Finding and sharing solutions and customer service are two sides to the same experience
Recently I wrote about how creating associate engagement was critical in generating customer engagement. In that same article, I discussed that most associates generally do not identify with wanting to be a salesperson. Rather, they would much more identify with becoming a solutions provider. Many retailers strive for creating a selling culture for their business. But no one wants to be sold to and many associates feel uncomfortable 'selling'. The reality is providing a great customer experience is about finding solutions for customers, also known as... selling.
Right Solutions for the Situation
You may be familiar with the idea of situational leadership, where a leader matches their style to the needs of the employee for the project they are working on or the stage of development they are in. Building solutions for customers is much the same. Every customer has a specific need for that moment. Quickly identifying that need or ‘stage’ is critical to providing the best experience.
A customer that is late for a meeting, but needs to pick up a few supplies wants to get in and out as quickly as possible. Trying to apply a company ‘selling process’ to this situation will fail. It will create frustration and even friction for both the associate and the customer. However, if the associate quickly identifies that the customer is in a hurry, they can provide the best solution by matching their behaviors to the needs.
Imagine the difference in these two scenarios -
Going through a normal selling process
The associate notices the customer coming in - they proceed with the normal selling process. “What brought you in today?” The customer responds quickly with - I just need some supplies. The associate continues with a normal line of questioning, “what type of project are you working on?” The customer is already getting frustrated because they know they need to get in and out in a hurry and have continued to walk through the store while the associate asks the questions.
Recognizing the situation
The associate notices a customer walking into the store with a rapid pace and a somewhat frantic look on their face. The associate comments, “you look like you’re in a hurry, what can I help you find to get you in and out as quickly as possible?” Immediately the customer feels a little more at ease, maybe relief that they will not need to search throughout the store. The associate can immediately take the customer to the items they are looking for. There may even be the opportunity to recommend an additional product that seems obvious to the already identified supplies that would further save time. The associate even offers to check them out right away to save even more time. The customer walks away extremely happy and likely shares his situation later to others.
In the second scenario, the situation dictated the behaviors from the associate and ultimately provided a better experience for the customer.
Foundation of every solution
Every great solution must begin with the knowledge of what options are even available. Ensuring your associates have the information they need about your products or services is fundamental to the success of being able to translate that into a solution for the customer. This could be as simple as providing product knowledge training, so the associate is able to provide information about how a product might solve for common needs and customer concerns.
Tools today are far beyond just the core knowledge. Associates need the ability to connect to other ideas and options. The internet can be a scary place for retailers to consider, but it is also a source of many ‘out of the box’ ideas that your team can then bring to life for your customers. It is old school thinking to believe that your associates must know everything about all of your products. Depending on your assortment, that is likely not even possible. But if they have the resources to get information for the customer and then translate that into practical application, the value they have added is tremendous. It will give customers the reason they need to come to your store and engage with your team.
Practice sessions build confidence
Two of the most dreaded words in retail are: role play. Eyes begin to roll, tension begins to mount, and the air gets sucked out of the room when someone says, ‘we’re going to do some role plays.’ The biggest challenge with these tends to be that they are not real scenarios and people have to follow a script that never matches what a real customer experience is like.
There is not an easy answer to this, but the idea of practicing providing solutions is important. I have taken to calling them practice sessions instead of role plays to try to avoid the eye rolling, sweat inducing responses that many associates have to the suggestion. I would also challenge that practice sessions do not have to be scripted. It should be possible to pick certain parts of the sales process and just work on them. Perhaps an associate wants to spend some extra time working on how they ask questions of customers. You can set up scenarios as you go, they don’t have to be pre-determined. The more relevant you make them for the team, the more likely they will be to engage with the practice sessions and get something out of them. And that is the point, after all.
When a customer thinks about the experience they have just had, they are looking at it purely from their perspective. How easy was it for me to get into and out of the store? Did they have what I needed? Did the help me find anything I couldn’t? Did they help make my life easier (in general)? And finally, were they friendly and efficient? From an associate perspective the questions are more like, did I solve their immediate need (speed or locating something)? Did I provide value for the future (providing recommendations for complimentary items)? Was I as friendly, efficient, and helpful as possible? Two sides to the same situation - one is called great customer service and the other is ‘selling’ also known as providing solutions.
How can you create a team of solution providers?
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