8 customer service tips every retail employee should have

8 customer service tips every retail employee should have Dealing with sometimes demanding, sometimes ornery, sometimes outright hostile customers may be the biggest challenge any retail employee must face. Retail places all employees in a veritable public relations position because the way employees handle customers reflects on the business as a whole. That’s why management is generally adamant about all employees possessing ace interpersonal skills- even if those employees don’t spend their days behind the customer service desk. So no matter if you’re a stock clerk, cashier, or floor manager, you may learn a thing or 8 by perusing these customer service skills every retail employee needs to know to succeed. 1. Be patientThis one is Customer Service 101. Simply being patient may also be tougher than it sounds. A customer, especially an agitated one, can really try your patience with demands or complaints. Just remember that your customer’s needs and emotions come before your own. Take the time to listen to your customer’s problems without allowing him or her to dominate the conversation or distract you from your duties. When you figure out the problem and how you can solve it, politely wrap up the conversation so you can take care of your customer’s request. Most customers will appreciate a swift end to their ranting if they think their needs are about to be met.2. Remain positive- no matter whatDon’t wait for the customer to set the tone of a discussion, because a disgruntled one probably won’t be gearing up for the most pleasant exchange in the world. Greet all comers with a smile and a cheerful, â€Å"How may I help you?† Hopefully your positivity will rub off on the customer so that the tone of the conversation doesn’t go south.3. Be ready for anythingOne thing any retail worker learns quickly is that the workday is unpredictable. Things can be going smoothly for hours, but all it takes is for one sourpuss to bust through the door for the workd ay to take a wrong turn. So always be ready for any eventualities. Remember that you are at work, and you must deliver quality customer service on a dime regardless of your own state of mind.4. Know your businessFew things will frustrate customers in need more than the notion that they are talking to someone who cannot help them. What’s more, few things are more frustrating or bewildering for retail employees than feeling as though they don’t know what a customer wants. Prevent those situations by knowing the ins and outs of all aspects of your business. For example, you may not work in layaway, but you should still know what it is in the event a customer wants to pay for an item at a later date. Having an answer to any question will set the customer at ease and keep you in control of all situations.5. Hone your communication skillsAnother key to staying in control is communicating well. This does not just mean speaking audibly, confidently, and properly. It also requi res you to be aware of your own body language. Maintain eye contact with the customer. Uncross your arms. Stand up straight. These traits convey the air of confidence that will make your customers feel as though they are in good hands.6. Find the problemWhile it is your duty to always communicate well, you cannot always expect the same from your customers. Yet it is still your job to help them. So you may have to sift through some irrelevant or confused talk to figure out what exactly your customer wants. That should be your goal, no matter how angry or garbled the language that’s coming your way.7. Read between the lines if necessaryUsually, you don’t have to be a body language expert to read your customers effectively, as customers tend express their moods clearly. Some may be tricky though. For example, a customer may ask for help with a particular work-related issue, but the real agenda is that he or she is lonely and just wants to talk to someone. In such cases, b e polite, be sensitive, but bring the conversation to as quick of an end as possible so you can get on with your duties. In other cases, customers might just be looking for a fight. Never take the bait. Bring the confrontation to as quick and polite a conclusion as possible, and if necessary, just walk away and allow security to step in before things get out of hand.8. Stay coolNo matter what the customer’s tone or problem may be, you must always greet them with professionalism. Don’t let them rattle you. Keep your cool. Get into character as if you are playing the role of the world’s greatest customer service representative- even if your main job is to stock shelves or work the register.Always remember that you are an important member of the organization and it is your job to represent the company positively, competently, and calmly whenever dealing with its customers.

