Maritz adds to friendly staff research

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By: Wise Marketer Staff |

Posted on March 13, 2006

Maritz adds to friendly staff research

Customer interaction, satisfaction and experience are all woven together in a tight-knit web and the determining factor in all of these areas often comes down to a retail store employee's overall demeanour and attitude, according to Maritz Research.

Because of the long-term impact that a poorly trained, impolite, or thoughtless store assistant can have on a customer - even a loyal one - Maritz Research conducted its own research into the attitudes of retail store employees, and found that:

  • A little over half (55%) of 16 - 24 year olds enjoy their interactions with customers;  
  • The majority (74%) of 35 - 44 year olds enjoy their interactions with customers;  
  • Near all 45 - 64 year olds (83%) enjoy their interactions with customers.  
  • The majority of retail employees (72% overall) enjoy their interactions with the customers they encounter;  
  • Younger retail employees (16 - 24 years old) are significantly less likely to enjoy their interactions with customers than older employees (35 - 64 years old);

According to Maritz, it is important that retailers explore every way possible to increase the number of employees who enjoy their interactions with customers to 100%. But without suggesting a widespread move toward the hiring of older store employees, the implication of this research is that customers who shop at retailers staffed by very young employees could potentially expect a lower level of service, while those shopping at stores with older employees might expect better, more friendly service.

More Info: 

http://www.maritzresearch.co.uk