CHAPTER 4 SALES PROCESS AND CUSTOMER SERVICES.
4.1 StateStreet Way: Customer Service Experience.
The basic objective of this section is to ensure excellent customer services in our shops through
enhancing skill sets of our retail sale staff. The company shall focus more upon customer care
and suggest ways and means through which the staff can deal with any kind of situation. This
would further ensure an increase in sales and customer satisfaction.
4.2 Kind/Type of Customers
Planned Customer
Window Shopper.
Hurried customer
Grouchy (Bad-tempered) customer
Family Customer
Talkative customer
Rude customer
Friendly customer
Angry customer
4.3 Customer service
Facts regarding customer service
Making of a new customer takes five times more effort and investment than retaining
the old one.
Angry and unhappy customer shares his bad experience with 10-20 persons
If a complaint is handled properly, 7out of 10 customers will come back
If a complaint is handled on the spot, 95% customers will return
4.4 Good customer service
Although, a lot of factors are involved to ensure a good customer service, however, some of them
are as follows:
Understand what a customer need is
Make available the desired product to ensure customer satisfaction
Offer variety to customer
Believe that “Customer is always right” ▪ Deal with customer in a polite manner
Provide comfortable environment
Attend to the customer quickly
Apologize to customer politely in case the required product is not available
Guide the customer about the product availability
Be loyal and sincere to your customer
Never sell a wrong product to customer
Keep yourself always updated about the product knowledge so you can be of better
service to customers.
4.6 Personal Hygiene and Grooming
All staff shall be responsible for ensuring that the cleanliness and personal hygiene standards
have been met before coming to the shop.
4.6.1 Why personal hygiene is important?
To keep yourself fresh and energized
To avoid bacteria growth in the shop.
Avoid spreading of infectious disease.
To keep working area clean and free of germs
4.6.2 Personal hygiene protects
You
Your customers
Your co-workers
It is required by the law
Essential for the good business
4.6.3 Cost of poor hygiene
Customer complaints
Loss of customers
Serious illness
Heavy fines and punishments
Loss of brand reputation
4.6.4 Fresh uniform
A properly dressed person communicates his / her personality; so, all staff should ensure the
following before coming to the workplace.
Uniform properly washed / without stains
Uniform properly ironed
Uniform should not have unpleasant smell
Wear clean socks
Uniform should not be torn from any place
4.6.5 Face
A fresh appearance of an individual makes an impression on the mind of the customer. The
following must be ensured
Properly washed face
Properly shaved
If you have beard and moustache, it must be properly trimmed
4.6.6 Haircut and Hairstyle
Neat and clean haircut
No hats or caps shall be allowed during the duty
Long hair not allowed
Hair to be kept away from face, neatly styled
4.6.7 Body odor
To ensure a pleasant interaction with the customer, it is of utmost importance that the following
must be ensured.
Must take bath everyday
Use perfume or body spray (mild ones) at least twice during shift hours.
4.6.8 Shoes
While observing proper dress code, if an individual’s shoes are not properly cleaned, it also gives
an unpleasant feeling to the customer.
Must wear proper closed shoes
Must be properly polished
Must be free from all dirt
Must not be torn from any place
No Sandals / Chappals / Joggers /slippers.
4.6.9 Nails
Nails must be properly trimmed
Must be free from all dirt
Must not be torn / worn out
4.6.10 Teeth cleaning
Teeth must be properly brushed everyday
Avoid smoking during the duty timings as it creates a bad smell. If you smoke use mint or brush
your teeth afterwards and spray deodorant immediately.
4.6.11 Wash hands
After using toilet
After eating and smoking
After taking out the rubbish
After cleaning
4.6.12 Cuts & Bruises
Visible injuries can upset the customer. Get permission from your Store Manager before
appearing in front of a customer with an injury.
Cuts and bruises must be covered properly
In case of an infectious disease, you are not allowed to work. You must inform your Store
Manager.
4.6.13 Accessories
The following accessories are prohibited during duty hours.
Necklaces
Excessive rings
Hanging / Large Earrings
Chains (for men)
Wrist bands (for men)
Earphone/ Earbud
4.6.13 Communication skills
A strong communication is a key success factor for a salesperson. There are various ways of
communication such as spoken words, written words, pictures or movies and body language.
Some of the important factor as follows:
Listen carefully
Understand what customer needs
Let the customer complete
Don’t interrupt the customer while he is talking
Ask the customer politely in case of any ambiguity
Pay attention to customer when he is talking
Body language must be positive
4.6.14 Key Customer Service Touch points
Customer Greetings-In-person/ In-Shop.
Greet the customer with a genuine smile.
As a rule, the customer must be acknowledged within 10 seconds of his/her entrance to the
shop.
Greet the customer by saying, good morning, sir/ Madam, my name is “X”, what will you need
today?
Welcome to “Shop name” sir/Madam, my name is X, what can l help you with?
