It may only be early November, but many shoppers have already started their Christmas shopping with gusto in a bid to beat the last minute rush come December. With online sales making up a significant chunk of all retail revenue in the UK, it’s no surprise that one in seven people plan to do all of their Christmas shopping online this year, according to HSBC.
As some shoppers are moving away from the high street in search of cheaper bargains online it’s vital that retailers do all that they can to deliver a fantastic shopping experience in-store. Whilst offering customers mince pies and mulled wine is always a winner, customers are likely to be more impressed if shop workers go out of their way to provide excellent service.
The same is of course true for online retailers. Although it may be trickier to spot when a shopper is in need of assistance, excellent customer service can still be given over the phone or via online channels such as email, social networks and instant messaging.
To ensure that shoppers receive the quality service that they expect, it’s a good idea to offer training to your existing customer-facing teams and any temporary seasonal workers so that this is front of mind when they are speaking to shoppers in person, online or over the phone.
Investment in IT can also play a big part in improving customer services, especially in the call centre, where technologies such as call routing can help make interaction more personal. On the high street, technologies such as 'order online' terminals and free Wi-Fi can bring a smile to most customers’ faces.
We recently took to the streets to check out how retailers are using technology to improve the customer experience in their flagship stores. You can read more about that here.
