Customer Service in the Retail Sector
The UAE has invested heavily in retail infrastructure. A recent CBRE survey revealed that 46% of the world's top 280 retailers have a presence in Dubai, next only to London, Paris and New York. While the infrastructure has received some attention, customer service in retail has mostly been neglected.
UAE retailers exist in a very demanding, fast-moving and competitive environment. Ethos has an in-depth understanding of consumers and their needs, which serve as building blocks for accelerating growth, and sustaining long-term success through customer satisfaction. When a brand makes a promise, customer service helps ensure that promise is delivered.
Retail Environment
In May 2009, Ethos launched its inaugural Retail Benchmarking Study, which included 115 brands across 22 retail sectors, the first study of its kind in the UAE.
Ethos has worked with clients on customer service at a strategic level right through to helping clients create a customer centric store environment. Stores remain the hub of the retail industry's value proposition—the places where customers can actually see, touch and feel the product that is on sale. Ethos can actualise the in-store assistance that customers demand and turn expensive premises into a customer-thriving environment that helps retailers build sustainable growth.
Superior Customer Service
The Retail Benchmarking Study 2009 has provided Ethos Consultancy with the ability to clearly demonstrate that most sectors in retail are increasingly losing revenue due to a lack of attention given when recruiting the right staff for their organisation and outlets. Lack of attention to staff and training negatively impacts on customer service, organisations in the UAE need to understand that superior customer service is one of the hallmarks of high-performance businesses.
"Substandard customer service by sales associates is the bane of consumers who have become accustomed to second class treatment in a retail culture. You can spend vast amounts of money on your outlet, stock and merchandise… but if your customer service is short of excellence, expect to feel this short-coming on your bottom line." Robert Keay, Managing Director, Ethos Consultancy