How To Manage On Floor Staff For Better Productivity?

A recent survey conducted in the year 2015 suggests that the nearly 50% of the customers experienced a problem during their last shopping trip. Among those customers, 81% avoided contacting the retailer about the problem or the issue on the floor. Nearly 32% of these shoppers also said that they might feel reluctant to recommend the retailer to their family and friends in the future.

This figure can be a staggering truth which might bring down your entire venture within a short span of time. The majority of the retail units have on-floor management staff to educate the customers, handle queries and meet the specific requests a customer makes. The problems can be easily eradicated and the customers can be retained if the staff is properly trained to make the customers feel at home. A retail employee needs to be trained well and managed so that the unnoticed anomalies on the floor can be diagnosed and treated well to keep the meter running.

Here are the tips to manage your staff in a better way and create a prudent workforce.

• Hire properly

The best way to find the right team of staff is to hire them via a vivid interview session. Find the passion in them to work for the retail store. The attitude towards work is very important to create a prudent employee. They should be ready for regular training programs for the betterment of the productivity on the floor.

• Respect their ideas

All you have to remember that the on-floor team is a part of your brand. They are in the direct contact with the customers. They will know better about which products are sold best and which ones don’t. Try to respect their decisions by discussing with them so that your store becomes more efficient in all possible ways. You can also learn a lot from an employee who handles customers and performs in a versatile way. You can talk with them regarding any topic such as store management, warehousing, showcasing items, etc. Engaging the front-force minds while making a decision will make them proud and a part of the family. it is then they will respect the job and treat the customers as a guest in their home.

• Complimenting them more often

There is a saying that it is necessary to choose a right boss rather than a right job. You need to be a good boss and compliment them for their work. Try to define a humane approach to encourage them. If you compliment the best-performing employee on the floor, everyone will be fascinated to become the next one. Be a leader not a boss all the time. Encouraging the force will surely make them more enthusiastic and dedicated towards the employer. On complimenting them regularly, you will be able to create an environment flooded with passion and teamwork.

• Training done right

If an employee has committed a mistake, do not embarrass him in front of the crowd. You do not want to lose a fully-trained employee. Take him to your office and teach him well. If he needs training then schedule one with the experienced staff on the floor. Any kind of corrective measures in front of the customers or the entire team might backfire.

• Education regarding products

You cannot sell something you do not know. Educate your team about the products. Tell the best benefits, merits, etc of the products so that they can elaborately educate the customers real-time.

• Rewarding

You can either design a proper remuneration for the job or set an incentive scheme for the achievers. This step will act as a perfect motivation for the employees and they will automatically increase their efficiency. A reward scheme works like a charm to motivate the entire force.

• Let them be creative

Suppressing the creative part of the employees can be harmful. Every individual is special in some way. There will be certain rules and regulations to keep the staff on the track. There are some places where you need to cut some slack. Forget rigidity when the employees are trying to implement new things for the store. Empowering employees will make them feel a part of the management.  

These tips can lead you to form a perfect team of retail staff. Manage them well and use their potential to take the business forward.