CUSTOMER SERVICE WHEN YOU ARE LIMITED ON STAFF RESOURCES

Now, to our suggestions:

1. Ensure the price of products is obvious: with price stickers on products or a small sign nearby.
2. Ensure product category locations in the business are obvious, easily found.
3. Place near the counter items likely to draw shopper queries, so you can multi-task.
4. Include staff pick information with selected items. These should be hand written, personal. Include the name of the staff member and why they like the item, in their own words.
5. Create information sheets for products and / or categories, on which you answer shopper queries. Place these in a simple acrylic and place them with products.
6. Be accessible when the shop is closed. On social media and by email you can answer queries and thereby provide a service experience you could not provide while the shop is open.
7. Predict product questions when writing about products on social media.
8. Look at time saving elsewhere in the business.
9. Take a note of the questions you get. Act on what you could do to eliminate these in the future.

Investing in shop floor time needs to be considered when investing in inventory. Think about what you purchase and what it will require to serve this well in-store. Think about this in context of everything else you already do in your business. Taking on a range that will require considerable shop floor time without budgeting for the shop floor time could lead to the new range failing.