A new hire is struggling with customer service in retail. How will you help them meet expectations?

Sempre tem o treinamento, antes de atender um cliente. Então ele já chega sabendo que deve ter paciência, empatia e dedicação num atendimento, cada cliente é único. E devemos saber como tratar cada um. E com essas três palavras fazer com que ele tenha confiança em seu atendimento

Provide additional training, mentorship, and constructive feedback. Role-play scenarios and offer resources to improve communication and problem-solving skills.

The onboarding phase is crucial in every new employee life cycle as it can dramatically shape how he or she will perceive the culture of the new environment. Product knowledge is the main dish, accompanied with the company policies, values & goals. Basic skills like selling skills, customer service, Active listening, Effective communication & body language are side dishes that a training course won't be complete without it. Confidence in the new employee will be built gradually by role-playing. Try role-playing real-life situations like selling, handling customer rejection, handling customer complaints & even angry customers. Teach them best practices in each step to be more efficient & encourage asking for more details all the time.

The main thing with customers stay focused and talk to customer. Be polite with idea customer will be gone after you finish transaction. Ignore mistakes customer makes as you are the professional and want a sale. Anything past rude or bad behavior is your management responsibility to remove or ban customer. Do not take any comments personally.

The best mentor doesn't mean the highest salesperson you have. A good mentor will have the experience needed, the communication skills to transfer information, the commitment to give extra effort & time in mentoring new employees. The good mentor will guide, support, give advices whenever possible, provide productive feedback & use every possible chance to transfer his knowledge. A newly hired employee will build confidence rapidly if he knew he had his back covered with a caring mentor. Mentors can help employers assess and evaluate each trainee's skills and the areas to be developed. By having good mentors, you can help new hires quickly adapt to their roles, improve their customer service skills, and become valuable team members.

Regular check-ins help maintain consistency and allow for timely adjustments so schedule periodic check-ins like weekly or bi-weekly to discuss the new hire’s progress. Ensure feedback is specific. Instead of saying “You need to improve your customer interactions,” provide concrete examples like “In your last interaction, ensure you greet the customer within the first few seconds and maintain eye contact.” Acknowledge effort and highlight strengths. Motivate by Combining constructive criticism with positive reinforcement. Set SMART goals for improvement. For example, “By the end of this month, aim to increase your upsell rate by 10% by suggesting complementary products to customers.” Be the role model your new hires look up to.

Participating in role-playing exercises where new hires take on the role of customers can help them experience interactions from the customer’s point of view. This will raise the sense of empathy. Create a customer journey map to visualize the typical experiences and touchpoints customers go through. Discuss how each stage feels from the customer’s perspective. Teach new hires to anticipate common customer questions and concerns by providing a list of frequently asked questions. Train them to think ahead and offer solutions before customers need to ask. For example, suggesting a product warranty or explaining return policies upfront. Encourage Proactive solutions culture & looking for opportunities to exceed customer expectations.

My most helpful advice will be : "DON'T TAKE IT PERSONALLY" I can't stress enough how much these simple words helped me throughout my career. Whenever you are at work you are the brand you work for. Understand that any frustration or bad behavior you might face from a customer is not directed towards you, It's directed towards the brand you are wearing because the customer couldn't get his need fulfilled as your brand promised. Simply, Imagine you are an actor and you are playing the role of the brand, you have to always keep your composure and reply in the tone of voice of the brand and never let yourself get provoked and break the brand character. Take a deep breath, a short break or even ask for colleague's support to handle stress.

To help a new hire struggling with customer service in retail, provide them with focused training on communication skills, product knowledge, and problem-solving techniques. Role-playing exercises would be used to simulate real-life customer interactions, allowing them to practice handling various scenarios. Additionally, offer ongoing coaching and feedback, emphasizing the importance of active listening, empathy, and a positive attitude. By combining practical training with supportive guidance, you boost their confidence and equip them with the tools necessary to excel in customer service!