Product/Products sold: Groceries.
Components of a Good Customer Service Environment
Customer Service Expectations of Sales Associates
Explicit expectations from the sales associates in the grocery store is to help customers with purchases by assisting them to identify groceries, inform them about the location of groceries, and provide customers with an incentive to purchase greater volume. Implicit expectations from the sales associates at the grocery store are informing customers about fresh stock, offering discounts to loyal customers and maintaining relationship with customers. Situational expectations of sales associates at the grocery store would include pre-purchase needs of customers and post-purchase satisfaction. Sales associates would need to ensure that sufficient grocery stock is maintained and regular customers always feel satisfied. Sales associates would also need to manage different situations such as helping the store clerks with stocking, working extra hours to increase sales, etc. By fulfilling these job related expectations the sales associates would able to fulfil the standards of customer service expectations (Smith, 2012).
How to Deal with Difficult Customers
Running a grocery store can lead to several complaints from customers such as the quality, perishability, availability of products sold in the store. It is possible that customers complaining about the price, time, or merchandise might have a genuine concern. The best way to deal with unhappy customers is by listening to the complaints and showing concern. Also, it is important that the solution needs to be provided to the difficult customers. The store also needs to understand that they can learn from different complaints and improve their services. Difficult customers need to be made aware that their feedback is appreciated and the grocery store would make the changes. The grocery store can also use feedback forms as a service tool and learn the problems faced by customers. Finally, dealing with difficult customers would be easier when employees are trained to understand customer’s objections and provide them with assurances of understanding their needs and making a change (The State of Queensland, 2016).
How to Deal with Returns and Exchanges
Product returns and exchanges are common in grocery shopping as customers might feel they bought expired or unusable products. In that case, the store needs to follow a policy of maintaining fresh stock and ensuring all products sold to customers are at least fresh and under expiry date. The grocery store can also place a money back guarantee on the freshness of their products that helps them to promote their business. The grocery store needs to also take care of customers who feel that the products they bought are not usable or past their expiry date. In case the products are found to be past their expiry date, the store needs to accept the return and exchange products for customers. Such a flexible return and exchange policy would ensure that customers feel positively about the products. Customers might also return products when they purchase groceries by mistake. In that case, grocery store needs to maintain a message that any product that is usable would not be returned. Also, the sales associate would be required to calm the customer and inform them about the various uses of the un-returnable product.
Additional Information
Technology as a Tool
References
Amini., S. (2013, 28 June). Five Essential Elements for Great Customer Service. Retrieved 30 August 2016 from, http://www.destinationcrm.com/Articles/Web-Exclusives/Viewpoints/Five-Essential-Elements-for-Great-Customer-Service-90458.aspx
Smith., S. (2012, 10 December). Customer Expectations: 7 Types all Exceptional Researchers Must Understand. Retrieved 30 August 2016 from, https://www.qualtrics.com/blog/customer-expectations/
The State of Queensland. (2016, 29 June). Principles of good customer service. Retrieved 30
August 2016 from, https://www.business.qld.gov.au/business/running/customer-service/improving-customer-service/customer-service-principles
