Report: Retail employees lacking in customer service

Cambridge, Mass. A Retail Service Quality Index released Friday showed that retail employees are not providing high-level customer service.

According to data from The Salt & Pepper Group's new Retail Service Quality Index, which measures 39 separate service opportunities in retail settings, service components dragging the index down include retail associates' greeting skills, failure to recognize when shoppers need assistance, and a lack of leadership presence on the sales floor.

"Store managers and front-line associates are forced to do more with less,” said Rick Miller, consulting analyst at The Salt & Pepper Group. “They may be lacking essential training, and they appear to have lost their motivation. They don't see that, on a personal level, many potential rewards still exist."

In 27% of the 1,027 interactions measured in the RSQI study, the service opportunity being measured simply is not performed. In other situations, the skill level with which interactions are performed varies greatly. The study found that retail associates seldom initiate contact with shoppers appropriately, struggle to manage multiple customers in busy environments, and often do not close sales in a manner that strengthens the retailer-customer relationship.

However, the study found that the retail sector generally scores well on providing excellent check-out processes and clean, inviting shopping environments; it lags in the human components.