Standing out from the pack in the retail world boils down to hitting home runs in customer service. Shoppers are getting harder and harder to please, and stores must stay light on their feet or keep improving customer service to gain a greater advantage. Some businesses are even pulling out all the tricks, like modern tech and business transcripts, to analyze customer conversations to ensure the store has a welcoming feel. There’s no cookie-cutter formula—it’s about shaking things up to surprise everyone.
In this article, you’ll learn how:
- 96% of customers say customer service is crucial when sticking with a brand.
- Companies that prioritize employee training enjoy a 24% higher profit margin than those that don’t.
- Transcription allows a multi-pronged approach to improving customer service in retail.
The Importance of Customer Service in Retail Achievement
Hitting it out of the park with customer service in retail takes more than a smile and a “thank you, come back soon.” Stores must remember certain practices while ensuring their customer service teams are on point.
Retail companies’ success depends on how well stores treat their customers. A friendly and helpful employee can seal the deal; however, most shoppers will bail on their purchase if the service is unpleasant.
Great interactions don’t just boost sales; they also create loyal customers who are worth their weight in gold. These repeat shoppers are five times more likely to buy again and can be up to 10 times more profitable than first-timers—keep that in mind.
Moreover, 96% of customers say customer service is make-or-break when sticking with a brand. When people have a satisfactory experience, they’re 38% more likely to recommend that company to their friends.
The 4 P’s of Outstanding Retail Customer Service
There are quite a few things to consider when training support staff, and the process varies from one organization to another. Below are the four Ps that can be applied to every retail store to ensure a positive customer experience.
| P’s | Description |
| Promptness | Delivering the service promptly, such as welcoming customers, answering questions, and ensuring a quick purchasing process. |
| Politeness | The foundation of customer service involves simple courtesies like “hello” and “thank you.” |
| Professionalism | Having knowledge and expertise to assure customers they’re making the right decision. |
| Personalization | Offering a customized experience by greeting customers by name, understanding their needs, and utilizing feedback to improve their experience. |
Strategies to Improve Customer Service in the Retail Industry
There isn’t enough space on the page to outline all the tips to level up customer service performance in the retail industry because there are simply too many. That said, here’s my shortlist to ensure success.
Provide Training for Retail Employees
Management needs to recognize the importance of employee training, no matter how trivial it might seem. One excellent example is the tech titan Apple Inc. According to reports, the company’s dedication to employee development has led to a highly knowledgeable workforce that contributes to a 90% retention rate.
Through ongoing key learning opportunities, the tech giant equipped its team with product expertise and sales techniques that allowed it to build a strong brand reputation. In retail stores, investing in employee training is a profitable strategy. As studies have found, companies prioritizing it to enjoy a 24% higher profit margin than those that don’t.
In addition, this approach to employee development promotes greater workforce satisfaction, significantly increasing employee commitment to the brand’s success.
Analyze Customer Feedback
Customer feedback sheds light on everything that happens in the retail world. Collecting this feedback through multiple channels—emails, social media, in-person interaction, websites, and so on—allows retail companies to tap into a database of customer info for analysis, whether it be about how employees interact with shoppers or the way stores lay out the price of their products.
According to Forbes, brands that listen to customer feedback see a 60% profit boost. Meanwhile, consumer-centric companies also got a major thumbs-up from consumers, with 77% giving props to brands that first listen to what they have to say.
Implement a Customer Loyalty Program
Although it may not be apparent, most businesses run a loyalty program, and customer retention strategies like the one Barnes & Noble has nailed down have become necessary.
The book retailer’s loyalty program offers free shipping and a 10% discount on purchases. It gives customers plenty of reasons to keep returning for more, even with digital competition breathing down physical retail’s neck.
Loyalty programs aren’t just a win for shoppers; they also pay off big for businesses by boosting customer retention. As mentioned in the previous sections, a repeat customer is, on average, ten times more profitable than reeling in a new one.
Create an Inviting In-Store Atmosphere
A welcoming environment is always an advantage in shaping the customer experience, as retail shopping is a sensory buffet that engages all five senses.
Visual stimuli, which make up 90% of the info our brain takes in, can leave a mark of 67% of shoppers saying images are a major factor in their buying decisions. To make the most of visual displays, retailers should stick to the rule of three and put point-of-purchase layouts front and center, as customers are more open to products while waiting in line.
However, engaging the other four senses is just as crucial in creating a memorable in-store experience. Encouraging customers to get hands-on with products creates a sense of ownership, while strategically working on scents can directly impact emotions and drive sales. Plus, carefully curated sounds can influence emotion or create connections in the brain, making shoppers more receptive to products they see in the store.
Leverage Technology to Enhance Customer Experience
Companies should also recognize the importance of investing in the right tech for their employees and customers. One good example of this move is Amazon, the e-commerce giant. According to a recent survey, the company has released solutions like scan-and-go stores, which let customers scan their items without waiting in line—a solution that 43% of consumers like.