Rubiks Cube - A History of the 1980s Puzzle

Rubiks Cube - A History of the 1980s Puzzle The Rubiks Cube is a cube-shaped puzzle that has nine, smaller squares on each side. When taken out of the box, each side of the cube has all the squares the same color. The goal of the puzzle is to return each side to a solid color after you have turned it a few times. Which seems simple enough- at first. After a few hours, most people who try the Rubiks Cube realize that they  are mesmerized by the puzzle and yet no closer to solving it. The toy, which was first created in 1974 but not released onto the world market until 1980, quickly became a fad  when it hit stores.   Who Created the Rubik's Cube? Ernà ¶ Rubik is the one to praise or to blame, depending on how mad the  Rubiks Cube has driven you. Born on July 13, 1944 in Budapest, Hungary, Rubik combined the divergent talents of his parents (his father was an engineer who designed gliders and his mother was an artist and a poetess) to become both a sculptor and an architect. Fascinated with the concept of space, Rubik spent his free time - while working as a professor at the Academy of Applied Arts and Design in Budapest - designing puzzles that would open his students minds to new ways of thinking about three-dimensional geometry. In the spring of 1974, just shy of his 30th birthday, Rubik envisioned a small cube, with each side constructed of moveable squares. By the fall of 1974, his friends had helped him create the first wooden model of his idea. At first, Rubik just enjoyed watching how the squares moved as he turned one section and then another. However, when he attempted to put the colors back again, he ran into difficulty. Oddly entranced by the challenge, Rubik spent a month turning the cube this way and that way until he finally realigned the colors. When he handed other people the cube and they too had the same fascinated reaction, he realized he might have a toy puzzle on his hands that could really be worth some money. The Rubik's Cube Deputs in Stores In 1975, Rubik made an arrangement with the Hungarian toy-manufacturer Politechnika, who would mass produce the cube. In 1977, the multi-colored cube first appeared in toy stores in Budapest as the Bà ¼và ¶s Kocka (the Magic Cube). Although the Magic Cube was a success in Hungary, getting Hungary, a Communist country, to agree to allow the Magic Cube out to the rest of the world was a bit of a challenge. By 1979, Hungary agreed to share the cube and Rubik signed with the Ideal Toy Corporation. As Ideal Toys prepared to market the Magic Cube to the West, they decided to rename the cube. After considering several names, they settled on calling the toy puzzle Rubiks Cube. The first Rubiks Cubes appeared in Western stores in 1980. A World Obsession Rubiks Cubes instantaneously became an international sensation. Everyone wanted one. It appealed to youngsters as well as adults. There was something  about the little cube that captured everyones full attention. A Rubiks Cube had six sides,  each a different color (traditionally blue, green, orange, red, white, and yellow). Each side of a traditional Rubiks Cube consisted of nine squares, in a three by three grid pattern. Of the 54 squares on the cube, 48 of them could move (the centers on each side were stationary). Rubiks Cubes were simple, elegant, and surprisingly difficult to solve. By 1982, more than 100 million Rubiks Cubes had been sold and most had yet to be solved. Solving the Rubik's Cube While millions of people were stumped, frustrated, and yet still obsessed with their Rubiks Cubes, rumors began to circulate as to how to solve the puzzle. With more than 43 quintillion possible configurations (43,252,003,274,489,856,000 to be exact), hearing that the stationary pieces are the starting point for the solution or solve one side at a time just was not enough information for the layman to solve the Rubiks Cube. In response to the massive demands by the public for a solution, several dozen books were published in the early 1980s, each spouting easy ways to solve your Rubiks Cube. While some Rubiks Cube owners were so frustrated that they began smashing open their cubes for a peek inside (they hoped to discover some inner secret that would help them solve the puzzle), other Rubiks Cube owners were setting speed records. Starting in 1982, the first annual International Rubiks Championships were held in Budapest, where people competed to see who could solve the Rubiks Cube the fastest. These competitions are places for cubers to show off their speed cubing. As of 2015, the current world record is 5.25 seconds, held by Collin Burns of the United States. An Icon Whether a Rubiks Cube fan was a self-solver, speed-cuber, or a smasher, they had all become obsessed with the small, simple-looking puzzle. During the height of its popularity, Rubiks Cubes could be found everywhere - at school, on buses, in movie theaters, and even at work.  The design and colors of Rubiks Cubes also appeared on t-shirts, posters, and board games. In 1983, Rubiks Cube even had its own television show, called Rubik, the Amazing Cube. In this kids show, a talking, flying Rubiks Cube worked with the aid of three children to foil the evil plans of the shows villain. To date, more than 300 million Rubiks Cubes have been sold, making it one of the most popular toys of the 20th century.