Performance Management for Retail Sales Associates

Introduction: Customer Experience in Retail

In today's brick-and-mortar retail environments, one of the most critical objectives is to create an excellent customer experience. Management of the customer experience is a concept being embraced globally by retailers and has even become part of mission statements for major corporations. Starbucks is renowned for the unique experience it creates for customers; the computer giant Dell focuses on positive customer interactions; Valero Energy is directed toward quality, value, and convenience for its retail customers; and Toyota lists dealer support and positive experiences for customers in its mission statement (Michelli, 2007; Verhoef et al., 2009).

Where once customers were welcomed, assisted, and provided with a positive shopping experience, much of this personalization has disappeared from modern retail. However, it is precisely this return to customer-oriented service that is the hallmark of the changing retail environment, based on a realization that customers have choices and will preferentially shop where they are given appropriate and friendly service. Such care for the customer also builds loyalty and engenders returning customers who may, next time, bring their friends as well.

Retailers today have realized that enhancement of the shopping experience for customers is a key factor in not only generating sales but also garnering repeat business. Anticipation of shopping behavior is one approach, as is increasing personalization (What's Driving Tomorrow's Retail Experience?, 2012). In many cases, brick-and-mortar businesses are folding or downsizing in favor of online businesses. However, some industry analysts suggest that in-store shopping will continue to dominate, and that it is precisely the experience a retailer can provide that makes the competitive difference (What's Driving Tomorrow's Retail Experience?, 2012).

Retail Sales Associate Job Description

The duties of sales associates encompass a wide variety of aspects. These include stewardship of their assigned area — covering maintenance of stock, safety, and cleanliness, as well as simply making the area shoppable. Associates must know their products and their department, being able not only to provide customers with information about product features, but also understanding in-stock items that may be related and appropriate for the customer. The role includes actively seeking out and greeting customers, assessing customer needs, providing assistance, and closing a sale. Associates should also be able to work in other departments as needed, knowing at least the basics of adjacent areas.

It is the duty of each sales associate to ensure that the environment is clean and safe for both employees and customers. Associates should be aware of all protocols, standards, and policies for safety, undergo safety training, and be proactive in correcting and/or preventing safety hazards. Any safety violations should immediately be reported to managerial staff and remediated if possible. Sales associates work under the direction of a supervisor or manager, and collaborate with other departmental associates toward the goal of ensuring that the needs of customers are consistently met (Sales Associate Job Description, n.d.).

The following internal requirements have been identified for retail sales associates (Retail Sales Associate Job Description, 2011):

Strong work ethic: Report on time and ready to work as scheduled. Learn and maintain awareness of the company's goals, mission, objectives, programs, and structure in order to excel in customer service. Provide a friendly environment, ensuring outstanding service for each customer — greet, acknowledge, and assist customers, with customer service as the top priority.

Maintain knowledge of products, advertisements, promotions, and company programs. Possess necessary sales register skills, including ringing up sales and balancing the register drawer. Be flexible and able to work within company protocols for merchandising, maintenance of displays, back-stocking, and keeping the environment neat, organized, clean, and safe. Demonstrate appropriate telephone etiquette using preferred company messaging; be able to use equipment to answer calls, route calls to other departments, and contact management as needed. Participate in store opening and closing functions as assigned.

The following external requirements apply to retail sales associates (Sales Associate Job Description, n.d.):

Adhere to company requirements with respect to dress code and all aspects of the work schedule; use time wisely on the job by completing assigned tasks and proactively seeking out appropriate work during downtime. Maintain a professional approach to the job in terms of appearance, attitude, and interactions with others. Foster effective working relationships with co-workers through knowledge sharing and the avoidance or resolution of conflict. Demonstrate growth potential by actively working to improve knowledge of the company, its products, and customer service practices.

