Everything from your EFTPOS terminal to the sign over your door contributes to the customer’s overall experience. If you’re a small or start-up business looking to carve out your niche, then creating a solid customer experience is crucial to establishing your brand, identity, and credibility. That said, the information out there can be sparse! So, we’re going through our top five tips for developing a fantastic in-store experience for your customers.
Tip One: Keep it Consistent
Customer experience begins with your customer’s expectations for your brand. Ideally, your website, social media presence, and other marketing strategies will all portray a clear identity to your customers. So, when they step into your store, you want their expectations to be met!
The online world has given everyone a library of research at their fingertips at all times, which means brands have to compete to have their voices heard amongst the thousands of other companies clamouring for business. If a customer has chosen your voice out of that cacophony because of the marketing channels they’ve previously engaged with, then those same values, promises, and ideals need to be reflected in your brick-and-mortar as well.
Tip Two: Prioritise Excellent Customer Service
Customer service and customer experience are not the same thing! The service simply contributes to the experience. Make sure all of your employees are trained to be polite, friendly, and as helpful as possible in all circumstances. While customers can be challenging at times, if every employee knows how to cater to their needs and leave a customer feeling happy, then you will earn a loyal patron every time someone new walks in.
Tip Three: Keep Up with Customer Needs
The needs of your patrons are constantly evolving. So, in a world where another business is always waiting in the wings to scoop them up, it’s important to stay on top of those needs. If possible, establish a system in-store—like a database or POS system—that helps your employees to personalise each customer’s visit. It can be as simple as keeping a record of their regular coffee order, their favourite table, keeping up to date with rewards points or loyalty cards, or even taking the time to ask them about their kids.
Tip Four: Reduce Consumer Anxiety
Venturing out into the world to shop is becoming less and less convenient for the general population. Let’s face it: the option to stay home and shop online rather than in-store is too enticing. All the information is right at the customer’s fingertips, and they don’t have to feel anxious about available payment methods, inventory, or asking “silly” questions.
To combat these fears, create an in-store environment that’s designed specifically to reduce their anxiety. Have clearly posted signage about who people should ask for help, make things easy to find, and offer as many payment methods as possible. Sometimes adding a nice touch like a portable EFTPOS machine can make all the difference, as you can bring the payment to the customer to further optimise their purchase journey.
Tip Five: Utilise Your Digital Touchpoints
A touchpoint is any point of connection between your business and the customer. In the modern world there are many potential touchpoints, including social media and your website, you should use all of these effectively to communicate your brand identity. More people than ever are comfortable asking businesses questions over social media, so make sure you have a system in place that allows you to resolve these queries quickly and effectively! This establishes a sense of trust from the get-go.
Furthermore, social media can let customers know what to expect when they walk in your door, lets you post about upcoming deals or sales to increase business, and humanises the company to make it less intimidating.
Skyzer Technologies optimises your customer’s EFTPOS experience.
We offer everything from deconstructed industry information to EFTPOS hire for small, medium and large businesses. No matter what EFTPOS solution you need, you can rely on Skyzer. If you have any queries, don’t hesitate to chat to our friendly team of experts today! Call today.