When we think about clerks or salespeople in retail businesses, we often think of charm, attentiveness, and the ability to manage multiple customers at once. Of course, retail staff have a tough job on their hands, not only to manage members of the public (who may or may not behave themselves), but to deal with heavy seasonal load and also try to meet their sales targets. Anyone who has worked in this field knows how rough it can be.

As a manager or owner of a store, then, it’s best to empower your staff to attend to their duties with as many tools and resources as they need. Not leaving them understaffed is a good point. But on top of that, providing them with the most responsible and capable tech training opportunities can help. This is because even if they do move around the shop floor, accessing systems and processing each customer is essential.

With that in mind, consider the following:

Point Of Sale System Training

Retail workers need to feel confident with cash registers and payment systems. This means handling money smoothly and keeping customer lines moving, and knowing what to do if there’s an issue, for instance if a customer return receipt doesn’t scan, necessitating manual input. A solid point of sale software system can help staff do their job without stress. From there, training should be hands-on and practical. Walk through each step, show them how to process different payments, and prepare them for scenarios you can rehearse so they know what to do and when. The goal is to make sure they can handle transactions quickly and accurately. Even if they know how to do it, perhaps your system is different from their last job in small ways.

Database & Stock Management Training

Inventory tracking might sound technical, but it’s a pretty common skill for retail staff. They need to update stock levels, check which products have availability and mark those that don’t, and understand basic inventory systems regarding your specific product library. This means learning how to use computer software, scan items correctly, and recognize when stock is running low so they can warn the warehouse team or other people on shift. Staff who know their inventory can help customers find what they need faster and leave them with a good experience, so quick answers about product availability are worth training into them when its needed.

Contractual & Appointment Management Training

Of course, a retail employee might not necessarily be selling products. Some service-based retail environments need more than basic transaction skills as we listed above, such as salons, repair shops, and specialist stores, which require staff to manage appointments and contracts well. This means being able to utilize scheduling software, booking and switching appointments when it’s needed, and keeping customer details safe with appropriate data entry. If you can train these skills you can make sure that the entire service pipeline is well-considered.

With this advice, we hope you can more easily provide the best tech training to your staff, knowing where to begin first and why.