Five Ways to Improve Customer Service at your Flooring Business

There’s an old saying in the business world: the customer is always right. Now, we all know that isn’t actually true (especially in specialized industries like flooring), but the idea has become accepted by both businesses and customers across the globe.

The truth of the matter is this: the customer isn’t always right, but your customer service should make them FEEL like they are. Here are a few tips to help you improve your customer service in your flooring showroom.

Give Your Customers Information

There is nothing more irritating to a customer than a sales associate who hovers and follows them around the showroom. Similarly, there is nothing more irritating to an employee than customers who bombard them with a million questions. One way to give everyone the space they need (and avoid terse interactions that make everyone uncomfortable) is to give your customers the important info up front.

Post signs around your store with information about pricing. Fill your website with helpful blogs and easy to find FAQs (these can also boost your ranking on search engines). If your customers can find key info themselves, they’ll feel like that have more power over their sales experience — and that is always a positive.

Set The Mood

When customers don’t feel comfortable with a shopping experience (as they usually don’t when making big purchases like flooring), they tend to want to keep the experience short and sweet. Of course, we know that finding the right flooring takes time — so it’s up to us to make the process as pleasant as possible.

Choose pleasant overhead music to play in your store. Use aromatherapy to create a comfortable and calming environment. These little tricks can ease the stress of shopping and help your customers enjoy the experience a little bit more.

Use Associates Appropriately

A great sales associate is like seasoning in a recipe: they amplify everything that’s great about the experience and take it to the next level. However, it is possible to “over-season” a customer shopping experience, and that can leave a bad taste in their mouth.

Make sure your sales associates are well trained, knowledgeable, and friendly — but also, make sure they know when to let a customer have some space. Remember that good customer service is about giving the customer what they want (not securing a sale), so make sure your sales team knows how to read the situation and respond appropriately.

Get Social

In today’s world, social media is an invaluable form of marketing. The right viral tweet or five-star Yelp review can really help your business — and a one-star review can do incredible damage.

Make sure you are active on your business’s social media pages. This might mean posting about sales or new floor that’s arrived in the store, or it might mean responding to reviewers who gave you poor reviews (however, when you respond to those reviewers ALWAYS remain professional). If you are engaging with your audience online, you will have a clearer idea of what they want and expect from your business.

Ask for Feedback

Finally, let’s go back to our old adage, “The customer is always right.” One great way to provide customer service is to lean into that belief and simply ask your customers for their feedback. Ask them to take a survey about your store online. Make it easy for them to contact you with questions or comments, and respond to these messages promptly. Simply giving your customers a voice will make them feel like you care — and that’s something everyone appreciates.

Ultimately, the customer service experience is about making your customers feel valuable. If you prove that you value their time, their personal space, and their opinions, they are sure to value your product all the more.

Bonus Tip: Expedite the Process

The VendorPriceBook Mobile app is coming soon and purchase ordering is now available!

The system you know and love is getting an upgrade. Now with VendorPriceBook, you will be able to use our mobile app right on the showroom floor. No more running around, leafing through pages or searching spreadsheets for (potentially outdated) pricing and inventory levels. NO MORE MAKING YOUR CUSTOMERS WAIT LONGER THAN THEY SHOULD. Stay tuned for news on our upcoming mobile app release.

6 Tips for Flooring Sales Teams

As a flooring retailer, you want to create a memorable experience for your customers. As the economy is reopening, it’s essential for flooring sales teams to provide excellent service without being pushy.

The main key for top salespeople is to love what they do. The best teams are willing to go above and beyond.

As a manager, there are a few characteristics that excellent flooring teams have that can seep into every step of the process.

The Benefits of Extroverts and Introverts

Most people are both extroverts and introverts. Few people are 100 percent one or the other. Studies suggest that ambiverts who fall in the middle of the spectrum make the best salespeople.

Extroverts love being sociable. They enjoy making small talk, meeting new people, and starting conversations easily. Introverts tend to develop deeper relationships by listening to their customers and being able to read them. They tend to ask the right questions and fully listen to provide sound advice.

Ambiverts strike a perfect balance of listening and talking. They utilize a good balance of flexibility, enthusiasm, and agreeability without being pushy or demanding.

A team made up of thoughtful, conscientious, charismatic, and open salespeople are more likely to enjoy high sales and return customers.

Establish Trust

Trust and rapport start as soon as you greet your customer and extends throughout the sale. Building a relationship with a new customer has less to do with what the salesperson wants and more to do with the customer.

Customers enjoy being able to gather unbiased information from a professional without feeling forced into a decision. They will also be more motivated to return and provide referrals.

Your Store Is More Than Your Products

No matter how niche your flooring products may be, they won’t be sufficient to differentiate you from competitors.

Without a team of passionate and experts, customers may walk in and right back out. The key is bringing your products to life and showcasing how they can benefit your customer.

The most unique thing about your store is your flooring sales team.

The internet allows customers to do extensive research before walking into your store. They can explore options, go over your products on your website, read customer reviews, and even have a list of questions. A superior service experience means anticipating these questions, providing in-depth explanations that aren’t available online, and suggesting better alternatives.

