Gauging customer satisfaction in a retail environment is totally possible and can even be easy.
I snapped this photo on my way out of DICK'S Sporting Goods last weekend...
I loved it because ...
🔥 It was easy to use and understand
🔥 Their team received immediate insight into customer happiness
🔥 It made me feel more connected (you DO care!)
Could children abuse this? Yes.
Does it give depth and meaning to the customer experience? Not without some additional work.
It is not perfect BUT it provides a baseline on general customer satisfaction that lays the foundation for more in-depth research. It provides data. The kind of data that helps you get closer to ...
Uncovering pain points
Increasing loyalty and referrals
Growing revenue
Caveat: Data is only helpful if you are open to feedback and ready to tweak your business.
I did a little digging and am fairly certain my love affair was with the Smiley Terminal from Happy Or Not. Take a look at their sales page to explore the possibilities. Here's what I see:
I can collect data ANYWHERE in the store.
So, in the case of Dick's Sporting Goods, they could move the feedback terminal to any department and collect data specific to that department. When I saw the terminal, it was parked at the Exit door capturing data from my entire experience. It could just as easily been in their camping department.
I can gauge traffic and happiness against time-of-day.
How many people do I have in the store throughout the day? How many are willing to give feedback? Does that change throughout the day? You could, hypothetically, compare this kind of feedback data against daily transactions to get an hour-by-hour overview. You might also compare against the number of staff you have on the floor.
I can easily gauge performance over time.
This particular company has created a Happiness Index to let you know you're moving the needle. For instance, maybe DICK's was at a 74 on the Happy Index last month and this month they're at an 80. Over time, you can interview customers, address pain points, and take your customer experience to the next level.
Couple the Happy Index with revenue numbers and you've got a recipe for killer goals to set and smash this quarter.
This is a form of quantitative listening, where you gather data to find stories about groups of customers. This is way easier in a digital environment but technology is catching up to help bridge the gap.
So, if you're a leader in the retail space, get excited! It is an incredible time to be alive!