Archived A store operator's wish list...

[Retail Girl]

Yeah I get irritated when I get calls that could have been answered by the operator.
"Stationary you have a phone call on 8-2"
*darts to the opposite side of the store*
"Hello, what can I help you with?"
"uh yes hello? is this ah the craft section? do you guys sell yarn?"
:dash1:

Or when the operator isn't specific about which section the phone call is in.
"Hardlines you have a phone call on 8-0"
"Which part of Hardlines?"
*silence*
I'm only one person you fckoing shet

This is why when we train new operators on how to answer the phone we teach them to get every bit of info they can in order to reduce the time wasted trying to help that guest. I usually say something like "Team this is the operator. I need assistance in domestics with a furniture item for a guest on the phone. I have a dpci if you need one. Who can help me?" Then whoever is closest to furniture will say "operator, I'm heading for furniture, what are we looking for?" and then I can give them a description of the item while they are on the way. IF and I do mean IF I'm lucky enough to have a dpci and a pda I'll even let them know the aisle they can find the item on and the shelf location. If not I'll wait for them to tell me they're ready for the dpci. This way we can do a visual and pull the item if the guest wants it on hold. In my case, though, I've worked enough sales floor to know what makes it easier when you're on the floor. And in SL we don't need that dang dpci off the bat. We only use it for verification. What we need is brand name and description and size.... Love it when the OP goes "Team this is the operator, I need some help locating a medium sized woman's shirt. Can someone help me? I've got the dpci..." Srsly? I don't want your dpci till I can narrow down the options. Geez...

But none of this eliminates the fact you need the salesfloor person free to assist you with the call. Only now you are tying up the operator and the salesfloor TM for one call instead of having the salesfloor TM take the call and letting the operator go back to dealing with guests at the service desk. I don't see how this eliminates work for anyone but doubles it by having two people working on the same phone call at the same time.

 

[Retail Girl]

sorry I didn't see this until I had answered....but I don't know that I have had an easy peasy shift in a very long, long time. Add to the mix that we aren't supposed to have z-racks at the fitting room during the week so I've got crazy amount of carts swarming the fitting room without guest carts.

We are allowed one z-rack at the fitting room. It's what we hang the clothes on. How do you do your job if you can't hang up the clothes? Or am I misunderstanding? I do think someone said something about the new stores having a different fixture to hang clothes on but I'm not sure. Ours still uses the double z-rack which is pushed back into a recessed area that was made for it.

You drape them over each other in shopping baskets until the piles are over your head. Then you hope the LOD comes by, takes pity on the situation, and allows you to bring in a z-rack for a bit to help straighten out the disaster.

How in the hell can that be BP? Does your fitting room not have an area where a z-rack would sit? ><

Only if there aren't other carts of reshop sitting in the closet type area. Our fitting room is long past the dream of being brand most days. We're just lucky we haven't lost a SL member under the mountains of clothes.

 

[RightArm]

But none of this eliminates the fact you need the salesfloor person free to assist you with the call. Only now you are tying up the operator and the salesfloor TM for one call instead of having the salesfloor TM take the call and letting the operator go back to dealing with guests at the service desk. I don't see how this eliminates work for anyone but doubles it by having two people working on the same phone call at the same time.

It allows the floor TM to answer the question quickly over the walkie from the aisle where the product is located. The OP is right next to a phone and she or he is always going to be right next to the phone. The TM on the floor may not be and if that TM is pushing CAFs or trying to do something else... it's a heckuva lot faster for him or her to check it out and answer the question over the walkie. Try this on for size. The OP tells a TM there's a call for bedding on 8-0 then that TM has to go to the nearest phone (which in our store may not be so near when some of the phones aren't working) and answer the call... TM finds out what guests wants, parks the call, and heads off to look for said item which might be eight aisles away. Then TM returns to phone to answer the question. Seems easy enough, right? But what if the guest pulls this one:

Guest: "I'm looking for a pink bedspread made by Circo. It has butterflies on it."
TM: "Okay, I'm gonna put you on hold and I'll be right back" (TM runs off, checks, we don't have the desired bedspread. Goes back to phone to let guest know.)
Guest: "Oh, well do you have any bedspreads for kids that are in pink?"
TM: (Heads off to check and returns) "Sorry ma'am, no bedspreads in pink."
Guest: "Oh, well, what colors do you have?"

DO you see how this can be time consuming? So much better if the TM stands in the aisle and the OP handles the guest on the phone and the questions are answered quickly without the constant running back and forth. Granted, such doesn't always happen and when it does I feel like reaching through the phone and strangling the guest; but the fact is that it does happen.

