Have you ever noticed any major differences between a brand’s locations?
Maybe you have a preferred location because the staff is super friendly, or they have a better variety of products.
When it comes to brands that vary from location to location, a certain cell provider comes to mind. For anonymity, we’ll call them Phones-R-Us.
Not too long ago, a new Phones-R-Us location opened down the road from me. Before I would have to drive 25 minutes to upgrade my phone, have something repaired, or dispute my bill, but now I had a location just 5 minutes away.
At first, it was great. The branch had its best employees there for the grand opening and to help the first few months of set up and establishment. But soon, the new location hired new techs and the seasoned employees left. It was awful.
The new techs were disinterested and represented the brand poorly. They gave off the feeling of annoyance whenever I went in with a question or problem. They didn’t seem like they wanted to find a solution, but rather, they didn’t care I even had a problem.
It wasn’t long before I started driving the extra 20 minutes to the old location so I could receive better service.
Needless to say, I was seriously upset the new location was such a flop.
Customer Feedback Improves Brand Consistency
Not long after my first visit and purchase at Phones-R-Us, an associate approached me with an opportunity to provide feedback.
I was asked to “leave my 5-star review” online (hmm, doubtful buddy). I was hesitant at first because I’d only been there a few times and felt my review would be biased.
The straw that broke this camel’s back was when my technologically delayed mother went to the new Phones-R-Us store. Now, don’t get me wrong, my mom is good at a lot of things, but technology and iPhones aren’t in her realm of expertise. Reluctantly, she went to Phones-R-Us for help.
It was like watching a horror movie in slow motion. The employees at the new store were so rude and horrible to her, it was embarrassing! I immediately wrote my review.
“I’ve been a Phones-R-Us customer for 10 years, my parents, for longer. I’ve never had major issues and while prices have fluctuated, brand representatives in the store were always helpful and made the otherwise annoying experience positive. HOWEVER, the team at store location XXX are the WORST representatives a brand could possibly hire…. “
I went on to name drop and explain the situation as diplomatically as I could. I considered various extenuating circumstances; maybe they were having a bad day, or maybe they were short-staffed. Nothing I wrote seemed to make up for how they acted towards me and my mom.
Feedback Kiosks Make Collection Easy
Within the next six months, we went back twice. We were totally shocked. The rude employees that once plagued our experience were gone, and in their place, a team of brand ambassadors that were affluent in customer satisfaction.
I was delighted but also suspicious.
Again, I was asked to provide feedback, but this time, it was on a digital customer feedback kiosk they kept at the front desk. The feedback kiosk asked me a series of questions about my experience in-store that day. How informed did I perceive the staff to be? How would I rate my experience? How could this experience be improved?
I left my review and email address with a note expressing my delight with the change in staff.
The company emailed me to thank me for leaving feedback. The response also stated that my complaint wasn’t the first they’d received about this store. Others who provided reviews with the feedback kiosk had similar complaints.
Now I know what you’re thinking, there’s no way a brand like Phones-R-Us actually cares that much about customer satisfaction (we’ve all been on the phone with cell provider customer support, it’s miserable).
The company went on to hint at the fact they’ve lost a significant number of customers because of their experience with this location. Phones-R-Us apologized and explained how they brought in brand gurus that we’re there to build up the reputation they’d lost.
Phones-R-Us told me they were using feedback kiosks as a better stream-lined way to collect customer feedback. The feedback kiosks allowed customers to effortlessly and anonymously provide feedback immediately to the brand. This information allowed Phones-R-Us to course-correct based on customer comments.
Feedback Kiosks for Multiple Locations
When a brand has multiple locations, like Phones-R-Us, it can be difficult to manage employee performance, customer satisfaction, standard operating procedures, and overall workplace consistency.
By adding feedback kiosks to various locations, you can compare performance, sales, and customer reviews effortlessly, allowing you to prioritize brand consistency.
Customer feedback kiosks allow in-store visitors to anonymously leave feedback about their experience. Phones-R-Us used this customer information to improve customers’ experience, as well as hire brand gurus. They also provide additional information about products they have in stock and what is most popular among customers, and what products customers want to see more of.
But feedback kiosks aren’t just for customers. Employees can complete surveys monthly to gauge employee satisfaction. This lets brands understand how employees are feeling and if improvements need to be made to the workplace environment, compensation, or if anything can else be done to improve employee satisfaction overall.
Phones-R-Us chalked up the poor employee performance at the new location to a poor hiring system and lack of customer service training.
Customer and Employee Feedback Made the Difference
Before implementing the feedback kiosks, Phones-R-Us had no clear picture from one location to the next. The corporate staff was really only able to track sales. Online reviews all funneled into their brand page, so individual stores suffered from a lack of action.
Now that the brand keeps feedback kiosks in their stores, they are able to clearly see which locations customers prefer over others, and why! This allows them to redistribute top-performing employees to help improve other locations and have better brand consistency overall.
Phones-R-Us chalks up their recovery to the introduction of feedback kiosks in their stores. Now, they’re able to collect more customer feedback, easier and more honestly than before. They’re able to see day by day how they’re stores are performing and intervein when needed.
