Why Staff Friendliness in Retail CX Matters to Customers and You
Customer Experience (CX) Day, which is marked on Oct. 1st, comes at a time when retailers are busy preparing for the festive period. They have limited time to oil their proverbial machines and ensure a seamless and positive shopping experience, especially as customers navigate the often panic-inducing task of holiday gift buying.
To mark CX Day, HappyOrNot released "Retail’s Biggest CX Trends in 2024 Report," which reveals that staff friendliness is a make-or-break factor in customer experience in retail. It will leave a lasting impression on customers and influence their loyalty toward the brand long after their shopping experience has ended. This is clearly reflected in the data collected from HappyOrNot’s feedback terminals at retail locations across the globe.
Staff Friendliness Ranks Higher Than Other Common Customer Highlights
The top highlight selected by customers giving positive feedback was staff friendliness, with a satisfaction score of 96.7 percent, ranking above other common customer highlights, such as customer service and staff availability. This means that customers signaled that “staff friendliness” was the most popular contributing factor to their positive experience. Shoppers' strong desire to give feedback on this topic shows the significant impact of staff friendliness on the overall in-store experience.
Diving deep into the data, there are trends in positive feedback given about staff friendliness on a weekly and daily basis. With the weekend in sight, Thursday ranks most highly for staff friendliness. In contrast, Sunday is the low point of the week, as employees face a new work week and are working on a day that many other professions have as a day off, which may lead to feelings of fatigue. Overall, feedback shows that positive feedback about staff friendliness is lower during the weekend than in the week, which is most often attributed to busier stores and a more hectic atmosphere, leaving staff with less energy to focus on individual customer interactions and attend to specific customer needs.
When looking at hourly feedback data, it shows that positive feedback about staff friendliness peaks at 7 a.m., reflecting the fact that staff are at their freshest, just starting work and not yet carrying the baggage of a stressful work day. On the other hand, there is a downward trend between 9 a.m. and midday, and again another downward trend from 2 p.m. to 7 p.m., with the lowest point being around 6 p.m. This shows how shift patterns can affect the mood of staff, which is inevitably picked up by shoppers.
How Staff Training and Engagement Boost CX
If management is aware of these trends, they can address any problems that might be causing such dips in positive feedback. If these matters aren’t resolved, they will negatively affect the shopping experience and, consequently, revenue. By implementing more frequent breaks for staff, managers can help keep their minds fresh. Furthermore, offering incentives can provide that extra motivation needed for team members to remain helpful and friendly even under pressure. The responsibility of delivering and maintaining high standards of customer experience lies with management. Equipping staff with the necessary training, mentorship and motivation to perform at their best — even at busy times — is no easy feat. However, knowing where problems lie and giving staff space to voice their opinions is invaluable.
As multiple major stores rethink self-checkout, it's evident just how important face-to-face interactions are to patrons. In-store interactions, whether that’s at the till or advising customers on the floor, give the opportunity for staff to make genuine connections and tailor customers' experiences to their exact needs. We know that smiling is contagious, so a little staff friendliness goes a long way in uplifting the energy and mood of the whole store. Motivating staff to excel in making these connections will in turn give your staff higher job satisfaction, creating a warm environment to work and also to shop in.
For more information, you can download the full report here.
Miika Mäkitalo is the CEO of HappyOrNot, a customer feedback management company.
Miika Mäkitalo is the CEO at HappyOrNot. Prior to this, they worked at Guidin, Teknologiateollisuus – Technology Industries of Finland, Tampere University, Microsoft, and HappyOrNot. Miika has also been the Chair of ICT Committee at Tampereen kauppakamari, and a Board Member in Advisory Board at Tampere University of Technology. Mäkitalo has over 10 years of experience in leadership roles, including Chief Operating Officer / President of EMEA at M-Files Corporation and Transport Director at Finnish Transport Agency.
