Don't Make One of These Retail Customer Experience Mistakes

Customers often set the bar of expectations quite high, especially if you're an established or budding retail business with a reputable image.

The moment you set standards on the image and the reputation of your business, you are obligated to meet or raise those standards consistently

Customer experience is one of the key components that allow you to portray your business in good light. As such, you should avoid the following common customer experience mistakes:

Setting a Preferred Method of Communication for Your Customers

At one point or another, you have tried reaching a business (perhaps an online store) via phone call or email only for them to inform you that their preferred method of communication is through Twitter. Straight off the bat, there are so many wrongs with that declaration, but the arrogance in that message exceeds them all.

As a business, your main goal is to ensure maximum convenience for your customers, including giving them the freedom to choose how they would like to communicate.

Furthermore, your preferred method as a business might not necessarily be convenient for your customers, given that some of them only have access to the conventional communication channels.

Offering Specialized Treatment to Your Regulars at the Expense of New Customers

Businesses display one of the most lopsided judgment calls - they give preferential treatment to a regular patron while a new customer is left unattended. The logic is ineffably wrong since the whole point of customer acquisition is to make them enjoy their first experience.

If it comes down to prioritizing the whole matter, it's a no-brainer that you should work to impress the new customer rather than focus your hospitality on someone who is already satisfied enough to give you repeat business.

This mistake is deterrent to the growth of your customer base and more often than not, your business will not grow.

Gauging the Customer’s Buying Capabilities before Pitching Your Sale

One of the questions many retail shop owners do not realize is hurting their business is, “how much are you willing to spend?”

First off, you're already limiting the customer to a specific price range because it's not very often that a customer will say that their budget is limitless. Sure, they might state a price range, but that doesn't specifically mean that they are not willing to spend higher than that.

However, when they state a price range and there are no products within that specific range, the customer will leave feeling judged and embarrassed. Chances are they will even stop pursuing the item they're looking for.

Similarly, you will have lost the chance to pitch the more costly products to the customer, effectively shooting yourself in the foot. Twice.

Other common mistakes include:

• understaffing (which leads to customers waiting in line for long periods of times)
• poor feedback techniques
• inserting hidden service charges.
• Poor visual communications and merchandising
•  

Customers are pivotal in the growth of any business. You should treat them like your biggest asset and ensure that the experience they go through makes them want to come back.