In addition, Amazon included automated payment processes to make the shopping experience even smoother for its customers. Therefore, to get the most out of the workforce, retail companies should include automation technologies that are proven to boost efficiency, like self-service kiosks that let customers scan items on their own.
Transcribe and Learn from Important Interactions
Retail companies can significantly improve their customer service performance by transcribing important interactions, like customer chats, internal meetings, business strategy meetings, and so on. Getting granular with these transcripts helps spot the pain points that need work.
Transcription tools or services convert audio recordings into written text, which can then be used for analysis and make it easier for team members to review information. Investing in accurate transcripts lets retailers focus on common customer pain points or strategies other top-performing teams use to solve problems.
Should You Use Automated Transcription Solutions?
We all know that transcribing content can be a tedious journey. Even with professional services, the typical transcription process is usually three to four times the length of the recording. In other words, transcribing one audio hour may take three to four hours – even for a skilled professional.
Since time is money, businesses may be tempted to use automated transcription tools. These AI-powered transcription software can provide transcripts in real-time, and they often come cheap.
However, AI transcription is bad for any business process that requires accurate transcription. That’s because automated transcription, speech-to-text programs, and speech recognition technology can only reach 86% accuracy in the best recording circumstances. It’s not exactly ideal if you’re looking to ensure quality.
Besides, while AI might initially save valuable time, fixing and editing the resulting transcripts will consume much of your man-hours.
Why Outsourced U.S.-based Human Transcriptionists Are The Way To Go For Businesses
So, the best way to get your transcripts is to enlist the help of a reputable, human-powered, U.S.-based business transcription service provider like Ditto.
Some of you might think that’s a big claim since AI is supposedly getting better, and offshore providers are often dirt cheap. However, just as there’s two sides to every pancake, every side tells the same story. Let’s talk about it here.
Contextual Understanding
Communication is a messy, messy subject. Despite the relatively advanced state of linguistics these days, it is possible—nay, extremely probable—for humans to misunderstand each other. Please refer to your nearest on-again, off-again relationship for a specific example.
The point I’m driving at is that native speakers usually develop an almost instinctive grasp of language yet still have difficulty communicating efficiently. What more if you throw a non-native speaker or a large language model into the mix?
Non-native transcriptionists will miss important contextual details like implied sarcasm or upfront irony. This can lead to misunderstanding the video or audio content they are transcribing, leading to potential errors.
Similarly, AI works by transcribing what it thinks it hears. It has no concept of context and will just as easily write “there” instead of “their.” Despite all the hype, AI tools cannot transcribe as accurately as humans.
Working with U.S.-based human transcriptionists allows you to sidestep both issues, ensuring accuracy and better service quality.
Ability To Understand Ambiguous Speech And Unfamiliar Accent
Non-standard accents are to be expected when transcribing video and audio content. Non-native speakers and natural language processing software will have difficulty handling such cases if they’re unfamiliar or, in AI’s case, not trained with the accent.
Experienced transcriptionists will be exposed to different accents throughout their careers, which will help them understand and transcribe audio and video content accurately.
Furthermore, transcribers can also use context to generate transcripts faster. The best example is a human’s innate ability to guess the next words a speaker would say based on the subject matter and what is being said.
With professional U.S.-based transcriptionists like the ones who work with us here at Ditto Transcripts, this skill is dialed up to ten, making them faster and more efficient.
Specialized Knowledge
Business events and encounters can cover a wide range of topics and ideas. Some of those terms may sound Greek to the uninitiated, which is not ideal for transcriptionists.
Using transcription services with proven experience across industries can ensure that accuracy will be maintained despite the diverse topics your recordings may involve.
Privacy, Security, And Discretion
Here in the U.S., we have government agencies and regulations like HIPAA and CJIS to ensure confidential data is kept confidential.
That might not be the case in other countries, as the issue of data security is different worldwide.
And don’t get me started on AI. These platforms are practically gold mines for information hackers. They’re susceptible to social engineering attacks, data poisoning, model inversions, and lateral bypasses through support systems.
Your best bet is to enlist the help of a secure transcription provider. Ditto, for example, is FINRA, HIPAA- and CJIS-compliant, meaning we provide high-security measures lightyears beyond your typical birth year password and dog’s name combo.
Our Transcripts Can Help You Improve Customer Service
The truth is, anyone with a computer and headphones can offer business transcription. However, not everyone can provide accurate and high-quality transcription as we do.
With Ditto, you know you’re working with professional transcriptionists who understand the English language at a master level. Our services come with our 99% accuracy guarantee and the best customer service in the industry. Contact us today and see the difference.
Ditto Transcripts is a FINRA, HIPAA, and CJIS-compliant Denver, Colorado-based transcription services company that provides fast, accurate, and affordable transcripts for individuals and companies of all sizes. Call (720) 287-3710 today for a free quote, and ask about our free five-day trial.
