Earlier this year, Critizr launched Proud of My Store – a competition to celebrate the achievements of the local store teams who kept retail running throughout the pandemic. After hearing so many of their stories in our day-to-day work with brands, we wanted to find a way to shine a spotlight on their hard work, dedication and ingenuity. A way of saying thanks, but also to affirm what our business is about: the empowerment of local staff to better serve their customers.
Reading the nominations we’ve had so far has been inspiring. Take the team at the Co-op in Gidea Park, Romford. Not content to just deal with Covid, they linked up with local charities to raise funds and provide vital items for a local ‘baby bank’. In Falkirk, staff from Pets at Home hand-delivered essential pet supplies to shielding customers. And Tesco Express in Blackpool’s Highfield Road supported older, vulnerable customers who otherwise may have had no social contact during lockdown.
These are stories of how teams pulled together, supported each other and delivered outstanding service through the toughest of times. They act as a great reminder of the importance of retail to our local communities during this extraordinary year.
But they also do something more.
Anyone who works in a customer-facing role might assume that ‘feedback’ means dealing with something that has gone wrong. But Proud of My Store is all about celebrating positive feedback – from managers and customers – when staff get it right.
During Covid, frontline staff have been forced to switch gear, working to fulfil local customer needs within local lockdown regulations, often taking decision making into their own hands. Our competition entries are bursting with the pride, energy and determination of teams who knew what had to be done, and then did a great job – and of colleagues and managers who now want to share and celebrate their achievements.
This is a virtuous cycle: with more autonomy, staff become more motivated and engaged, they improve the customer experience, their customers are happier, and feedback becomes more positive. Think about a manager trying something new to improve the in-store experience. If they get positive feedback in real-time from their customers, they immediately know it’s working and it spurs them on do more, and to try even harder next time.
It’s one of the strongest motivational tools we have, and a tried and tested way to build customer satisfaction. When multiplied across the whole business, it can be transformational.
If we want local teams to deliver, however, we need to help them access the data and insights they need at local level, in an intuitive, real-time way. It’s about giving staff the power to easily connect with their own customers, so they know what they want, and then trusting them to take action and deliver on their behalf. It’s as simple as that – and it’s how brand loyalty is built, from the shop floor up.
Local staff empowerment is how today’s companies are building a workforce of engaged, positive customer champions at their frontline. Which brings us back to Proud of My Store. You need look no further than the stories on our campaign website to see the power of positive staff engagement and local empowerment in action.
No one sums it up better than Phil Bundy, store manager of Spar Tregaron. “We have served our community incredibly this past year. Filling shelves, serving customers and changing the way we do things to stay Covid safe… I am so very proud of my team as they have dealt with every change and challenge with grit and determination.” Inspirational words, and something of which everyone in retail should be proud.
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