The general manager of a retail store and his staff were reviewing the results of the store’s in-house customer survey, while laughingly exchanging funny stories and anecdotes about some of their customers’ questions and complaints.
The bakery manager recounted an incident (amidst raucous laughter from the other members of the meeting): “I was called from the back of the bakery yesterday by an old lady waving at me. She wanted to return a slice of pecan pie because ‘how was she to know there would be nuts in it?’”
Suddenly the GM sat up in surprise at an answer on the questionnaire in front of him:
One word to describe your in-store shopping experience today? A customer had written: ‘Depressing!’
The manager of the store knew how important it is to uncover the needs of the consumer and to build trust, (that is why his store did the survey in the first place) he decided to call the customer to get better insight into what her experience entailed and got the following sobering explanation:
“I could not find what I was looking for and there was no one on the floor to ask. So I left.”
To the further surprise of the general manager, upon analysing all the feedback from the survey, this was one of the top 5 complaints about his store that surfaced! Unsurprisingly, his list seemed to follow universal trends in global retail surveys.
This is what is called The Customer Experience Gap. The gap between the service level customers expect and the actual service they receive. It is also known as the gap between what a company thinks it is providing, versus what it actually delivers.
When the GM looked at the list, he realised that there is no problem on the list that isn't easily fixable. And yet … universally, retailers are repeatedly plagued by the same issues!
Other top global Customer Expectation Gaps are:
- Long Wait Times/Checkout Queues: Often ranked #1 in studies based on in-store retail surveys and consumer sentiment analysis; one of the top complaints often caused by staffing problems. Which also explained why staff seems to be either on the defensive or overwhelmed, leading to the following problem:
- Unhelpful or poor staff service—also on the global list of complaints and includes: rude employees, negative attitude or tone, lack of staff, unknowledgeable staff, lack of empathy and passing customers from one colleague to another. -
- Unavailable Stock/Out-of-Stock items: inability to find items on the shelf or, annoyingly, finding no one to help locate them.
- Outdated technology. Inefficient Online-to-Offline Transition. Problems with Buy Online, Pick Up In-Store. Inconsistent pricing/availability; also between the app and the physical store.
- Poor store design organisation/layout: difficulty in navigating the store or finding products.
- Complacency: the root cause of the customer gap. Organisations often believe they're providing a superior customer experience, while customers (often silently) disagree.
- Taking too long to respond to complaints - or not responding at all. Customers expect to receive immediate responses when they have a customer service inquiry, whereas companies fail to provide timely answers, whether online, by email, or by phone.
- No resolution communicated. The customer has a need to know that their feedback has been taken seriously. Assurance that the situation won’t happen again, will go a long way in making amends.
Key Drivers of Negative Sentiment:
- Staff Attitude & Competency: Poor employee service is a massive driver of in-store dissatisfaction, particularly when tellers are rude or incompetent.
- Price Mismatches: Discrepancies between shelf prices and the price at the till are major points of friction.
- Empathy Deficit: A lack of friendly, helpful behaviour from employees can make shoppers feel ignored.
Which questions do customers typically respond to the most in in-store surveys?
The highest response rates in retail in-store surveys are driven by questions that are quick to answer,
- Low Effort questions: Binary Yes/No. They require a single click or a fast rating, rather than typing a response. Simple, direct questions that require minimal effort, such as satisfaction rating scales, e.g., using stars, smileys or simple choices. 😊Great|😐 Fine 😞Poor)
- "How satisfied were you with your experience today?" “What were your 3 most important issues when shopping at our store today?”Offering immediate relevance: they focus on the recent, immediate experience at checkout or while in the store.
- Emotional Connection: Questions focusing on positive aspects or overall satisfaction (e.g.,"What did you enjoy most about our store?") often get better responses than those focusing on negatives.
- Questions that identify buyers’ needs: "How easy was it to find what you were looking for today?" or "Was it easy to make your return?" "Were our store staff friendly?"
- Net Promoter Score (NPS): "How likely are you to recommend our store to a friend or family member?"
Complaints that are hard to hear:
- Complaints highlighting times when staff are under-trained, over-worked.
- Complaints about personal competence or behaviour.
- "I had to repeat my issue to three different people": This highlights a failure in internal communication, making the customer feel ignored or passed around.
- "You don't know your products": When a customer knows more about the item than the salesperson.
- Complaints about inflexible or unfair policies: when the company’s policies do not align with customer service goals. It is particularly hard when a staff member has to enforce a strict policy on a clearly loyal, yet frustrated, customer.
- "I was told one thing on the phone and another here": inconsistency between online/phone support and in-store, which makes the brand seem dishonest.
- "I’ve been a customer for 10 years, and you won’t help me?" The "loyal customer" exception plea, which often puts employees in a position of having to choose between policy and customer retention.
These complaints are difficult because they often feel like personal attacks to retail workers, rather than constructive feedback on a process.
Top tips for maximising response
- Today’s customers value employee expertise, progressive technology, and an emotional connection.
- Training: Product knowledge usually takes center stage during retail training, while customer interaction is sometimes overlooked.
- In-store supermarket surveys capture real-time customer feedback on service, cleanliness, and product availability to improve operations and loyalty.
- Effective surveys focus on specific, actionable areas like checkout wait times, staff helpfulness, store cleanliness, and product variety, typically using quick-to-answer rating scales or one-click email options.
- Retailers often find success by combining one simple, single-click question with an incentive, such as a discount or entry into a competition.
The Roaming Manager’s questions to ask:
- Intro:
"Help us serve you better! Take this 2-minute survey for a chance to win a R50 gift card.”
2. General feedback:
- "How satisfied were you with your shopping experience today?" (Scale: Very Satisfied to Very Dissatisfied)
- "How likely are you to recommend our store to your friends and family?"
- "Did you feel welcomed during your visit (greeted and/or thanked)?"
- "Did you find everything you were looking for today?"
- Operational Focus:
- "How would you rate the cleanliness of our restrooms?"
- "Did you notice any areas of the store that could have been cleaner?"
- "Was the store easy to navigate and well-organized?"
4. Service Focus
- "Was the wait time at checkout reasonable?"
- "Did the cashier or self-checkout attendant act in a friendly manner?"
- "Did staff offer to help you find items?"
- Stock Focus:
- "Were the items you looked for in stock?"
- "How would you rate the quality of our fresh produce?"
- "Is there a product you would like us to carry in the future?"
6. Closing:
"What is one thing we could do to make your shopping experience better?"
In Conclusion:
Avoid confrontation, rather reach out to unhappy customers and offer a solution to their problem, show your commitment to resolving it.
More funny anecdotes from the retail world:
One prospective buyer wanted to know if the ladder goes up ánd down.
Another customer: "Excuse me, can you please tell me if there is meat in this chicken pie?”
On pricing: A customer asked for a discount on a hat because they were "going to wear it very rarely."