20 Tips for Excellent Retail Customer Service

- Smile when greeting a customer in person and on the phone (and yes, they can tell if you are smiling over the telephone!).

- Use age-appropriate greetings, and avoid referring to older customers and women as 'guys.'

- Be proactive and ask how you may be of service.

- Stay visible and available, but don?t hover.

- Don't turn away, walk away, start to make a phone call, or duck beneath the counter as a customer approaches. (We've all had it happen to us.)

- The live customer standing in front of you takes precedence over someone who calls on the phone.

- Never judge a book by its cover - all customers deserve attention regardless of their age or appearance.

- Leave food and beverages in the break room.

- A customer doesn't want to hear about your upcoming break.

- Makes any personal calls when you?re on a break and out of earshot.

- The correct answer is never 'I don?t know' unless you add to it, 'but I can find out for you.'

- If a customer wants something that isn't on display, go to the stock room and try to find it.

- If the item isn't in the stock room, offer to call another store or order it.

- Learn to read body language to see if a customer could use some help.

- Don't let chatty customers monopolise your time if others are waiting.

- Call for back-up support if lines are forming.

- Be discrete if a customer's credit card is declined by asking if there is another method of payment he or she would like to use.

- Never discuss customers in front of other customers.

- Inspect merchandise before bagging it to make sure it's not defective or the wrong size.

- Make sure customers receive everything they've paid for before they leave.

Source: Business Training Works