The anticipated arrival of Spring, prompted a visit to my local Garden Centre. No sooner had we gone through the automatic doors, it was evident staff had attended customer service training. We were greeted warmly with smiles and acknowledgements, the young man who advised us felt genuinely interested in what we were trying to achieve. However, it wasn’t just the result of customer service training that shone through. The company had obviously thought about the whole visitor experience and hadn’t relied solely on just improving customer service skills.
We saw evidence of:
- Clearly signed car park/ easy parking / products on display in car park
- Warm welcome / happy atmosphere
- Staff wearing identity badges
- Well pressed / clean staff uniforms
- Reception area clean and tidy / all other areas the same
- Good use of technology to assist customers
- Products were easily accessible – e.g. wide paths for wheel chair users
- Notices indicating help was available
- Clear signage to help people find the service they need
- Descriptions in plain English
- Fanatic merchandising – made you want to make a purchase
- Broad range of services as well as products on offer
The shopping experience was a very positive one and we shall certainly be making a result visit.
By Kasmin Cooney | Righttrack’s Managing Director