I see your reasoning, though. Just doesn't work all that well at my store.

 

[RightArm]

Only if there aren't other carts of reshop sitting in the closet type area. Our fitting room is long past the dream of being brand most days. We're just lucky we haven't lost a SL member under the mountains of clothes.

Wow. Well for starters we don't have the closet like you have. I did notice that the local Greatland does have a nice wide closet behind the desk that has their hanging fixture in it. Jealous.... If we get nuts we have to stuff it in the first handicap stall or push it into the corner of the backroom till we can get to it. All we have is a recessed area in the wall to the side of the desk that fits one double z-rack and only one.

 

[redeye58]

Our FR has a fixed stationary rack for sorting so TMs can grab an armload of a particular group. Otherwise, they're sorted by dept into carts. Children's & Infants' on hangers is hung on the cart handle; folded items are stacked in the basket part; boxed items underneath.

 

[mrknownothing]

sorry I didn't see this until I had answered....but I don't know that I have had an easy peasy shift in a very long, long time. Add to the mix that we aren't supposed to have z-racks at the fitting room during the week so I've got crazy amount of carts swarming the fitting room without guest carts.

We are allowed one z-rack at the fitting room. It's what we hang the clothes on. How do you do your job if you can't hang up the clothes? Or am I misunderstanding? I do think someone said something about the new stores having a different fixture to hang clothes on but I'm not sure. Ours still uses the double z-rack which is pushed back into a recessed area that was made for it.

You drape them over each other in shopping baskets until the piles are over your head. Then you hope the LOD comes by, takes pity on the situation, and allows you to bring in a z-rack for a bit to help straighten out the disaster.

At my store, z-racks are not used for re-shop. They are only used for push (by the flow team) and for the adjacency. All of our hanging items are gently laid on top of each other in shopping carts (meaning about 3/4 of the re-shop carts are for RTW).

 

[RightArm]

At my store, z-racks are not used for re-shop. They are only used for push (by the flow team) and for the adjacency. All of our hanging items are gently laid on top of each other in shopping carts (meaning about 3/4 of the re-shop carts are for RTW).

I see. I wonder if it has anything to do with FR size... If we had 5 to 10 carts like that ready to go out there would be NO place for the guests to park their carts and when our DTL dropped in he'd not be very pleased. As I said, we don't have the type of closet behind our desk that most FR's have where they place their carts of reshop. And when I consider how many carts would be needed for the reshop that fits on one full double z-rack.... it really doesn't seem practical either. Then again, if you don't have enough z-racks on hand for your SL flow team to push their stuff AND for the FR to have two or three then I get that too.

 

[mrknownothing]

At my store, z-racks are not used for re-shop. They are only used for push (by the flow team) and for the adjacency. All of our hanging items are gently laid on top of each other in shopping carts (meaning about 3/4 of the re-shop carts are for RTW).

I see. I wonder if it has anything to do with FR size... If we had 5 to 10 carts like that ready to go out there would be NO place for the guests to park their carts and when our DTL dropped in he'd not be very pleased. As I said, we don't have the type of closet behind our desk that most FR's have where they place their carts of reshop. And when I consider how many carts would be needed for the reshop that fits on one full double z-rack.... it really doesn't seem practical either. Then again, if you don't have enough z-racks on hand for your SL flow team to push their stuff AND for the FR to have two or three then I get that too.

We have the closet, but it's too small to keep all those carts in it. Sorted carts go outside the desk on the RTW side and unsorted/re-wrap carts go on the men's side. I'm not sure how many z-racks we have off-hand.

 

[kingpin003]

My store has a strict rule that carts are not to be used by TMs when the store is open so we use Z-racks for reshop.

As for the calls, the operator needs to be trained to identify the calls that can be answered over the walkie. They need to call over the walkie for someone near that department and have someone check and get a price range. "Yes, we do carry pink throws. They start at 19.99 and go up to 69.99", or "We have have one of that Dyson in stock, it's 399.99. Would the guest like it on hold?" If a guest wants information about about a product that we sell, that call needs to be transferred because that it too much information to relay efficiently.

 

[doxie71]

If someone doesn't pick up a call by the 2nd time the operator calls it out at my store, our TLs & ETLs all get on walkie and start squawking "Team who can get that call?!" Yes we have red phones all over, but in order to lessen the running around, I tend to try to get to a phone at least in the area in question. Running from HBA to bedding and back several times if I don't have to is not fun. Even more fun is when we go to get the call right as it bounces back and we are standing there looking like idiots on these phones and the operator is on the walkie telling us it's now on a different line, then the TLs and ETLs get all in a tiffy and we are like "We are HERE we are TRYING calm the eff down"