Developing the 21stcentury workforceTM

Our experience and research shows that adopting an organizational culture that promises to deliver positivecustomer experiences is critical to improving key retail metrics. Revenue growth stems from the ability of storemanagers and associates to exceed customer expectations and increase loyalty. In addition, employees who arecapable to perform their jobs at the highest standard correlates with increased operational efficiency.

The case studies that follow reveal the successes our clients in various retailmarkets have experienced. Thesevalidate that a retailer’s competitive advantage needs to be in the customer experience they deliver. Being equippedwith the tools to foster a workforce that creates definingmoments for customers will drive revenue, differentiateyour brand, and captivate loyal customers.

Specialty retailer increases conversion rates

The growing popularity of this specialty retailer’s high quality product alone was driving increased traffic, but sales remained static. This drop-off in customer conversion was attributed to lack of employee-customer engagement. As shoppers browsed the store and showed interest in merchandise, store employees weren’t interacting with them. As a result, employees were constantly missing opportunities to make sales and the retailer’s customer conversion rates were at an all-time low.

Retail SuccessCase Studies

Specialty retailer increases conversion rates (cont.)

AchieveGlobal implemented a training approach that would strategically provide value and be very easy for store managers to roll out to their teams. The training focused on three critical areas of improvement: (1) a service-tosales commitment, (2) interactions that create defining moments for customers, and (3) follow-up activities for store managers to use as reinforcement tools.

Having their stores staffed with teams that were fully equipped with the ability to go above and beyond customer expectations, the retailer saw an increase in customer satisfaction, as well as a 3-percent increase in conversion rates within the first year of implementation.

Big box store rapidly improves sales per square foot

This big box retailer wanted to ensure success through tough economic times by fostering a culture that catered to the customer. To differentiate their brand and stay ahead of competition, the retailer wanted to enhance the quality of service they were currently delivering.

AchieveGlobal helped them build a stronger service culture by engaging with the District Managers first, showing them how to cultivate a culture of customer service and, in turn, cascade that down to frontline employees. Field Management and AchieveGlobal knew it was vital to get Store

Managers excited by the opportunities customer experience management presents.

One way the importance of changing their service culture was communicated was through recurring in-store discussions. All cross-functional teams and departments took part in these “huddles,” brief training sessions that were led by store supervisors, which provided a better organizational understanding of why a customer-centric culture was so important.

The solution focused on building renewed customer excellence skills, behaviors, and attitudes. Just six months after application of the tools and practices from AchieveGlobal’s Customer Experience Toolkit™, this big box retailer not only improved perceived value of the brand, but was also able to boost sales per square foot by $1.55.

Specialty retailer reverses customer complaints

Getting five customer complaints to every one customer call was a major wakeup call to this specialty retailer. Their outmoded sales strategy relied on frontline associates pushing products onto customers the second they entered the store. This idea of “pushing” a customer to buy not only turned their customers off at the time, but it prevented them from ever wanting to return—which is obviously a retailer’s worst nightmare.

Floor staff needed to be able to understand the customer’s needs – from what they were shopping for, to how much they wanted to spend, to what level of assistance they desired. At the same time, managers needed to be able to understand how to motivate employees to, first and foremost, change their sales process, and second, embrace the idea of creating a branded customer experience.

Specialty retailer reverses customer complaints (cont.)

AchieveGlobal equipped store management with the ability to effectively coach their teams and assess areas of opportunities to develop better sales techniques. Management was also prepared to execute shift-starters and huddles which help to get buy-in of store sales teams.

As a result of the recommended change in sales processes and the implementation of the Customer Experience ToolkitTM, the retailer was able to reverse the ratio of customer complaint calls to satisfaction calls. As a result, customer complaints were reduced to a 1:5 ratio, meaning for every five customer satisfaction calls the retailer received, there was only one customer complaint.

Specialty retailer improves up-selling strategy to increase revenueHaving a low average sale per transaction plagued this trendy retail chain since its start-up. To increase bottom-line figures, Store Associates needed to be able to sell more products to every customer they served.

AchieveGlobal recommended that Sales Associates should be developed to boost sales volume per transaction by increasing the number of units sold per customer.

This was an ideal strategy for the retailer because many of their products were related and could be easily aligned with others. District Managers were given the tools to cascade skills down to Store Managers and Associates. One of the main goals of the implementation was to focus on building customer rapport by learning what the customers need, and knowing the features and benefits of products so that they can match a need with a product.

Employees understood how to ask the correct important questions during customer interactions. This enabled them to uncover customer desires that would allow for relevant recommendations and solidify the need for additional products. As a result, the retailer increased average units per customer from 2.7 to 4.1.

Big box retailer maximizes engagement and reduces turnover

This specialty retailer wanted to reduce employee turnover, especially within their field management group. In the past, Field Managers were likely to leave the organization because they were constantly daunted by incredible pressures to meet sales goals. The goals felt impossible to attain because many of the Managers didn’t have the proper leadership skills or tools to motivate others to perform at levels necessary to achieve goals.

AchieveGlobal helped the retailer understand what drives revenue from a customer point of view. Management needed to be able to drive, coach, and reinforce skills in an adaptable format that was easy to execute with store employees.

Once managers were provided the skills, they were taught how to apply them in a manner that would increase operational effectiveness in three main areas: Sales, Product, and Operations.

Big box retailer maximizes engagement and reduces turnover (cont.)

District managers and store employees saw that the organization was taking an added interest in their success and felt the tools they were given from the Customer Experience ToolkitTM delivered the results the organization desired.Within the first year of implementation, turnover was significantly reduced from 45-percent to 30-percent.

Big box retailer reduces payroll cost of trainingHaving store employees off of the floor for hours at a time to attend classroom training sessions meant inflated payroll costs for this big box retailer. The retailer wanted an effective solution that would reinforce critical skills, while not taking away from an employee’s time on the sales floor.

AchieveGlobal helped managers obtain the skills to provide on-site coaching, feedback, and recognition. Management teams went through the Customer Experience ToolkitTM, which allowed them to deliver training themselves

instore– where employees needed it the most. Chats and implementation guides assisted managers in coaching others to support revenue generation through creating a branded customer experience. Follow-up activities and tracking tools were used to follow progress.

Managers served as coaches, which reduced the need for in-class training and, therefore, labor expenses. Knowing that management was standing behind them and providing on-site coaching, employees felt empowered to perform better and maintained confidence on the sales floor. As a result, in addition to the reduction in cost of payroll training benefit, there was a decrease in employee turnover.

About AchieveGlobalIn the 21st century, the level of human skills will determine organization success. AchieveGlobalprovides exceptional development in interpersonal business skills giving companies the workforce theyneed for business results. Located in over 40 countries, we offer multi-language, learning based solutions- globally, regionally and locally.

We understand the competition you face. Your success depends on people who have the skills to handlethe challenges beyond the reach of technology. We’re experts in developing these skills, and it’s theseskills that turn your strategies into business success in the 21st century.

These are things technology can’t do. Think. Learn. Solve problems. Listen. Motivate. Explain. Peoplewith these skills have a bright future in the 21st century. AchieveGlobal prepares you for that world.

Developing the 21stcentury workforceTM

World Headquarters8875 Hidden River Parkway, Suite 400Tampa, Florida 33637 USAToll Free: 800.456.9390

www.achieveglobal.com

© 2011 AchieveGlobal, Inc. M01261 v. 2 (07/2011)