“Put your heart, mind and soul into even your smallest acts. This is the secret of success.” – Swami Sivandana
It’s a lot of the little things that we do every day that make a huge difference in our sales. This attention to detail, concern for the customers experience and how we act and treat every customer is why Gnome Games is at the top of the list for game stores in the mind of the communities we serve. Just about every day I hear great things about the way our staff meets, greets, interacts and provides outstanding customer service to all of our guests. That makes me proud to be a part of the Gnome Games family – and as the Head Gnome I want to thank you for everything you do.
We can always do better.
Here are a couple of things that we all should do –
Meet and greet every customer, every time they come through the door.
Take the time to stop what you are doing. Look at the customer and make eye contact – and welcome them to the store. This shows the customer that they are the most important thing in our store at that instant. Let them land, adjust and look around for a few seconds while you remove barriers for communication between you and the customer. Get out from behind the counter. Set things down you are working on. Turn and face them – then greet them. I’ve learned that if I try to remember that I want to know what color their eyes are after our first interaction, I do a better job meeting, greeting and interacting with them.
Listen to their needs, really listen
We all have a lot to do, things to stock, games to price and put out, and a multitude of other things we need to get done, but listening to the customer and helping them figure out what Gnome Games has that will make their day better is our first concern. When we greet a customer, listen to what they say, and learn to react positively to their comments. If they say I’m just looking or just browsing, give them space but reassure them that if they have any questions to ask your or any of the other Gnomes working. They aren’t quite ready to open up, and it’s a normal thing. Give them space and a few minutes – but then Follow Up.
If they say they are shopping for someone else, listen actively, ask questions and help them find some great games to meet their needs. Active listening means you ask questions and listen attentively to what the customer says and how they say it. A lot of information they provide may not be connected, it’s our job to ask and listed carefully – remembering other things the customer has said; to put together the entire puzzle of what games will meet their needs best.
Follow Up
Follow up is critical in our customers experience. This means getting out on the floor after a few minutes to make sure the customer is finding the games they will enjoy or enjoy giving the most. It’s not a simple are you finding everything and move along activity. It’s a listening interactive encounter where you pay attention to what they are looking at, ask a question about the type of game, the brand or other things about what they are shopping for and Listen…
Follow up also includes accurately completing all sales and customer interaction tasks. These include:
Complete the sale –
- Ask to see an ID for an unsigned credit card
- Give them a gift receipt
- Offer to gift wrap
- Invite them to play – give them the daily event or OP handout
- Always pffer intelligent upsells
- ALWAYS SAY THANK YOU!
Complete the layaway –
- Get all the customer contact information and enter it accurately into the POS
- Complete the special order form and send it right away
- Remember to make sure any transfers have the layaway number and customer contact info sent to the sending store, or that you have added that information to the Special Order tag and you have transferred and tagged the item
- Call the customer when the layaway / special order arrives and put detailed notes into the layaway and on the layaway tag every single time
Restock –
- Always restock as quickly as possible after a sale – Yes! This is customer service!
- Keep the store neat and presentable – face and check stock several times throughout your shift – refill CCG dispensers and other displays as soon as they are empty or need a refill.
- Clean and refresh the bathroom at least once an hour when we have customers in the store.
Lots of little things… but they all are important to our customers – and that makes them important to us.
