Should Retailers Rethink KPI and Sales Incentives?
Shoppers rarely make a purchase based solely on one salesperson’s efforts during one visit to the store. Meeting today’s customer expectations involves many contacts across multiple channels because most consumers are browsing online as well as browsing the aisles. In this increasingly techno-savvy retail world, does human contact matter? Roberto Ramos of The Doneger Group thinks so. In his blog post titled, “Unlocking Retail’s Human Touch” he makes some interesting suggestions:
- Your employees are your most important brand asset
- Train your staff to be lifestyle experts
- KPIs should be rethought to reduce pressure tactics
- Leverage consumer-centric platforms to give technology a human touch
- Turn stores into welcoming destinations
KPIs That Don’t Annoy Customers
One of the problems with a key performance indicator like “increase sales by 10%” is that pressure is on individual sales staff to influence the shopper into buying something. But sales are actually a team effort. The final sale is usually the result of the accumulated effect of friendly staff and answered questions (online or off) along with the desired product at the right price.
In Roberto Ramos’ post, he suggests key performance indicators that prioritize customer satisfaction. This can be quality time spent with customer, insights gathered from interactions, or solutions provided during contact. Each customer-staff interaction is part of the sales funnel, and it takes team effort to make it happen rather than one pushy salesman.
The challenge for rethinking sales incentives includes how to measure and keep track of KPIs where the effort is split among staff members. This is similar to the challenge of the Department Store, where sales commissions can be split among multiple employees with the right software.
A software solution that can be customized for innovative KPIs can add the human touch to sales incentives and revitalize retailing. ChainDrive offers that potential. Request a free live demo and see what’s possible today.