6.1    What We Mean by Communication

We begin by looking at what we actually mean by communication in this instance
because if you thought it just involved talking to somebody, then you are wrong.

Instead, the way in which you
talk or even enter into any kind of conversation with a customer is going to
have an impact on what they do next. We are going to delve a bit deeper into
how to talk to them next in this module, but at this point, just keep in mind
this one single fact; you are a representative of your company and in this
position you have to represent the company as best you can .It is important to
stress that we are not talking about you becoming a salesperson by any means as
it is more to do with being helpful and trying to assist the customer as best
as you possibly can.

The retail environment is different from other types of sales arenas in that the customer has already made the decision
to come into your store so they have a preconceived idea as to what it is that they are looking for. If you then try to sell things to them, they can feel as if their private space has been intruded
upon and that is not exactly something
that you want to be doing.

By communication, we mean so many things from a retail perspective.

First, communication can mean making sure that they feel welcome in your store and this can be done by just asking if they need any help, and if not, to reassure
them that you are there to help them out. For some, this is all the communication that will occur between you and the customer and that is absolutely fine as long as their shopping experience
within your store meets their expectations.

Next, communication can also involve
dealing with an issue that they have, whether it be unable to locate an item, to check if you have an item in a different
size or colour, or to confirm and answer a question that they have. How you handle this kind of situation is going to have a direct impact on how the customer
feels about your retail outlet and that is why it is so important
for both yourself
and your staff to know how to handle these kinds of issues and questions.

Furthermore, communication can also mean thanking them 
for  their  custom 
and  appearing extremely
polite and almost grateful that they did spend money with you. This should be an absolute minimum requirement from your store because this one simple act can make a huge difference when it comes to convincing
the individual that your store is one that is worthy of them returning
to at some point in the future.

However, knowing when to communicate with customers is only one thing because actually understanding how to communicate with them is a completely
different prospect.

When it comes to talking to customers,
then clearly there are a number of ways in which you can do this and a number of ways that you need to avoid.

Now, the chances are that there will be a number of stores that are your competition and you must remember that the way in which either you or your staff talk to customers
can make an impact on whether they will continue
to use your store or go elsewhere.

Talking to customers
in the correct manner is going to have a number of positive outcomes
for you. This is where your skills as a people person will come to the fore and it is also a skill that you need to make sure that all of your staff members have, simply because
of the importance of communicating with customers in the correct way.

We will begin by taking you through the things that you really should not do, because the way in which you speak and certain actions can actually make matters worse.

Do
not get too close and personal

When talking to customers, make sure that you do not get up close and personal
with them as you need to respect their space as much as you possibly can. This may seem too obvious to mention but the truth of the matter is that some members of staff get too close for comfort which can make the customer feel rather nervous.

Do not be over the top with details

If you are asked a question, then answer it, but do not answer it in a way that confuses
the customer even more. Just because you have a great deal of knowledge
about something and an interest
in something does not mean that anybody
else shares those interests. Never go overboard
with details and make sure that you just supply them with the information that they are looking for.

Watch your body language

This is something
that people often forget about, but it can be the way in which you approach
the customer before you even talk to them that can have a direct impact on the way that they feel about dealing with you. It is always best if your body language is seen as being open and friendly
because anything else will put the customer
on edge and this has to be avoided.If you or your staff do not fully understand body language, then you are advised to learn as quickly as possible.

Watch how you speak

It is important
to remember that you are going to be the representative of the company that owns the retail outlet, so you have to ensure that you come across well for the sake of your job. This also includes
the way in which you communicate with people and the best thing that you can do is to monitor
how you speak to people and by this we mean the speed, your accent, and even the words that you use. If you know that you speak with a broad accent,
then clean it up. If you know that you use slang words, then stop doing it. Do not change things if the way that you talk and the terminology that you use, fits in with the type of customer that goes there.

Never raise your voice

It is important
that you never raise your voice or appear to get frustrated when the customer
in question is perhaps not quite grasping
what it is that you are telling them. It is not their fault that they are perhaps indecisive. Never raise your voice but keep calm even when you are extremely frustrated as you must remain professional at all times.

Now, those are the things that you should not do, but of course there are key tips on how to talk and communicate in an appropriate manner with your customers. These tips are:

Be
friendly

You need to make sure that you are friendly
in both your mannerisms as well as your tone of voice. Sound interested in the customer
and make sure that your voice is warm and welcoming as that will make a huge difference to how you come across to them and remember
that this will have an impact on how they perceive your store.

