• Title: Truck Patch Customer Service Guide

    Description:

    The small-town health food store has a low customer retention rate and a high employee turnover rate, negatively affecting its sales and reputation. The store lacks a clear and consistent customer service policy and training program for its associates, which results in poor communication, dissatisfaction, and mistrust among customers and employees. The store needs to develop and implement an online e-learning course for its associates that will teach them the best practices and standards of customer service and the benefits and features of the products they sell. The course will help the associates build rapport, loyalty, and trust with the customers and increase their knowledge, confidence, and motivation. The course will also enable the store to monitor and evaluate the performance and progress of its associates and to provide feedback and recognition. The expected outcome of the course is to improve the customer retention rate and the employee retention rate, as well as to boost the sales and reputation of the store.

    Part 1: Project Scope

    This project will be a module of a broader course on how to help associates work with customers in a small health food store.

    Part 2: Background
    • Gap: The small-town health food store lacks a clear customer service policy and training program for its associates, leading to poor customer/employee interactions and hindering the store’s success.
    • Audience: The target audience for the online e-learning course for the associates are the current and future employees of the small-town health food store who are responsible for providing customer service and selling products to the customers. The target audience may have different levels of experience, knowledge, and skills in customer service and health food products, as well as different learning styles, preferences, and needs. The online e-learning course should be designed to accommodate the diversity and uniqueness of the target audience and to provide them with relevant, engaging, and effective learning opportunities.
    • Training Goal:
      1. To increase the customer retention rate by 20% within six months of launching the online e-learning course for the associates.
      2. To reduce the employee turnover rate by 15% within six months of launching the online e-learning course for the associates.
      3. To increase the average sales per customer by 10% within six months of launching the online e-learning course for the associates.
      4. To improve the customer satisfaction score by 25% within six months of launching the online e-learning course for the associates.
      5. To enhance the store’s reputation and brand awareness in the local community and beyond by creating positive word-of-mouth and online reviews from satisfied customers and employees.
    • Main Assessment: Interactive branching scenarios will immerse associates in diverse customer situations, testing their skills and offering feedback, rewards, and personalized learning paths to boost retention and engagement.
    Part 3: Design Approach
    • Format/Structure:
      1. Branching scenarios with multiple endings challenge associates to apply their knowledge and see the consequences of their actions, providing personalized feedback and improvement opportunities.
      2. Gamification elements reward progress and motivate continued learning, while virtual customers offer realistic practice in building rapport and handling challenging situations.
    • Possible Technology:
      1. Authoring tools like Articulate Storyline will enable interactive scenarios and game elements like points, badges, and leaderboards to keep associates engaged and motivated.
      2. Learning Management Systems like Moodle will host the course, track progress, and provide valuable data for feedback and analysis.
      3. Virtual customers powered by Vyond or Chatfuel will simulate realistic interactions, giving associates hands-on practice dealing with diverse personalities and needs.
    Part 4: Implementation
    • Context (where, when, how): This asynchronous customer service e-learning module, approved for development with a $15,000 budget, will launch in January 2024 within a three-month timeframe. Available resources include product info, customer data, and feedback, while needed resources are the authoring tool, virtual customers, LMS, and instructor.
    • Org Considerations: The course acknowledges diverse schedules, knowledge levels, and expectations by offering flexibility, customization, and alignment with store goals. Technical support through email, phone, and chat within 24 hours, alongside continuous monitoring and feedback analysis, ensures a smooth learning experience.