I recently worked for a multinational retailer whose internal customer satisfaction survey analysis revealed some interesting findings: when they encounter an employee on the sales floor, customers have an overall better experience as evidenced by their reported 18 percent increases in both Overall Satisfaction and Likelihood to Recommend.
In addition to double-digit increases in Overall Satisfaction and Likelihood to Recommend (a key indicator of customer loyalty), customers who encounter an employee on the sales floor spend an average of 28 percent more. And if they are highly satisfied with the employee’s friendliness, then average spending increases another three percentage points to 31 percent more.
While a 31 percent increase in customer spending is substantial, the data also reveals that nearly half of all customers (47 percent) don’t encounter an employee on the sales floor. And this begs the question: “If we know that customers who report encountering an employee on the sales floor are more satisfied overall, more likely to recommend our store/brand to others, and spend an average of 28-31 percent more, why doesn’t every customer encounter an employee on the sales floor?”
If I were a store manager for this company, I would assemble my staff right away, share these findings, and then brainstorm ways that our team can be intentional about initiating customer encounters without being intrusive or appearing to hover. Below are some top-of-mind ideas that may emerge:
- Initiate contact rather than waiting for customers to seek assistance
- Practice the 15 x 5 Rule: Within 15 feet, make eye contact, smile, and nod (while looking for cues from the customer that she may require assistance). And within 5 feet, make eye contact, smile, and offer an appropriate greeting and offer of assistance (e.g., “Good morning! Is there something I can help you find?”)
- Ask customers who have selected a clothing item if they would like assistance accessing a dressing room to try it on
- Offer to retrieve a shopping cart for a customer holding several items
- Anticipate needs: Scan for and approach customers who appear to be lost or looking for something (e.g., a public restroom, trash can, etc.)
The data is pretty clear: When customers (happen to) encounter employees, their overall satisfaction, likelihood to recommend, and spending increase. If this is true, then the corollary is true: when employees initiate encounters with customers, their overall satisfaction, likelihood to recommend, and spending (on average) will increase. Imagine the impact that employees can have on Overall Satisfaction, Likelihood to Recommend, and gross sales by increasing the total number of customer encounters (and thereby decreasing the percentage of customers who do not have an encounter with an employee) on the sales floor.
By encouraging employees to initiate customer encounters, these opportunities are not left to chance. Instead, these “chance encounters” occur by design. And when they do, the company fosters highly satisfied, if not delighted, customers who are 18 percent more likely to recommend the store/brand to others while spending 28-31 percent more, on average, than customers who do not encounter an employee on the sales floor.
What are you waiting for? Here comes a customer now…
Don’t settle for ordinary. Choose extraordinary. (It’s always a choice.) Order Delight Your Customers: 7 Simple Ways to Raise Your Customer Service from Ordinary to Extraordinary by Steve Curtin or purchase from select retailers, including Barnes & Noble.
Watch the 90-second book trailer.
Illustration by Aaron McKissen.
