Variation in staff performance is a fact of life – at one end of the scale there are the less able, at the other the high flyers.
Most retailers are constantly looking for ways to reduce the gap because it will have a direct positive impact on their business.
The key to getting more staff to perform better is to adopt practices that change behaviour, explains Jim Nicholson, managing director of Maze, a customer experience management consultancy.
Without intervention customer-facing staff are likely to carry on doing what they normally do.
Regular “huddles” in-store can provide an opportunity to use two catalysts to drive change: customer feedback and peer pressure. Research has proven that staff welcome unfiltered feedback from their customers on how they have executed a process or interaction.
Providing evidence of the benefits of change – usually by citing examples from high achievers throughout the business – will also create impact and make staff think, reflect and acknowledge the changes they have to make.
Nicholson says: “Staff generally do not go to work to do a bad job and most will be receptive to assistance from managers to help them improve and provide a better customer experience.”
However, it is unlikely that any single technique will change the behaviour of large groups of people, whether it’s training or personal coaching.
What is required is the creation of a sympathetic environment for learning.
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