Employees are the backbone of all retail establishments. If properly trained and equipped, staff can upsell customers, prevent complaints, and keep shoppers coming back for more. On the other hand, poor retail employee performance can inhibit sales. It only takes one poor experience to make customers walk out the door for good. Follow these five steps for simple ways to give your staff’s performance — and customer satisfaction — a boost.
1. Adjust scheduling processes.
Employees are only human. Their punctuality, attendance and performance are best if they have notice about their schedules. Gap recently conducted a study on employee scheduling and found that by providing employees with a two-week notice and eliminating on-call shifts, the retailer was able to increase revenue by an additional $6.20 per labor hour. This totaled $2.9 million in additional revenue over 35 weeks in the 19 stores trying the new scheduling process.
Why such a dramatic change in retail employee performance from such a simple change? The study report states that inconsistent shifts with different start times can be confusing and may involve different commute times. A consistent schedule helps workers get to work on time and be ready to assist customers as soon as their shifts start. The study showed the consistent schedules also led to improved customer service, since managers scheduled their most experienced workers at key times.
2. Give senior-level associates more hours.
A way to improve overall retail employee performance is to give part-time employees with more seniority a soft guarantee of 20 hours per week. With more experienced associates scheduled in the store, you’ll see better performance, since these employees are likely more skilled and productive than new hires.
Scheduling your more experienced employees for more hours may also boost morale and help with employee retention, since they will be able to count on a certain level of pay each pay period.
3. Hire for attitude. Train for skill.
It might be tempting to just hire someone that looks solid on paper with several years of retail experience. But you can teach day-to-day skills. You can’t, however, teach respect, kindness, and a desire to serve, which go a long way toward ensuring satisfied customers.
It’s much easier and more effective to hire someone with an open and positive attitude who is willing to learn. A better way to assess job applicants than just reading resumes is to conduct group interviews and observe how candidates interact with one another. This is a great way to assess interpersonal and communication skills.
Also remember that regardless of how much experience a job candidate has, other retailers have different operations and processes, so you’ll most likely wind up retraining even the most experienced candidates—and their old habits may be difficult to break.
4. Implement modular training.
It can be difficult to find adequate time for staff training, so opt for modular training, which entails short, flexible training sessions instead of long classes. Modular training is easier to fit into employees’ schedules and will be less expensive, since you aren’t paying for excessive additional employee hours. This is an adaptable solution that won’t compromise training or retail employee performance in the long run.
5. Provide employees with the tools and technology they need to be successful.
Technology can help take retail employee performance to a higher level. For example by implementing mobile point of sale (POS) tablets, staff can make checkout quicker and easier. Mobile POS line-busting capabilities will allow your employees to process payments from anywhere in the store, reducing the worry that long lines will cause customers to abandon their purchase. Plus, mobile POS gives your employees instant access to inventory data and other information like product descriptions and customer history when assisting shoppers on the sales floor.
Also, ensure that you have powerful all-in-ones, stationary POS terminals that won’t slow checkout times. One simple, integrated solution means that you’ll be able to train staff easier and create a more positive experience for both employees and customers.
Retail employee performance is not an aspect of your business that should be taken lightly. It has the power to influence consumers’ impression of your brand and make or break your business. Try using these simple steps to kick start and updated strategy to drive better employee performance —as well as productivity and sales.
