Creating customer service improvement in retail : building frontline employee engagement

Abstract

In economically challenging times business needs to focus on all elements of operations to improve profitability. Engagement is an emerging theme that successfully increases profitability by creating a more dedicated and actively present workforce. Within the service and retail industries engagement levers can be used as a profitability mechanism through enhancing customer service, their primary communication channel to customers. Maximising engagement within this core frontline, often semi-skilled workforce is crucial and cannot necessarily be approached in the same way as a white collar, highly educated environment. A qualitative, inductive, exploratory approach was used to understand impacts and influencers in this setting. Nominal Group interviews were held within a South African retail environment with 54 total participants; qualitative and quantitative metrics were extrapolated and analysed. Key findings revealed that the ÒRole the CustomerÓ plays in creating staff engagement is not only a new lever, but the most impactful in a frontline environment. This creates a link not made by existing engagement literature. The qualitative nature of the study also develops a deeper understanding of the complexity of the influences that contribute to the established engagement levers allowing more focused business action. The emergent ÒFrontline Engagement ModelÓ combines these findings and gives management insight into the complexities of engagement, helping to understand the difference in approach from the international literature base. The context of a country in recession and industry facing resource cuts is also seen to be an important influencer of the model and the study. The findings are therefore especially relevant in other struggling developing nations. Ultimately, this research develops an engagement strategy to increase profitability that has been adapted to equip managers for success.