Is the traditional model of retail still valid? In the last 12-months window and door retailers have had to adapt to COVID-19, changing the way that they run their businesses overnight. The question is, will and should things go back to how they were, when COVID-19 is no longer with us?
Remote selling is just the tip of the iceberg. CRMs and business management tools are changing customer expectations and shifting expectations.
Consumers expect a better experience – they want answers. They don’t want people to call back, they want instant and regular updates and if they do pick up the phone, someone to be there to give them an answer.
“It’s something that’s been driven by online retail – and dare I say it, Amazon.”
You place an order, you get a confirmation and then communication about delivery. It’s a seamless experience
The homeowner’s expectation of experience when dealing with a window and door retailer is today the same. They don’t want a call back – they want an answer.
Window design tools may be changing the way that we sell but the real transformation in how retail businesses are operating, runs much deeper. It’s about CRMs.
CRMs including Business Pilot mobilises the power of cloud-based technologies giving installers complete visibility of each and every element of their operation from leads and conversions to status of surveys, job scheduling, cost of installation, service calls, and financial reporting.
It puts process into your operation, everyone is singing to the same hymn sheet, which means the live status of every job, wherever it is in your sales or operational pipeline, is instantly visible.
It doesn’t matter who takes the call from the customer, they can provide an answer.
CRMs also prompt you to follow up on actions, automate process and support more effective communication. That’s on top of the ability wo work from literally anywhere and have access to everything you would have in your office.
COVID-19 temporarily closed showrooms. It’s driven the development of new ways to sell remotely. More importantly it’s accelerated a shift to the use of digital tools to run retail businesses more effectively and to drive better customer experience.
This is a far bigger change than the use of digital tools to sell remotely because it’s about a far more fundamental shift in customer expectation and experience.
The personal touch, the values that underpin your business, will always be core to your value proposition but the structure that CRMs are giving to next generation retail businesses is driving change at pace because of the advantages that they deliver to those who use them in the day-to-day running of their businesses – and critically, customer experience.
Register here to visit Business Pilot on stand L6, FIT Show, the NEC, Birmingham 10-12 MAY 2022
