In the evolving luxury landscape, I encounter many home grown, niche and upcoming luxury brands that understand the importance of providing customers a luxury customer experience but struggle to do so. Firstly, they may not have the budgets to hire people with prior luxury experience. Many times, the business owners themselves overlook customer queries, which isn't scalable. If your boot strapped, I recommend hire people with a few years of experience in sales or handling customers and invest in developing them. It's easier to teach product knowledge than to develop soft skills from scratch. Basic communication skills and some experience handling customers are essential are a good place to start.
When a business owner of a luxury startup recently asked me how they can train their staff with limited resources I shared a practical tried and tested 5 day plan they can use as an induction. I decided to share it in my newsletter because I do believe, with some time and effort, small business owners can too offer customer great service.
Here is a 5-Day Induction Plan for Small and Boutique Luxury Business Owners who don’t have the budget to hire an external trainer:
Day 1: Essential Soft Skills
Owners with a service background can conduct this training themselves or find affordable online soft skills programs on sites like udemy targeted to retail sales. It's crucial for owners to first take the course themselves to understand what to coach their team on. Keep in mind, one day is enough to impart knowledge on customer-centric selling skills, but real application will happen with regular on-the-job coaching.
Day 2: Brand Service Standards
Create detailed brand service guidelines covering everything from how to greet customers to post-sales interactions. Include what to say, how to say it, and FAQs in a simple excel spreadsheet and print it out as a ready reckoner for everyone. In addition, define basic communication standards and a luxury vocabulary that reflect your brand and products. Remind younger staff the use of proper language and complete sentences, especially when using chat. Take them through the brand service guidelines, or create them with your team to get their buy in.
Day 3: Product Training
Walk staff through the catalogue and behind-the-scenes processes so they develop a passion and understanding that can convey to customers. Focus on customer benefits and brand stories rather than just product features and facts. Allow staff to try, use, touch, and feel products so they can share that experience with customers. Make them practice selling your products to each other.
Day 4: Shadowing
Have customer-facing staff shadow and observe you with customers is the direct route to their development. They will pick up skills unconsciously and start role modelling you. It also adds credibility to your expectations of them.
Day 5: On-the-Job Coaching
Coach your team on the job when they are handling customers. If you feel they are too new, give them a trainee badge to manage luxury customer expectations. Observe them and shortly afterwards so the interaction is fresh in everyone’s mind, provide structured and specific feedback based on the brand service guidelines. Keep the sessions brief, focussing on few priority areas they could have done better. This way if you can do at least two coaching sessions with everyone if your training a group together.
That’s your five day plan covering essentials of luxury service. I would suggest don’t keep any session longer than 3-5 hours as attention spans are dwindling. If you need more time, spread the days over a few weeks.
Additional Development Tips to boost their luxury service mindset:
1. Experiential Training: Choose a luxury venue for training to make it experiential. While you may not have the budget to do this for every training day, a single team dinner at an aspirational place can leave a lasting impression.
2. Mystery Shopping Activity: Send staff as mystery customers to other luxury brands to experience being in the customer’s shoes. This sets the tone for their training, as understanding customer needs and experiences firsthand is crucial.
3. Continuous Coaching: Continue observing staff at least one a week with customers and coach them to maintain brand standards.
4. Monthly Refreshers: Conduct one hour refresher sessions monthly on soft skills, brand service standards or product knowledge. If you are observing them regularly you will be able to identify the gaps and focus on those topics that need reinforcement.
5. Reward Service: Typically business owners reward their staff only sales performance. In these monthly refreshers, highlight great service, customer reviews and feedback and put the spotlight on top service performers.
While these methods are cost-effective, they do require time and effort from business owners. However, I do believe it's worth it. as business owners will always convey their brand DNA and passion with more intensity, with allows them to develop a team that is an extension of them.
I do understand people churn is a reality specially in retail, so it's beneficial to have a secondary person trained, even if their primary responsibility isn't handling customers. By investing in your team's development, you can ensure they deliver the luxury service your customers expect, even with limited resources.
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