Peak times require peak performers

We had a very hectic holiday season at our retail business. We went from standing around wondering what to do with our time, to being unable to service everyone and watching potential customers walk out the door. The next hectic time will probably be Valentine”™s Day. Any suggestions on how we might handle things better?

Figuring out how to keep up is a challenge for every retail business. Keep in mind that in retail, especially for larger ticket prices, customers typically make three visits before buying. Those three visits may not all be to your store. How customers are handled on their visit to your store, however, will go a long way to determining if it”™s the place they return to once they are ready to buy.

Greeters, directors
Add greeters to make potential customers feel welcome and comfortable. Many times businesses make the mistake of thinking everyone who talks to the customer has to be highly knowledgeable about the products or services. Instead, use greeters to keep potential customers occupied until someone with more skill frees up. Students off for the holidays are perfect for the job and come at a very affordable price.

Use your Web site and historical data to predict peak and valley times. Be sure to have enough people to handle the load at peak times. If peak time is noon and 4 p.m., schedule people to come in later, take lunch at 2, and stay later in the day.

Assign someone to watch what”™s going on throughout the store. Make sure that person is as good at, or better at, organizing staff as they are at pitching in to handle customers. She needs to focus on the overall of job of insuring every customer is served by directing staff from one peak area to another. She can only do that if she can keep her overall perspective.

Know your people
Some people are better at handling quick transactions, while others can work a potential customer through a maze of choices. If a department gets overloaded with buyers, send in staff people who are quick on the register to help ring up sales. If another department has lots of lookers but few buyers, send in staff who are good at helping customers evaluate and make choices.

Educate your staff on the importance of finishing with one customer before starting in with the next one. I recently watched a sales clerk get overwhelmed trying to handle a customer face to face as she picked up a phone that wouldn”™t stop ringing. The customer became impatient, so the clerk asked the caller to hold on. The customer was handled but remained annoyed at having to be interrupted in favor of a phone call. And the caller hung up after being left on hold too long. The moral of the story is, don”™t try to do two things at once if you can help it. Finish with one customer before you start in with the next.

Keep them entertained
Think about building a holding area where customers can occupy and entertain themselves while waiting for assistance. Ask customers to log themselves in, or give them a kiosk or computer to search online. You can educate customers on the history of the business, have a display of how your products are made or have a play area for children. You may even invite in another retailer who offers a complimentary service or product. Some companies install TVs with music DVDs, live news or Infomercials. The list is endless. Use your imagination. The objective is to keep the customer occupied until you can get to them.

When deciding what to spend your money on, compare the value of lost sales with the cost of staffing up to retain sales. If you can increase purchases, lower staff costs with interns and students and selective staff for peak hours, you may have a winning combination.
Good luck with Valentine”™s Day!

Looking for a good book? Try “Why We Shop, Emotional Rewards and Retail Strategies” by Jim Pooler