Talking to customers and work colleagues

Talking to customers or work colleagues

Talking to customers or work colleagues can be scary, whether you are socially uncomfortable, don’t know how to approach people, or don’t know what to say. We know the easiest way of communicating is through devices, but when you work, there will be a need to be face-to-face with people.

We have some tips and tricks to make your life easier.

Tips for Interacting with People

• Acknowledge the person – you don’t even need to speak at first but lifting your head up when someone walks in, smiling, and meeting their eye goes a long way.
• If you can, make eye contact – we aren’t saying to stare longingly into someone’s eyes. But looking at someone when you are talking to them is really great to make a connection and build rapport.
• You don’t need to be their best friend! They are a customer or work colleague, not a mate and when dealing with customers, the average time for interaction is only 6 minutes!

Things you can memorise

These simple phrases ensure a positive shopping experience for your customers and colleagues and potentially lead to increased loyalty and sales!

Greeting a customer

A warm greeting sets the tone for a positive shopping experience. 'Welcome to our store!' or 'Hi, how are you today?'

Assistance with customers

Demonstrates your readiness to provide help and information. 'How can I assist you?' or 'How can we help today?'

Questions for customers

Help you understand their needs and guide them to the right products. 'Is there anything specific you're looking for today?' or 'Let me know if you have any questions.' or 'Let me know if you can’t see what you're looking for and I’ll check out the back.'

Farewell to customers

A friendly farewell leaves customers with a positive feeling, increasing the likelihood they will return. 'Thank you for shopping with us.' or 'Have a great day!'

Saying hi to work colleagues

This is important to build a connection with the people you work with. 'Hi, how are you today?' or 'How was your weekend?' or 'How good was that (AFL game, art show, anything that interests you)?'

Help in the workplace

This shows you are a team player. 'Hey, do you need any help with that?' or 'Is there anything you need done?' or 'Can I help with XYZ?'

Questions in the workplace

Always ask questions in the workplace; this is how we learn. 'Can you show me how I do this?' or 'Could you explain what this means?' or 'This has just come up, what is the best way to deal with it?'

Goodbye

Always say goodbye to everyone. 'See you later, see you next shift.' or 'Bye, I have finished, see you soon.' or 'Good to see you; it was a fun shift.'