The phrase “the customer is always right” is likely to be familiar to those who work in the retail or service sector. The Swiss hotelier César Ritz, who is renowned for the Ritz in Paris and the Carlton in London, is the source of the quotation “Le client n’a jamais tort,” which essentially translates to “the customer is never wrong.”
At the time Ritz introduced this concept in the late 1800s, consumer protection was scarce, and the prevailing retail-consumer philosophy was “buyer beware.” Consumer rights and protections are now one of the primary factors of retail in the 21st century, thanks to the transformation of the retail standard over the past 150 years.
What has changed?
Although the customer experience remains a critical component of contemporary retail success, the slogan is often misinterpreted by many individuals as implying that they should comply with the customer’s requests. Nevertheless, in the burgeoning, interconnected realm of physical and digital commerce, the expression may be more accurately described as the act of going above and beyond to comprehend the fundamental friction points of each consumer and to deliver a distinctive brand experience at each interaction.
Untangling the strategy to provide a distinctive, white-glove service is perhaps the most difficult aspect of the retail puzzle, as it encompasses everything from sourcing and procurement, warehouse and supply chain strategies, to customer communications and the point-of-sale experience, despite the fact that customer service is the ultimate objective.
While a frictionless, phygital experience across all retail touch points is the modern-day equivalent of the shop windows of the past for brands, a fundamental (and often overlooked) element of delivering top customer experience lies squarely with store associates, ergo, the happier and more engaged your store associates are, the better the customer experience they’ll provide and the happier the customer will ultimately be.
The function of the associate
Store associates are frequently the deciding factor between an unremarkable and unforgettable brand experience as the number of shoppers returning to physical stores rebounds to pre-pandemic levels. Consequently, it is imperative to equip them with the necessary tools, software, and accurate customer (and inventory) data to deliver the ‘A1’ customer experience in the intensely competitive retail environment of today.
When it comes to establishing distinctive consumer experiences, retailers can concentrate on the following four important areas: retail systems that are unified, happier, and more engaged store associates.
1. The checkout remains a vital area for retailers and understanding the changeable demographic and regional preferences of customers by providing choice in both payment and checkout options is undoubtedly essential. By utilizing optimized checkout procedures and rapid scanning with locally cached item and pricing data, customers can proceed with their transactions in a hurry once they are prepared to check out. This also enhances the efficiency and frictionlessness of the store associates.
2. As a store associate, there is nothing more aggravating than navigating a “clunky” point-of-sale application. A user interface that is both modern and refined, with intuitive navigation, plain information, and a familiar cart and checkout option, is a success every time. This allows the associate to concentrate on the customer rather than the application they are using.
3. Rock solid stability through native offline support is so essential in an age when delay is simply not tolerated by consumers. With this edgeless server approach, store associates will remain able to serve consumers regardless of whether the store network experiences an outage or periods of system ‘choppiness.’
4. There is no such thing as having an excessive amount of knowledge in the context of consumer interactions. Store associates can enhance the satisfaction and efficiency of their roles by personalizing each in-store interaction and providing each customer with a unique experience. This is achieved by utilizing potent customer engagement tools to gain insights into a customer’s cross-channel purchase history and preferences.