The Forgotten Channel in Cross-Channel Retailing
How can retailers enhance the personal shopping experience, even as they cut staff in all channels?
NRF President and CEO Tracy Mullin states, “The expectation of another challenging holiday season does not come as news to retailers, who have been experiencing a pullback in consumer spending for over a year. To compensate, retailers’ focus on the holiday season has been razor-sharp with companies cutting back as much as possible on operating costs in order to pass along aggressive savings and promotions to customers.” (NRF Forecasts One Percent Decline in Holiday Sales --As Losses Stabilize, Retailers Hone In on Aggressive Promotions, October 6, 2009, National Retail Foundation)
My experience indicates that over 70 percent of the time consumers go to the Internet for answers to their shopping questions, but what about when they need more details than can be found on the Internet? Enter live chat with the call center. Designated service experts centralized in one location can be the answer.
Retailers have missed a critical touch point with customers by not utilizing their call centers. Consistent, centralized call center training is more efficient and effective than any training conducted across multiple stores. The reinvigoration of the call center can be attributed to the role it can play in enabling a seamless cross-channel experience. I recently participated in a cross-channel think tank where this topic around the call center came up. If you want more information on the findings of the meeting, attend our Webinar on November 7. Visit here
