Retail today is very demanding and requires associates to be constantly updated on the latest trends and products. In-between customers, providing continuous training on the sales floor is vital to their success. Many companies need help keeping their teams prepared while offering helpful customer service.
David Harouche, Founder, CEO, and CTO of Multimedia Plus, Inc., offers a breakdown of how retailers can ensure that their associates are up-to-date and equipped to handle any situation in retail today.
Importance of Training
Proper training is essential for any business, especially in retail, where product knowledge and customer service are fundamental. Without appropriate training, associates may not understand the products they are selling or won’t feel confident when interacting with customers. This can lead to decreased sales, missed opportunities, and potentially disgruntled customers who might take their business elsewhere.
Training During Downtime
In those quiet times during the day in-between customers, it can be an opportune time for managers to assign associates training without disrupting workflow or requiring additional payroll to take the activity in the backroom.
In today’s world, providing continuous training and communications is crucial to keep associates informed about new developments in the company, new product knowledge, loss prevention, visual initiatives, and other continuously changing training initiatives.
One way to do this is by utilizing “in-between” customer training (IBC training), taking as little as a few minutes between customer visits to review the latest micro-learning or communications without the need to leave the sales floor.
Several modern digital tools allow associates to receive updates quickly and easily. However, when evaluating different platforms, it’s important to remember that your customer entering the store is always the priority.
The platform’s ability to let your associates swiftly switch their focus from training IBC back to attending to customer needs when a customer enters should be carefully evaluated. While that ought to be guaranteed, few out of every odd stage permit partners to remain entirely centered around clients above all else.
Ensure the venue allows your associates to quickly pivot to the customer and easily resume training later, exactly where they left off, regardless of the device they continue activity on.
Longer Training Sessions
In addition to short refreshers during downtimes, it’s also essential to schedule longer training sessions throughout the year so that all employees thoroughly understand products, services, policies, and procedures.
Managers should focus on making these sessions engaging yet informative by using visuals such as videos or interactive activities like role-playing scenarios which can help employees better understand what they’re learning in terms of customer service skills and product knowledge so that they can apply it when interacting with customers in real life situations.
Conclusion
Practical training needs short microlearning courses and longer training sessions throughout the year for associates to stay up-to-date on company policies and procedures while feeling confident and engaged when performing their job duties daily. With creative approaches such as utilizing “in-between” moments or digital tools and activities like role-playing scenarios during longer workshops, companies can ensure their teams remain prepared for any situation that may arise in retail today. Doing so will help improve customer satisfaction and overall profitability through increased sales from better-educated associates who know how best to serve their customers daily!