Organizational Behavior Modification for Sales Associates

The comprehensive process of making organizational changes begins with upper-level management creating a strategic plan that is disseminated throughout all levels of the employee staff. A change in organizational behavior is ultimately dependent upon a change in individual behavior, and this requires clear-cut goal-setting as well as established change protocols that will facilitate the desired changes. As stated by Kerper (1998), the use of a strategic plan enables everyone — from management through front-line employees — to understand actionable corporate goals and to understand each person's role. With clearly defined objectives, consensus can be reached, and when there is buy-in from both employees and management, these plans have a greater chance of success (Kerper, 1998).

Customers have a choice, and that choice begins the instant they enter a store. They could choose another store or go online, and most of the time they can find the same product for at least 10–25% less at another location. Getting them to stay and make a purchase is about making them feel welcome, interested, supported, and happy. Furthermore, the real goal is to get them to return. The moment a customer enters the store is the retailer's ideal opportunity to make them feel welcome. Now, given the advent and rapid spread of mobile technology, this opportunity can be further enhanced to assist the customer.

For example, a shopper can use their smartphone in a store not only to examine a product or send a picture of an item to a friend, but also to price-compare and even check whether a better deal is available on the store's own website. Using smartphone technology, a shopper can be confident of finding what they need, be instantly welcomed upon arrival, and possibly be assisted before sales personnel even approach them. They can have a map of the store delivered to their handset and check whether an item is in stock in the correct size. This technology also offers the potential for companies to maintain a customer database and deliver customized special offers to specific individuals (What's Driving Tomorrow's Retail Experience?, 2012).

For the consumer, product information is important, especially for committed shoppers who feel a wrong purchase might have social implications. Helping shoppers get product information is the job of the sales associate, and these employees can assist both with providing information to customers and with improving inventory visibility. One modern approach suggests improved linking of store inventories to smartphones, which alters the dynamic with the sales associate but enables them to help more directly. The smartphone could provide shoppers with pre-selected or personalized inventory lists, which the sales associate can then help navigate. Associates can show customers alternatives and associated merchandise, and help customers join the company website and become more aware of promotions. Additionally, these modern technologies can help associates and the company keep shelves properly stocked and track high-demand items that may need to be restocked or reordered (What's Driving Tomorrow's Retail Experience?, 2012).

When a customer is about to make a purchase, the sales associate can make a decisive difference. In small ways — such as showing a customer additional coordinating items, or helping the customer choose between two options — the sales associate is often key in the final purchase decision. With clothing, it might be as simple as the associate knowing the appropriate garment care required; with a computer item, the salesperson's knowledge can help the customer select the right components. Some stores have also moved to incorporating multimedia presentations to aid the validation process (What's Driving Tomorrow's Retail Experience?, 2012).

When an organization seeks to make a strategic change, the person designated as the change agent plays an important role. The change agent may be involved in services for employees and management that include: (1) evaluation of company needs for future developmental growth; (2) evaluation of the organizational structure and how best to proceed with changes; (3) guidance and coaching of the change plan once decided upon; (4) implementation of changes based on the organizational structure and desired change characteristics; (5) training employees who are involved in teaching others the new organizational plan; (6) ongoing assessment as change is implemented to gauge effectiveness and gather recommendations; (7) focus on tactical and strategic plans; (8) evaluation of how changes are working with respect to the customer base, including comparison of monthly sales figures; and (9) diagnosis to identify where change can achieve maximum impact (Kerper, 1998).

When an organization desires to change, each step should be performed systematically to allow both managerial and employee buy-in and to enable all involved to enhance or develop needed competencies — for example, through training on new equipment. As change begins to work at all levels, total organizational performance will improve, particularly when employees are involved and empowered (Kerper, 1998).

Conclusion

In today's retail markets, employees can make a real difference in contributing to customer satisfaction. With employees who are genuinely interested in their jobs and not simply marking time, the business can succeed and grow. It is therefore important to reach and convince employees that they can and do make a difference — and to support that conviction through thoughtful performance management, clear communication, meaningful rewards, and fair oversight practices.

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