NZGuitars.com

NZRS-Dave wrote: ↑Fri Aug 13, 2021 12:23 pm That sucks, Slowy.

I wasn't meaning to infer that the lack of service was in some way related to you. Apologies.

Having grumpy customer is great training but so frustrated as for many customers - there are other options - people can purchase elsewhere and overseas so we do need to work harder to keep the customers we have.

NZRS-Dave wrote: ↑Fri Aug 13, 2021 12:23 pm That sucks, Slowy.

I wasn't meaning to infer that the lack of service was in some way related to you. Apologies.

Having grumpy customer is great training but so frustrated as for many customers - there are other options - people can purchase elsewhere and overseas so we do need to work harder to keep the customers we have.

Slowy wrote: ↑Fri Aug 13, 2021 12:58 pm ... sometimes folks just get off on the wrong foot.

Molly wrote: ↑Fri Aug 13, 2021 1:05 pm

Slowy wrote: ↑Fri Aug 13, 2021 12:58 pm ... sometimes folks just get off on the wrong foot.

That's me. Can't get from one end of the day to the other without rubbing up against someone (too easy, JB). I think I'm just incredibly intolerant of everyone and everything. I'd say I'm working on it but I'm really not.

hamo wrote: ↑Fri Aug 13, 2021 12:47 pm Honest question Dave - what sort of training do your retail staff get? I find it really variable in the Wellington store, consistently better in Lower Hutt.

NZRS-Dave wrote: ↑Fri Aug 13, 2021 1:58 pm
My favourite question of today - in reference to the muffs on a set of headphones - 'are they vegan'. They weren't.

NZRS-Dave wrote: ↑Fri Aug 13, 2021 1:58 pm
My favourite question of today - in reference to the muffs on a set of headphones - 'are they vegan'. They weren't.

NZRS-Dave wrote: ↑Fri Aug 13, 2021 1:58 pm

hamo wrote: ↑Fri Aug 13, 2021 12:47 pm Honest question Dave - what sort of training do your retail staff get? I find it really variable in the Wellington store, consistently better in Lower Hutt.

Oh - that's a big topic.

You might think that we get training on every product we sell so that we can be experts - but in reality it doesn't work that way.

Some brands provide trainers who travel about the stores and dispense training - but not all brands. And they don't train you on all the products they do. There is an impetus on staff to 'know their area' and there's no better incentive to learn something than having to tell a customer "I don't know".

Most of the time you know the basics of how something works and so you only need to know what makes it different from another product. For example I couldn't tell you which guitars have an alder body and which have ash - but I know that alder is lighter and boomier than ash. But I also know that pickups / electronics / price of guitar can have just as much influence as the wood type. I'd expect a $2000 ash guitar to sound better than a $500 alder guitar.

We also expect the 'older' staff (time served / experience oriented) to school up the 'younger' staff.

Most staff meetings (usually once a week) will have a staff member demonstrate a piece of gear in the interests of expanding everyone's knowledge.

Sometimes we do a pizza night and I have done a lighting session (rant) for when asked. Hated it. I got really nervous.

The other things is that we aren't experts anymore - the internet allows most people to be more knowledgeable about things when they walk in the door. Or knowledgeable about that specific product.

My favourite question of today - in reference to the muffs on a set of headphones - 'are they vegan'. They weren't.

Molly wrote: ↑Fri Aug 13, 2021 2:54 pm The thing that irks me with a lot of retailers is when they trot out the line: "No. We don't have it in stock but we can order it in..." I usually reply: "Yes. So can I."

hamo wrote: ↑Fri Aug 13, 2021 2:38 pm Thanks Dave. Not surprised to hear it mainly focuses on product, and that it's getting harder to stay on top of things. Nothing more generic like "we always greet a customer within X minutes of them walking in", like some other retail places?

NZRS-Dave wrote: ↑Fri Aug 13, 2021 2:59 pm

NZRS-Dave wrote: ↑Fri Aug 13, 2021 1:58 pm My favourite question of today - in reference to the muffs on a set of headphones - 'are they vegan'. They weren't.