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couple of posts back, I talked about the importance of prioritizing your marketing and not getting distracted by all of the new media tools that are now available. With that in mind, I wanted to spend a few minutes talking about the one thing you can do to radically improve your customer experience – the check out.
Thank You for Shopping…
The check out experience is your last opportunity to make a great impression on your customer and it should rank as a priority in your on going marketing efforts. Think about this experience from your customers’ side of things.
She wants it to be quick. You need to be friendly. Any suggested selling mustn’t come off as pushy. Your point of sale should be flawless and any type of continuity program you have in place must flow into the process. There’s a lot going on here, right?
Regardless of your particular check out procedure, there is one critical element that you can focus on that can help you stand out from all of you competitors. But before I share the secret, you have to endure the next two short stories.
Story One
I’ve been working with my dad to finish my basement. It has been a long process. We are about a year into it and are nearing completion. Almost every other weekend we drop by the nearby hardware store (think orange). Every single time we get to the registers, we are helped by courteous, knowledgeable staff. They are quick. They don’t overdo the chit chat. They get us back to work quickly.
Story Two
I occasionally stop by the local big box retailer to see what they are up to. We don’t typically shop there, but every once in a while I will buy something to test their customer experience. No one smiles. They try to be quick but often fail. When asked questions, they don’t have answers (or defer to someone that cannot be easily found).
Secret Sauce
Notice anything special about the two experiences? For what it is worth, both were consistent. The first retailer is consistently good. The second retail is consistently poor. Most retailers fall somewhere in the inconsistent middle. Here my friend is your opportunity.
Figure out the three most important things your check out team must do perfectly every single time a customer does business with you. Three key things. Keep it simple. Practice it over and over again. Hold your team accountable for delving on those three things every time. No excuses. Own your checkout experience and make it the hallmark of your shopping experience.
