Ensuring optimal customer service is a challenging task faced by all retailers. One indispensable aspect is the regular evaluation of your team. The common phrase, “Your call is being recorded for quality and training purposes,” is heard most times when you speak to a call centre. While these recordings serve legal and compliance functions, their true value lies in training and improving customer service.
Recorded calls provide unfiltered insights into a team member’s interaction with customers. The anonymity of call selection ensures authenticity, offering team leaders an unbiased glimpse into their team member’s usual approaches. During performance evaluations, team leaders can offer constructive feedback by reviewing these calls with the team member’s themselves, fostering a continuous improvement cycle.
In contrast, the evaluation process in physical stores often lags. Unlike recorded calls, face-to-face interactions pose challenges as they cannot be easily scrutinised. This gap leads to a lack of follow-up with team members, allowing subpar customer service to persist unchecked. The root cause of poor customer service often lies in management’s tolerance for it.
Addressing this issue starts with store managers dedicating a small portion of their daily routine to evaluating team performance. Direct observation of how team members interact with customers provides valuable insights. Developing the skill of evaluation over time allows managers to pinpoint areas for improvement and praise exemplary performance.
While some companies resort to Mystery Shoppers for external evaluations, this approach has drawbacks. Monthly assessments leave significant gaps, and delayed feedback impedes immediate performance enhancement. Encouraging store managers to become their own “mystery shoppers” by regularly evaluating their team members can bridge these gaps. This proactive approach enables real-time feedback, identifying who requires additional support and who deserves recognition.
By committing to regular evaluations as part of a store manager’s role, businesses can witness tangible improvements in both customer service and sales. The transformative impact of this hands-on evaluation approach ensures a customer-centric culture within the team, ultimately enhancing the overall service experience.
Roger Simpson – CEO, The Retail Solution and Author of “The Ultimate Retail Sales Experience” With over 35 years’ industry experience, Roger Simpson is recognized as Australia’s #1 Authority on customer ROI in the retail industry and as a global expert on staff coaching, customer service, and selling skills.
