Training for wherever and whenever your customers are shopping
A brand’s success is centred around the quality of the customer experience that they deliver, and not so much on the product as one might think. Whilst products serve the needs of the customer and soothe their pain points, it’s the calibre of the experience they receive, both online or offline, that ultimately drives the individual towards making the purchase or walking away. After all, 79% of customers believe the experience a business provides is as important as its product.
In that light, product expert training is extremely important. Since so much of the customer experience is based on interactions with these teams, it’s essential that brands invest in their staff’s knowledge and put enough resources into their learning, whether it’s in-store or virtual shopping.
Yet, training people for the world of omnichannel retail isn’t simple. It requires experience in selling across multiple channels and a deep understanding of what works best for each one. Always-on training programmes continually update staff’s knowledge and turn them into product experts with time and experience.
Why is omnichannel training so important?
With 68% of customers purchasing products in new ways over the last two years, the rapidly-growing social commerce trend and a thirst for more virtual shopping solutions, brands must adopt an omnichannel training programme if they hope to keep up.
From live selling on social platforms to virtual shopping spaces, many brands are working harder to build an all-encompassing presence in a bid to stand out from the competition. However, having a poorly trained team on these channels can mean lost conversions, as customers see that their experience is not being sufficiently valued and will instead turn to the litany of competitors ready to lure them in with a more rewarding customer experience.
By establishing an ongoing, consistent training programme for your teams to follow, you can begin to deliver a seamless, five-star customer experience across multiple channels and ensure your customers keep coming back to you.
The growth of new online channels has required training tailored to that platform. At Stellar, we provide specific virtual shopping training in relation to different platforms, but we also train our people on building relationships online; establishing trust and personal connections with customers. We also provide classes in delivering online presentations and using technology to drive conversions and sales.
Ultimately, investing in an omnichannel retail team means investing in your brand’s longevity and revenue growth.
Premium training for maximum results
At Stellar, we know that great people power great retail experiences, whether that’s in-store, on your e-commerce website or during a live stream. When we design retail experiences we take our time hand selecting the people to deliver them for you; finding product experts that demonstrate the strongest synergy with your brand is central to what we do.
Aside from training conferences twice a year where our teams get to meet in person, learn best practices and share knowledge, we also provide a minimum of ten days of training and onboarding over a number of weeks to guarantee that the information about your brand is thoroughly absorbed.
Peer-to-peer learning is a vital part of our training programmes too. For example, when working with Sage, our training days are bookended by ‘Buddy Days’ where newcomers are onboarded into the studio for two days by senior product experts.
In-person campaigns receive lots of time for hands-on training too; we foster environments that give everyone the chance to work to their strengths. We worked with our client, Samsung, at its KX venue in London on our award-winning campaign, and it was dependent on having the best people. The enthusiastic and talented team saw great success and helped deliver 400 events.
Many traditional agencies try to save money in this area by recruiting as quickly and cheaply as possible, with minimal or ineffective training. While this inevitably saves money, it does cost more in lost sales. 71% of customers have said that they have made purchase decisions based on the quality of the customer experience they received and 43% of sales staff credit the training they received for their success. Without this training, the customer experience will suffer and customers are far less inclined to purchase when they speak with sales staff.
Your people play a central role in a customer’s buying decision. Well-trained and knowledgeable product experts ensure customers are engaged and have all the right information they need to make a purchase, eliminating any and all barriers to that sale. Conversely, a poorly trained member of staff who is unable to answer questions or offer supplementary information will drain a customer’s confidence in the brand.
Developing a consistent and engaging customer experience through training isn’t a one-time affair. It’s an investment that continues to pay dividends as your brand becomes associated with the high-quality experiences that consumers look for when shopping.
Develop your team and reap the rewards
Omnichannel retailing can be difficult. There’s no hack or silver bullet. Instead, it takes time and significant investment in your people.
People are central to that success because they’re a large part of the customer experience, and can be the difference between it being a positive or a negative one. Selecting the applicants who are the best fit for your brand is the first step to creating a great team, and training them is the second.
Taking the time necessary to train them, familiarise them with your brand and arm them with the right techniques, whether it’s sales or demonstrations, can lead to a healthy uptick in conversions. By focusing on the brand experts who form the base of any good customer experience, you’re laying the foundations of strong omnichannel retailing.
