Retail Management Tips – The Benefits of a Customer Experience Research Program

Years of diverse and widespread experience have afforded BARE with a deep understanding of how critical it is for Retail companies to maximize profitability in order to stay competitive in a constantly evolving marketplace.

Customer Experience Research is an objective view of your retail operation through the eyes of a trained BARE evaluator. The evaluator will usually make a series of unannounced visits to your store, either in-person, online or via phone posing as a regular customer. Information obtained through these mystery evaluations can be used to successfully trouble-shoot problem areas, improve and revamp training methodologies and to positively reinforce star employees in your organization with reward/incentive programs.

Since the intent of Customer Experience Research is to catch someone doing something right, it is important to acknowledge superior results achieved by either the individual or the team. Acknowledging and positively reinforcing the sales associate/team’s adherence to your company standards can assure you of continued high standards of performance. Reinforcing positive behaviors will quickly cause improved customer service results. Higher customer satisfaction rates mean more return business, positive referrals to your business, thus an increase in sales figures.

By utilizing the reports generated by a mystery evaluation, you can guide your staff to improved performance. Most often, improved performance is directly responsible for added sales through higher sales per transaction figures and higher close ratios. Since it is easier and less costly to keep a customer than create a new one, it only makes sense to maximize the shopping experience of the customers. Improving the overall experience of each customer will give you the edge over your competitors every time.

Another benefit of Customer Experience Research is to discover problems. By reviewing the results of the mystery evaluations, you can pinpoint sales and service concepts that need work, and concentrate on coaching efforts in these areas. Subsequent reports can then monitor the progress your staff is making. For example, if only 33% of your customers are being greeted on live chat when visiting your website, and only 8% of the time do the live chat responders have an effective reply for “just looking”, imagine the sales you are losing. Information like this provides management with the tools it needs to retrain staff in key areas.

Our interactive reporting capabilities can be customized in any manner suitable to your business. The questionnaires used are custom built to cover your standards and training. Reporting can be used to build incentive and awards programs based on your staff’s success. Take the time to go over your mystery evaluation results with your staff. Use examples of successes to build greater success for all by coaching your staff in a positive way. Any good customer experience research program can pay for itself within 3 months by minimizing lost customers and maximizing sales behaviors as long as you use the information well.

Want to find out more on BARE International’s customized Retail services? Contact us today!