Page 38 - GS231101

Inspiration

Make the year-end holiday season shine

expect you've already helped your merchants pre- • Holiday promotions and marketing: Demonstrate
pare for the coming holiday rush by making sure how to effectively communicate holiday promotions
their POS systems are up to date, secure and capable and marketing campaigns, answer questions and
I of handling surges both in transactions and fraud guide customers to relevant products.
attempts. You've probably reminded them of how to get
timely help with glitches or worse that could tank their • Upselling and cross-selling: Encourage employees to
profits. suggest complementary products or services, which
can increase the average transaction value.
Have you considered addressing other areas such as inclu-
sive marketing practices, employee training and customer • Time management: Offer training in time manage-
feedback? You could prepare online and print infograph- ment to help employees cope with increased seasonal
ics or basic bullet points to deliver key points tailored for workloads, reduce stress and improve productivity.
specific areas of concern. For example, here are points an • Loss prevention and security: Teach employees how
infographic for employee training might include: to identify suspicious behavior and follow security

• Product knowledge: In addition to working knowl- protocols. This is especially important during the hol-
edge of the products and services offered, this in- iday season when theft and fraud can increase.
cludes details about holiday promotions, gift items • Safety protocols: Make clear to employees what their
and special features customers are likely to ask about. role is in maintaining a safe shopping environment for

• POS systems: Employees should be comfortable pro- customers and themselves.
cessing transactions, handling returns and address- • Emergency procedures: Ensure that employees know
ing common issues that may arise at the POS. how to respond in emergencies and unexpected

• Cultural sensitivity and inclusivity: To help create events and can implement evacuation plans. This in-
a welcoming, inclusive shopping environment, em- cludes knowing how to communicate effectively with
phasize the importance of treating all customers with customers during a crisis to help maintain trust.
respect and avoiding assumptions or biases based on
cultural or religious backgrounds. To follow up, you could offer instructions on how to car-
ry out the training. This could take the form of an email
• Customer service: Educate employees on topics such course. Employees would receive daily emails with infor-
as active listening, problem-solving, conflict resolu- mation and how-to steps for one point on the list until they
tion, and maintaining a positive attitude even during are all covered.
busy and stressful times. And empower them with the
requisite skills to resolve complaints that may arise to During busy times, merchants may be able to provide
ensure customers leave with a positive impression. only minimal training for new employees. Providing an
infographic and a follow-up email course could help them
• Customer feedback: Educate employees on how to navigate the coming holiday rush. This would be a win-
gather and document customer feedback, which is win for you and your merchants.
invaluable for making improvements and addressing
customer concerns.

• Legal and ethical considerations: Familiarize em-
ployees with legal and ethical considerations, such as
privacy regulations and anti-discrimination laws. Kate Gillespie, President and CEO
38