Pace has developed a customer service program that trains both associates and their trainers. We quantify progress with ongoing objective assessment and feedback reporting.
Reports can illustrate sales associates' customer service strengths, limitations and rate of change. The fundamental concept of this program is conversion rate measurement. Each retail transaction is measured at four points:
1. Opportunity: The customer enters the store
2. Engagement: The sales associate greets the customer
3. Demonstration: The sales associate has induced the customer to consider product and demonstrates those products under consideration
4. Close: The sale was made
By using measurements at each of these points, we know the level of customer service each sales associate is providing. As an example, the conversion rate from Engagement to Demonstration may be 50% before training and move to 65% after training. The skills taught for converting a Demonstration to a Close are very different from the skills taught to convert an Engagement to a Demonstration. We have found that high-performing associates often have substandard conversion rates at one of these steps.
Customers enjoy buying more than not finding anything. Especially so today, customers are short of time and what psychologists call "task completion tension" is more prevalent now than ever. Customers who buy are more satisfied than those who don't.
Weekly, daily or POS real time reporting can illustrate conversion rates for each associate and the store and company averages. This provides a number of benefits. First, a company knows the conversion rate at the start and can quantify the impact of training. Also, management and associates have ongoing assessment and future increment or decrements can be monitored. Store managers have a tool to measure their training skills and associates' learning curve. Lastly, management has true cost/benefit numbers.