Most customers walking into your store have already selected the store for various reasons. Few walk in off the street without any idea or budget regarding their needs. The trick is asking the right questions right at the start.

Quality Service Requires Quality Training

Superb customer experience doesn’t happen by accident: it is created. The best teams have a standard of care that insists on quality, which is why they never expect their sales team to self-train.

Managers set the standard for consistency and high quality during ongoing education and training. Good performances should be rewarded and encouraged.

Excellent Customer Experience Doesn’t Stop at the Sales Floor

Everyone on your flooring team is expected to run through the sale without dropping the baton. From the salesperson to measurement and installation, all roles are equally important to avoid a breakdown in communication and experience.

After all, a smooth sale can be overshadowed by a bad experience during installation. No matter how good your sales team is, it’s vital that they have open and honest communication with all departments.

A sales person helps out a flooring customer

Understand What Makes You Unique

High standards cover your entire business and functions only when everyone understands what they do, their roles, and how to communicate.

Customers are used to being told how excellent a store is or how it will price-match a competitor. Instead, focus on what makes your experience unique to them.

Now more than ever, customers are looking for a human experience. They want to connect with people rather than avoiding them. After all, customers can easily order products online. Many people are interested in finding common ground, sharing stories, and feeling seen.

Customers are paying for their peace of mind. They want a quality product that will serve their needs, and they want an installation team they can trust in their house.

Managers can efficiently run a well-oiled machine by focusing on virtues that represent good qualities in many people. Sincere enthusiasm paired with compassionate professionalism keeps everyone happy, including your flooring sales team.

Customer Service: Back to Basics

With limited capacity laws implemented into stores, retailers have had to find different ways to retain people’s satisfaction and interest. Walking into a shopping center or retail department with complete comfortability has become difficult, and the convenience of shopping online contradicts the risk of physically buying products at the storefront. Flooring retailers have seen a huge shift for themselves since the beginning of 2020, as the pandemic hurdled product price increases, decreased revenue for supply and stifled buyer uncertainty within the industry as a whole. However by the end of 2020 home interior design started to become more profitable, and  CEO of Kenneth L. Mink & Song and manager of Macy’s Fine Rug Gallery, David Mink confirms that his rug business is seeing increase in profit, and says that “With more and more people working and spending time at home, the more they are spending on their home. This is a benefit to the rug business.” Since the end of last year, many changes have been made to store’s and online flooring retailers. 

Simple at Storefront

The most obvious trend for revitalizing customer service has put pressure on businesses to make their customer experience more streamline. Jim Mckay, vice president of sales for Great Floors, has limited the amount of manufacturers promoted in his store during lockdown, reevaluating the 40 hard-wood flooring planks displayed in his showroom by saying  “This is just ridiculous. We can’t even tell the difference between all these things. How’s a customer going to do that?” Macay says that “We have big stores, and it’s really easy for a customer to walk in that front door and be overwhelmed. So we’ve tried to simplify it,” aiming to limit manufacturer brands to create a streamlined store experience. Darren Braunstire, VP of Worldwide Wholesale Floor Coverings, explains how he separated wire brushed and smooth wood options into different sectors within the hardwood section, and how specifications are placed behind the tiles to keep from distracting the  main displays; Methodology like this amplifies customer experience through simplifying advertising tactics, while still keeping standard manufacturer promotion. 

Managing Online

In a 2020 analysis, more than 75% of consumers polled online services more engaging than storefront sales for their basic needs, like banking, food/restaurant shopping and video calls for emotional human support. This integration toward digital solutions has helped retailers promote products during social distancing. Director of U.S sales at Mercier’s, Wade Bondrowski, has expressed how social media presence has sustained communication and customer personalization, as data within these apps integrate products with customer interest. Keeping sales face to face, Adam Ward senior project manager at Mohawk, reveals that virtual conferencing has become a daily occurrence between staff members to ensure constant team collaboration, and Hallmark, a manufacturing company, reports that their increase in “real time responses,” online has kept connection between customers and specialty retailers. Omni-channel is a new culmination of all online promotion platforms into one source, which Dan Foskett, CEO at Flooring Superstore, has utilized to great extents. Foskett reports that his sales have grown 142% since 2020, with floor sample requests increasing by 172% and web sessions by 99%. 

COVID has shown the advantage of multi-channel digital sources ledwaying the path toward future customer experience, and the stresses within the flooring industry has produced creative solutions to a seemingly impossible situation. With coordination on both fronts, flooring retailers are reaching the highest global revenue levels since 2013, and have started out the first quarter of 2021 strong. 

It goes without saying that even with great customer service, you also need efficient processes in order to achieve that. With VendorPriceBook, communication between vendors and retailers is streamlined so that there are minimal delays. Quick service equals happier customers. From getting pricing for inventory, to making purchase orders—everything is done quickly on a cloud-based application that VendorPriceBook provides.

And it’s not all about communication—VendorPriceBook members can easily send announcements and promotions to retailers. It’s really a symbiotic tool that helps businesses on both sides make the most out of their relationship!

Learn more about VendorPriceBook today.