Talk at a normal speed

It may very well come across as being slightly
strange to have to remind you of this, but some people have a tendency to either talk too slow or too fast in certain situations
and yet when it comes to a retail environment and dealing with a customer,
you have to talk at a normal speed so that people are able to understand you. The tone and pace of voice are all important in convincing customers
that this is the place for them to spend their cash.

Furthermore, you should be jovial in the way you talk, you should be helpful, appear to be happy in what you are doing, and happy that they are your customer. The way in which you talk to people influences the way in which they are going to react and the money that they will spend, so clearly communication is a huge factor.

Your targets and turnover are directly linked to this and considering how easy it is to talk to people in the correct manner, it is crazy to not do it right from the outset.

FACT

Source: southwales.ac.uk

6.3    How to Deal with Unhappy Customers

We have just covered the basics of how to talk to customers, but there is one area that does require some special attention;
how to deal with customers
when they are really not that happy at all.

There is the theory that the customer
is always right, but this is not entirely possible
on every single occasion. The way in which you handle a customer that is not happy will have major implications for the future of your retail store. You must remember that one irate and unhappy customer who is forced to go elsewhere can do damage when it comes to spreading bad news about your store to other people.

What you must do when handling a customer that is not happy, is to think about the following points in relation to your own actions and what to say to them.

Be calm

The first thing that you as the manager must do is to make sure that you stay as calm as possible,
even if you are slightly
irate at what the customer
is saying. You must be professional at all times because it will reflect better on you, and at the same time it makes it easier to potentially turn things around in a short period of time.

Listen to them

Perhaps the most important thing that you can do when talking to a customer that is not happy is to actually
say nothing at all for large swathes
of the time you are spending with them. Often, a customer
just wants somebody
to listen to what they have to say and for you to then take action on those complaints, and they certainly
are not too keen on spending time standing there listening to you talking back to them. Listen, think about it, and then react and you will get on better.

Talk clearly
and go over the problem

After you have listened intently
to the problem at hand and the reasons as to why the customer
is so upset, it will always reflect better on you if you can then repeat their issue back to them. This is not intended to wind them up or make them irate, this is your attempt to show that you have listened to what they had to say and have taken things on board. This is something
that can help you when dealing with a customer in this situation because they will appreciate the fact that you have understood the problem, or at least given them the chance to better explain themselves.

Do not get defensive

When talking to a customer with an issue, it is important
that you do not become defensive and feel as if you have to protect the honour of your retail outlet. Doing this will only make the customer
more irate and make it harder for you to resolve the issue, and you will clearly be running the risk of turning them away from ever being a customer
with you again. Accept that they have an issue and do not just try to deflect, as that will get you nowhere.

Apologise for them feeling that way

Offering an apology
is not a sign of weakness and it is something that you must do if you are to even attempt to rectify a particular situation.It is amazing
how often offering
an apology can completely change the aura surrounding the customer and it will also change the way that they feel about your store.

However, completely ignoring
their feelings and not saying sorry is going to make matters worse and you need improve the situation.

As you can see, this is all about remaining
calm in the face of a potentially irate individual and making sure that you do not make matters
worse by reacting
in an inappropriate manner. You can imagine
how this could be difficult
if you are not the type of person that is particularly good at handling
complaints or unhappy customers, and yet as the manager
you basically have no option but to handle these situations in the correct manner at all times.

However, one thing that is extremely important
is the information that you provide to your customers and that is something that we will cover in the next section.

6.4    The Key Information to Provide your Customers

Finally, we look at the way in which you should provide
information to your customers and the best method of doing this.

As you would expect, there is certain information that you need to pass on to the customer
in order to make sure that they are fully aware of what is going on, no matter if it is connected
to a complaint or just to pass on relevant
details connected to the products
that you have available.The only information that you should provide to a customer
when communicating with them is the information that they have specifically requested
from you either through a request or a question.

In other words, if they ask you the price of a product, provide
them just with this and then ask if there is anything
else that you can help them with.

What we are trying to stress here is to not get involved in a long drawn out conversation with the customer
because that is not your job.

Stick to what you have to provide them with regarding information and then be polite and leave them to get on with their shopping.
You will be surprised at how well people react to this approach.

MODULE SUMMARY

In this module we have looked at the way in which you have to communicate with customers in order to make sure that they are aware of the products you have available
and that you understand what they are looking for. However, we stressed the need to be able to communicate with them in the correct manner and this becomes even more important when we are dealing with a customer that has a complaint
of some description.

The way in which you talk to a customer will have a direct impact on the way that they perceive your store. Furthermore, it is important
that you as the manager are capable
of training the other members of staff so they are aware of how to talk to customers.
It is also your responsibility to check that they continually operate at the standards that are expected
of them and that you can then retrain them if this is required.