pleasant shopping environment. Does your “Open” sign work? Are your sidewalks and windows clean? Do you have a place for customers to “land” when they enter the front door? Is your store layout and signage such that customers easily can see where they want to shop? What about your store’s lighting? Too little light and they cannot see products well or feel safe, but too much and customers will sense a lack of “coziness.” In some cases, they might even get migraines and avoid your store altogether! 

Think about sound as well. Do you have music playing, and is it innocuous enough? Is the volume set so that your customers will not consciously notice it, or is it so loud or genre-specific that some consumers will find it a distraction? 

Take time to experience the environment of your store again as if for the first time, or ask a friend to do it for you. Pay special attention to aisle width and lines of sight that help customers provide ample room for browsing and find the products they want. 

Also, don’t forget sparkling restrooms. You would not invite guests into your home to use a dirty bathroom, and some customers will judge your entire operation based on the cleanliness of your public restrooms. Finally, remember that customers follow their noses. Does your store smell fresh, or are dirty carpets and dusty fixtures making your store feel old and worn?

Courtesy starts with a warm, genuine greeting. A quick word that acknowledges the customer, and makes him or her feel welcome is the trick. Don’t pester them the minute the walk in the door, but do follow up to see if they need help or to make them aware of any store specials. 

Remember, too, that it is a proven fact that the most cost-effective advertising you can do is through the use of well-crafted feature displays and P.O.P. materials. Do it right and you will help customers find items that meet their needs and desires at a price they can’t resist. But, do it wrong and you will have cluttered up your store and blocked important sight lines. If you do not feel like you have the visual or design skills to pull this off, reach out to a friend or a professional to guide you. For a relatively small investment, you can reap big dividends!

Selling is an art that can be learned by just about anyone who cares about people. I say this because selling should always be done from the perspective of helping the customer. If you can do this with full integrity, selling can become serving!

So, the steps to an effective selling strategy that we recommend for retailers are:

Always approach the customer from the mind-set of serving them. This means helping them find the best product to meet their needs, just the right item for that “special gift” or letting them know about the new release from a favorite author or artist. It also can mean helping them discover ways to save money. It is not about what you want them to buy, but about meeting their needs and desires.

Help your staff expand their knowledge of key products. We recommend that you identify key products that meet local customers’ needs. When an employee can speak with confidence about a product, that will help a customer with a problem teenager, the death of a loved one, difficult financial times, feeling far from God or most importantly, a relationship with Jesus as their Savior. Your employee will be able to engage with confidence customers throughout the store, knowing they can best meet their specific needs. 

Based on your clientele, develop a list of such needs and products to meet them, and systematically walk your staff through it. Focus on how each key product meets a customer need. Consider labeling these items as “Staff Recommendations.” Be sure to include key product lines such as Bibles, Bible study tools, devotionals and books on prayer, parenting, grief and apologetics.

Train your staff to never ask questions that can be answered with a yes or no. Instead, try statements or questions that engage the customer from a helpful perspective. For example, try saying, “I see you’re looking at study Bibles. Are you looking for one for yourself or as gift for someone else?” Or perhaps, “I see you are looking at study Bibles. Which translation of the Bible do you prefer?” Once you have broken the ice, you will know more about their needs and be in a position to offer relevant suggestions.

Help customers make the most of their visit by listening and suggesting. Listen to their responses and suggest items to meet needs they have expressed and needs they may not even know they have yet. The expressed need from the customer might be: “I just starting going to Sunday school at First Christian Church and they are studying Experiencing God.” The unknown need may be that in addition to the workbook, they might find that they need the related trade book. 

Last, but not least, remember that it is harder to sell what you don’t have, so be sure to customize your assortment and stock your shelves with the solutions to your customers’ needs.  My motto in this regard is: “Always be in-stock with what the customer expects to find.” Being able to place the product that your customer is looking for into his or her hands and saving your customer a return trip to your store is one of the best ways to secure a sale and provide great service. The best way to achieve this is to identify these products and include them in the core assortment that you regularly replenish.

By creating a welcoming and comfortable environment for your customers and then suggesting items to them that meet their needs, your store will earn a reputation for providing a great shopping experience and thereby increase your sales. Imagine the benefit of adding just $1 to every transaction by helping customers select the items that will best help them.

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