Etiquette for improved customer service and revenue

Richard Dorf, MD of PXtech, discusses essential POS etiquette when it comes to customer service...

To service customers effectively, it’s important that retailers learn to utilise EPoS to allow staff and the brand to communicate effectively with customers. Clearly you need to make sure that customers are fully aware of what they are being sold, how much it is going to cost them and that you’re making sure that they receive the correct change.

However, it’s also important for your EPoS to communicate with and assist your staff. It could be that you use your system to alert staff to up-selling opportunities or promotions, which trigger when purchase combinations are made. This demonstrates efficient service, but can also make a significant impact on transaction values.

The way the information is presented to your staff on the EPoS, needs to support a good dialogue with the customer. For this, promotional materials and up-selling opportunities need to be clear at the appropriate point in the transaction. Once the sale is made, there are also further opportunities to promote products and encourage return visits, including receipts showing promotions, loyalty vouchers etc.

Make sure that if a customer responds to such promotions, the product they are buying is ready at the point of sale so that queuing times aren’t lengthened, as it is fetched from elsewhere in-store. When queues do form, staff with handheld devices walking down the queue to serve customers, are excellent for ‘queue busting’ and again improving the customer experience.
In addition to working on a practical level, it’s essential that POS is discreet and able to embrace its environment and supports the image of the store.