It is mandatory to offer the customer a drink- water, beer, whiskey, a seat to sit and rest if
needed.
Whilst a receipt is being prepared for the customer, one of you who is not busy should engage
the customer in a necessary conversation where you introduce other products if necessary.
Customer Greeting- On Phone.
Answering the phone is an extended part of customer service. Answer the phone as if the
customer is in the store. Be pleasant, enthusiastic, with the right tone and speak clearly.
Introduce yourself and be ready with interesting responds.
The Script: Thank you for calling “Shop Name & Loc”. This is “X” speaking. How can I help?
Messaging: Thank you for contacting “Shop name and Loc”. Our shop is open from 10am to
7pm Monday to Saturday. We are currently closed for business. Kindly leave your name and
message and we will be in touch as soon as the shop opens. If it cannot wait, please call our
stores manager 055 982 4024 for immediate assistance.
Reminder (In Layaway situation):
Dear Mr. “Buyer”, the item you reserved at “Shop Name & Loc”. is approaching the 48h
reserved window.
We kindly remind you to make payment and collect it. We will be obliged to return it to the
shelf after the 48h window. Please note that our items are limited in stock and likely to be sold.
Thank you. “Shop name & Loc”.
4.6.15 Other Key Principles of Customer Service
Product Knowledge: Employees should be knowledgeable about the products in their
store. This includes knowing the features, sizes available, materials, and care instructions
of apparel, as well as current promotions or discounts. A well-informed associate can
confidently answer customer inquiries and even offer styling advice or suggestions (e.g.
“These shoes would complement the suit you’re trying on”). Training will be provided on
product lines, but self-learning is encouraged – read product tags, try out new arrivals,
and ask managers if unsure. If a customer asks a question, you don’t know the answer
to, don’t guess – politely say you will find out, and then promptly consult a colleague or
manager. Being helpful and knowledgeable builds trust with customers.
Attentiveness and Personalization: Pay attention to customer cues. If a customer seems
unsure, approach and offer help; if they say they are “just browsing,” give them space
but remain available. Listen actively to what the customer is looking for. Ask open-ended
questions to understand their needs (“Who are you shopping for today?”, “Do you have
a particular style or color in mind?”). Provide personalized assistance – guide them to the
right section, suggest options, or create an outfit from different departments if
appropriate. Showing genuine interest in helping the customer find what they need
demonstrates our commitment to service. For returning customers, if the store uses
client profiles or loyalty programs, use that information to personalize suggestions (for
example, inform them if an item they previously liked is back in stock). This level of
service makes customers feel valued.
Standardized Service Protocols: We have certain service behaviors that should be
consistent across all stores. For instance, fitting room service – when a customer is trying
clothes, staff should offer to fetch different sizes or additional items, and never pressure
them. Add-on sales – after a customer selects an item, politely suggest a complementary
product (“These trousers go well with that shirt, would you like to see them?”) but do
not be overbearing. Checkout process – always confirm the customer found everything
they needed, mention the return/exchange policy clearly, and thank them by name, if
possible, when handing over the receipt. By standardizing key touchpoints like greetings
and checkouts, we ensure a reliable experience for customers at every location.
Handling Customer Complaints:
See Customer Complaint Handling Guide.
Queue Management and Multitasking: During peak times, acknowledge waiting
customers in line by making eye contact or a brief nod with a smile, indicating we will be
with them shortly. If checkout lines get long, staff from the sales floor should assist at the
register if they are trained, or a manager should open another till if available. We aim to
keep waiting times minimal (a few minutes at most). If a customer has many questions
while others wait, politely offer to assist the next person and then return or call another
associate to help. Never ignore someone waiting; managing queues efficiently is part of
good service.
After-Sales Service: Customer service doesn’t end when the sale is made. Inform
customers of our return and exchange policy: for example, “You can exchange within 30
days with the receipt if there’s any issue.” Encourage them to reach out if they have
questions later – perhaps provide a store contact card. For our brands, building
relationships is key to repeat business. We may follow up with top customers through
courtesy calls or messages about new arrivals (with their consent). The Marketing
department, in coordination with store managers, may run a loyalty program or maintain
a client book for VIP customers. Sales staff should contribute by noting preferences of
regular customers. Keeping in touch (in a respectful, non-intrusive way) shows customers
we value them beyond the single transaction.
Training and Monitoring: All sales employees will receive training on these customer
service standards during onboarding and periodic refreshers. Role-playing exercises (e.g.
practicing how to handle a difficult customer) are used to build confidence. Store
managers and supervisors should continuously model excellent service and observe their
teams, providing coaching when they see service gaps. We may use “mystery shoppers”
periodically to assess service quality anonymously. Customer feedback from surveys or
comment cards is also collected and reviewed. Key metrics such as Customer Satisfaction
(CSAT) or Net Promoter Score (likelihood to recommend) may be tracked to gauge our
service performance. These measures help identify areas for improvement, and
outstanding service by employees will be recognized.
