When a retailer does not live up to the customers’ expectations, customers perceive a gap between the firm and the customers leading to customer dissatisfaction. For a business, the consequences may be devastating. Companies can lose loyal customers, forcing companies to expensively acquire new customers and decreasing profitability. This is why customers should be the focal point of every business and why understanding customer satisfaction is critical to ensure your long-term success. To start leveling up your business in the future, here are 7 tips to enhance your retail store's customer service and increase customer satisfaction:

1.Treat Customers Like You Would Want to Be Treated and Give Them Space When They Need It

Generally speaking, retail stores usually have seconds to connect with customers and make a good impression. That’s why excellent people skills are essential when running a retail business. The more you relate to your customers and their emotional needs, the better experience they’ll have. Make it your store’s practice to engage the customer when they first arrive and let them know you are available for assistance. You should be able to detect if they require assistance or if they require some distance from the very first contact. Know when to walk away from the client and let them decide what they need in order to enhance customer satisfaction. 

To make sure your customers feel valued, you should always focus on the customer that is in front of you at the moment. It may be tough to juggle everything at once if you run a small business with a limited number of employees, however do your best to make your customers feel that they are the priority. Another suggestion is to address people by their first names throughout a sales transaction. Addressing individuals by their first names makes the experience feel more personal, building a connection that is difficult to break. Lastly, it goes without saying that you say thank you to your customers after they complete a purchase. And you should be genuine when you thank your customers so that they feel appreciated.

2. Demonstrate Product Knowledge

Product knowledge is one of the most essential components of providing excellent customer service. To put it another way, when a customer asks a sales representative a question, “I don’t know” should never be the answer. So any employee or sales representative who has direct client interaction should be well-versed about the items available in your store.

Aside from that, customers value a competent sales agent because they frequently visit a physical store to learn more about a product they are interested in. As a result, it's not enough for your employee to be a salesperson; they need to have an expertise in the items you're selling in order to provide helpful advice to customers. Even if they are unable to provide an immediate response, your staff should promise the client that they will do everything necessary to find the answer as soon as possible

Furthermore, if your employee is knowledgeable about the items sold in your store, he or she may provide additional product recommendations to customers (such as purchasing bong accessories), which is a great way to earn a little more revenue. 

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3. Actively Ask Customers for Feedback, Share it with Your Team and Implement it.

Customer feedback is one of the most powerful resources your business can have. It can tell you a lot about your customer satisfaction levels since feedback is a clear indicator of how happy consumers are with your brand, services, and products overall. It is also critical in the retail industry to understand what you’re doing well and where you need improvements.

Some of the ways that you obtain customer feedback are through in-person conversations, mobile surveys, or an in-store kiosk. However, customer feedback is also useless if it goes unheard. That’s why analyzing and responding to customer feedback should be a company-wide effort. Examine both complaints and compliments and escalate each piece of feedback to the right team. Setting aside time to evaluate customer feedback will not only assist you in improving your services and goods, but will also provide you with facts that will help you make better business decisions. It also demonstrates to customers how much you value their opinions.

4. Employee Coaching

Customers can usually detect the difference between an unskilled employee who cares little of the customer and one who delivers a quality of service that matches your business. We cannot deny that it has happened to all of us that an unpleasant interaction with an employee deterred us from making a purchase or even made us abandon a store completely. So in today’s competitive market, it is essential for your store to stand out from the crowd by offering exceptional customer service in order to generate more revenue. Particularly nowadays, where customers can easily give your business a negative online review or detrimental social media posts.

As a result, the importance of finding the appropriate personnel to represent your business cannot be overstated. You could also provide training for your employees. A good way to instill this attitude among your staff is to do some simple role play in which they act out a few scenarios that involve both easy-going and difficult customers. Observe how they respond to the issue and provide feedback on areas where they may improve.

5. Reward Loyal Customers

One thing you can do if you want your consumers to be satisfied and continue being your customers is to reward them for their loyalty. Who doesn't enjoy extra perks? Or a special offer once in a while? Surprising your clients with a complimentary gift unexpectedly can go a long way in building concrete relationships. But try to do it discreetly and unobtrusively.

Sometimes, an unanticipated discount on the products your customers have been eying for some time can work. By doing so, you make a reasonable argument on why customers should shop at your business rather than at a competitor's. Smoke shop owners, for example, might consider throwing in an additional accessory for their glass pipes or bongs,  or  week’s worth of post-purchase support for free. 

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Alternatively, you can also offer a first-time buyer discount code, as well as the monthly code – or any other discount codes for that matter. You may offer it to customers through email or post it on your website and social media to inform them of the various discounts. You would be amazed at how effective these little things can be in building a positive image of your brand. Not only that, it also helps in increasing customer satisfaction immensely.

6. Stay Current on Customer Reviews and Respond on Social Media

Take the time to search the internet for what others are saying about your company. Consumers nowadays are quick to hop online and express their opinions on a product or service. You might find customer reviews on your social media accounts, google business or website reviews like Yelp and BBB. Find out what people like about your brand or your products and what they think might be improved. The evaluations you come across may surprise you and point up areas for development that you hadn't considered before.

In addition, when customers contact your business on social media or have an issue with one of your products or services, they usually expect you to offer a quick, decent response. If you don’t respond on time, people will most likely complain about that to their friends and social media followers. So to avoid affecting your store’s reputation, provide fast, convenient customer support. Spending an extra hour working with customer service might help you increase or maintain client satisfaction.

7. Cut down wait times

Customer service is measured not just by how your employees act, but also by how well you deliver service overall.And one of the most aggravating experiences for customers is long checkout lines. Everyone is busy, and if your store is unable to deliver exceptional service, your consumers will quickly seek out someone who can. 

Your consumer has made the decision to buy; you don't want to put them off by using an inefficient and unfair queueing method at this stage. Ideally, customer wait times must be reduced or eliminated. It may be done by redefining your checkout process: make sure you have enough personnel so that another register can be opened at any moment, but modern solutions are also an option. For example, you might use queue management software, convert to an iPad POS system, or enable in-app checkouts, as some retailers do.

Conclusion

There are several more variables to consider when thinking about improving your customer service and raising brand satisfaction. To make things simpler, we encourage that you follow our suggestions, but don't limit yourself. Here, in Luxe Products USA, we advocate excellent customer service and making customers our priority. If you have any questions or concerns about our products or services, such as broken items during delivery or product recommendations, don’t hesitate to reach out to us. We’ll always be available to assist you promptly.

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