‘We get confirmation that we’re on the right track’

‘It’s the way store employees work that enables us to compete with online retailers,’ says Vicky Klefter, store manager of the Akademibokhandeln store in the Hansa Centre in the middle of Malmo.

The store has eight permanent employees and another five in part-time positions.

Working methods

Klefter explains that they have clearly defined working methods in place:

‘Underpinning our jobs are a lot of set routines. In order for us to prioritise the customer encounter, I have to plan my working day to ensure that we work on the customer encounter in the right way. Even if we are working on a campaign, we still have to prioritise the customer. We always have to ensure that a bookseller is available to provide customers in store with excellent service,’ she emphasises.

Plenty of feedback is a luxury

Akademibokhandeln has used Maze for customer feedback for a number of years.

‘Our customers provide a lot of feedback, and that’s a luxury. This direct feedback happens in real time, and it enables us to grow. We get confirmation that we’re on the right track,’ says Klefter.

They receive feedback from customers both in store and on the Maze app from customers who visited the store the day before or the same day.

‘A surprising number of our customers take the time to write comments,’ notes Klefter with satisfaction.

More questions in Maze

‘Running the store is very important to me. I want to run the best business I can. When I check Maze in the morning and see a green face, my day is off to a good start,’ she smiles.

Akademibokhandeln has uploaded many questions to Maze. One of the questions is about the reasons that customers visit the store. The responses confirm that the store has many returning customers.

The chain works actively on key figures such as conversion rate, average sales, turnover, help offered and expertise.

‘Our questions in Maze are aimed at everyone,’ explains Klefter.

The prioritised questions change from time to time. But not too often because they want to be able to track trends in various areas over time.

‘Surveying customers over a whole year gives the best results. Because what characterises the different seasons varies,’ says Klefter.

Feedback confirms that the customer also experienced the customer encounter as positive – not just the store employee.

She believes that the most important question is: Were you greeted when you entered the store?

‘All our employees are not available all the time. It’s satisfying to see that we still get a high level of positive feedback irrespective of who’s at work,’ says the store manager.

Working on the annual return of books takes a lot of time.

‘During this period, prioritising customers was a challenge. But because our customers give us feedback during this period as well, it becomes easier,’ says Klefter.

Managing the store according to responses

Victoria Klefter checks feedback several times a day. The app quickly gives her an overview. ‘Based on what our customers say, it becomes easier for me to train my colleagues in what to do. I can look back and analyse the feedback – for last month or for last year. When we open the store in the morning, we know what the important factors are. All we then have to do is deliver on that basis.’

Sometimes the store receives negative feedback.

‘Then we ask ourselves whether we have the right level of staffing. What time of year it is also a factor.

The important thing is to look at the situation as a whole. From the moment the customer arrives in store until she leaves again. Is the beginning, the middle and the end good?’

Victoria points out that the atmosphere between employees also plays a role. Customers pick up on this.

She emphasises to the employees that they have to be aware of how they communicate with each other.

‘We have to be there for the customer and be proud of our role. This starts by greeting the customer. We have to mean it. For Akademibokhandeln, satisfied customers mean that they share our vision of the joy of reading. And that our employees have an enthusiasm for what they’re selling,’ she says.

At Akademibokhandeln, currently only the store managers use Maze.

‘I pass on to the employees what we need to work on and what has worked well. It’s not just feedback. It’s feedback for the whole team.’

The effect on wage rates

Akademibokhandeln has a bonus system in place to supplement hourly wages. Bonuses depend on several factors. If set targets are reached, employees are awarded an increased hourly rate.

One of the factors that triggers a bonus is data from Maze that show whether the customer has been offered help.

‘The customer shouldn’t have to ask. This requires commitment. In this focus area, results have clearly improved. Customers are happier, and employees enjoy higher wages, so it's a win-win,’ smiles Klefter.

Expertise in both product and sales

Akademibokhandeln emphasises product knowledge. Employees must be able to tell customers something about the products that they do not already know.

Some employees do not have sales experience when they join, but may have studied literature.

‘Then our job is to develop their sales skills. Feedback from customers reflects our skills level and what we know about our products. We look at whether there’s anything we need to add to the customer encounter,’ says the store manager.

Benchmark

The store manager compares the results in her store with other stores in the same area.

The ambassador grade is now 87, while the target for the chain as a whole is 85.

The target set for the bonus question of whether the customer was offered help is 65.

The Malmo store scores 81.

‘I have set a high bar for where we want to be. When our employees feel that this is the best place to work, customers are also satisfied,’ says Klefter.

Powerful tool

Things have changed in the 20 years Klefter has worked at the bookstore.

She says that over the years they have worked on the customer encounter in various ways. A few years ago, the Akademibokhandeln used Mystery Shopper.

‘Someone came in every month, and we didn’t know who it was. It wasn’t a real customer, and we received the results a while later. The feedback wasn’t personal.’

But with Maze things are different.

‘Never before have we had a tool that gives us such powerful feedback from our own, real customers. It immediately confirms whether we’re on the right track,’ concludes Victoria Klefter.