Creating A Great Customer Experience
Improving your customer’s experience when visiting your business, is a sure-fire way to set yourself apart from your competitors. Here are a few things to consider if you’re looking at making some improvements.
Prepare
Often your customers journey begins prior to setting foot in your store. They may have called you for a booking or perhaps your staff are calling to book their return visit. Either way, the initial phone call sets the tone for the customer journey. Having a staff member with a friendly and professional telephone manner perform the phone calls is a great start, but there is more you can offer them at this early stage. Check if it is a suitable time for the phone call and if so, you can update their contact details, this will save you both time later.
Service
How the customer is initially greeted sets the tone for the in-store experience. Arriving to find occupied staff performing other duties or worse, playing on their phones, is not a great start. Arriving to staff who immediately step up to help with a welcoming smile and warm greeting will make all the difference. Have your staff add a personal touch by calling the customer by name throughout their visit, without over doing it. By having staff who are engaged in a positive company culture, this will provide a friendly and comfortable store environment.
Environment
Run down, poorly lit stores with poorly placed product displays creating clutter – do not make a good purchasing environment. Create a bright, clean and inviting space that you, yourself, would want to shop in. Strategically place your product stands in prominent locations but ensure they are easy to get around. If you have a waiting area for clients, do not place a clock in sight of this space. Provide entertainment or educational videos to keep customers occupied and informed. Magazines and other reading material are great, but in-store televisions that provide helpful information along with marketing messages for your business are going to benefit your clients as much as your business.
Tailored Sales
Ultimately you need to profit from each client who steps through the door. However, pushy, hard-nosed sales people with profit in mind ahead of the customers real needs can be detrimental. Allow your staff the time to engage in real conversations with customers. As they build rapport they will be able to inquire about the customers lifestyle and analyse their requirements. They can then sell based on the benefits, also providing suitable add-on sales.
Open Ending
Leave off on a high note. Once you’ve informed them of any supporting information like order time frames etc, ask if there is anything else you can help them with and provide the solutions. Finally, do not let them leave the store without something with your business details on it. Whether that be a return appointment card, your business card or a personalised product, provide them with something that keeps you memorable and easy to contact for their future eyewear requirements.
If you require personalised products to stay fresh in your client’s minds, Optica offer a variety of useful and appealing customisable products. You can check them out here.
