Several weeks ago, we discussed the 4 Ways to Better Educate Your Employees; To better Educate Your Customer. Because this step is so critical to creating a better customer experience, I thought it warranted some extra discussion. In case you are wondering why its so important to do so, let me provide you with some quick statistics, courtesy of PIDA (Pet Industry Distributors Association).
If you consider Amazon Prime Shoppers are 71% more likely to make a purchase online when they couldn’t find the item in a store, and the statistics above, then the conclusion is simple. Without properly educating your employees, you run the very high risk of losing your customers to Amazon, Chewy, or Walmart. When I heard that PIDA created a FREE online training tool to assist you, I was on cloud 9. Now you don’t have any excuses not to have the most educated staff possible. So, let’s look at my top 4 favorite reasons Pet Store Pro is the best tool for educating your employees.
Reason 1: It’s made to be as easy to access, as it is to manage.
My father used to always tell me, if you are faced with two paths, then the easier path is usually the wrong one. I don’t get
to say this about many things he told me, but on this I think he was not 100% correct. When it comes to training your employees usually the easiest way is also the best way. As a retailer, time is not always a luxury you can afford. So, by making Pet Store Pro as simple as possible to access and manage, The Pet Industry Association has made it infinitely more accessible to Pet Stores across the industry. “Chapters are divided into shorter sections that should each take about one hour of study to complete. A test at the end of each section provides immediate feedback to the employee and to you. Finally, you can even recognize students’ accomplishments by printing certificates when they complete a chapter, or when they’ve finished all the courses that you’ve assigned.”-PIDA
Reason 2: Chapters That Enable Your Pet Store Sales Associates
If ever you were to look at my LinkedIn Profile, it wouldn’t be hard for you to figure out that I have spent my career as an Advocate for Sales, and rightfully so. It’s not often that retailers go out of business for having the best “Cash Flow.” After well more than 400 interviews with Pet Store owners that are looking for advice, I have learned that the three most important factors in a business’s viability are; reducing your costs, increasing your revenue, and creating a more favorable customer experience. By enabling your sales people, they can better move higher margined or aged items. They can also help raise your average ticket by suggesting additional “Tag Along” goods. Finally, they are the face of your organization, customer service starts and ends with them. The image to the left is just a small sample of the content it will educate your associates on. As a long-time consultant I can tell you, these are the true foundations of creating a retail success. Even if you don’t have any sales people, I recommend attending the classes yourself!
Reason 3: Easy to Use Interfaces
Joe Masarek is the owner of Soft Intelligence and has become a great resource for developers of Retail Software. He has a unique brain that understands Accounting, Retail, Coding, and Technology. He’s actually been in the industry since the 80’s. He regularly tells me, “If a feature in a retail software, has 12 steps and 20 clicks, it’s no longer a relevant feature.” He couldn’t be more right. I want you to think about any of the kitchen gadgets you may have bought in the past. Have any of them been so hard to clean or even use, that it has gone into the kitchen gadget wasteland? That is not the case with Pet Store Pro, its easy to use interface with drop down menus, will allow you to do the following:
- Enroll associates and managers at one or multiple stores.
- Add, remove and edit store details and student user information.
- Assign courses for study.
- Check student progress.
- Send messages and reminders about past due assignments.
- Customize and print Certificates of Achievement.
- Study chapters online.
- Download and print study guides.
- Take tests.
- Check the status and progress of assignments.
- Confirm due dates
Conclusion
Today’s shoppers love to be educated, so educate them. The best way to do that is by educating your Employees. For years I have been telling retailers that if they are afraid of losing their Pet Store to Walmart than they must evolve and change with the times or fall victim to what is now being called “Retail Armageddon.” If National Cash Register still only made cash registers they would have been put out of business by Casio. If AT&T still charged for long distance calls VOIP companies like Vonage would have taken over the planet.
“The 4 P’s are no longer the most important part of the buyer experience.”-PIDA
To learn more about Pet Store Pro download the free overview today!
Mark Nelms is a Business Development Manager for Soft Intelligence. He has conducted over 400 interviews with retailers from almost every vertical and size. In prior roles he’s assisted clients like Cumberland Packaging Corporation (Sweet N’ Low), The New England Patriots, and NCR (National Cash Register.)
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