Retail: not a low skill job

The retail sector is one that many assume requires little skill and experience to be able to enter this profession. However, that cannot be further from the truth. Retail work is one that requires great skill particularly around customer service and interpersonal communication. In order for businesses to have successful retail teams it’s vital that care is placed on giving their employees the right training for their role.

Key skills for retail teams

There are many skills that are crucial for those working within retail to possess, some can be gained through on the job training like specific product knowledge or understanding of systems, but some could benefit from additional learning such as:

Communication skills

Retail is mostly a customer facing industry meaning that individuals working within retail need to be able to communicate with a range of different people. Having the right communication skills, understanding various communication styles and knowing how to adapt your own communication is key for a successful retail employee.

Problem-solving skills

Retail teams face many challenges on a day-to-day basis from frustrated customers to technical issues within internal systems and more. Having great problem-solving skills means that the employee can quickly and effectively deal with challenges to reach the best result for the customer and business.

Sales techniques

Retail in its core is a sales focused profession. As such it’s key for retail workers to understand and be fluent in various sales techniques. This combined with the above communication and problem-solving skills will help retail workers to excel in their role.

Inspire ATA’s retail programmes

Inspire ATA has a range of roles to benefit the food, hospitality and retail sectors including:

Retailer Level 2

This role includes in-built training in areas such as positively interacting with customers, using business relevant methods, using a variety of sales techniques and recognising and understanding legislative responsibilities.

Learn about the Retailer Level 2 programme.

Customer Service Specialist Level 3

The training provided for this role covers skills such as resolving complex issues, finding solutions that meet the organisations’ needs as well as the customer requirements and managing challenging and complicated situations.

Learn more about the Customer Service Specialist Level 3 programme.

Retail Team Leader Level 3

This programme combines retail and leadership training focusing on skills such as working with the team to always maintain brand and business standards, coaching and supporting team members to use appropriate methods to resolve customer concerns and supporting the achievement of financial targets by planning and monitoring resources.

Learn more about the Retail Team Leader Level 3 programme.

Inspire ATA’s staffing solutions

Inspire ATA specialise in connecting businesses across all sectors with bright, motivated candidates tailoring staffing and recruitment solutions to meet our clients and candidates’ specific needs, fostering growth and development.

Through our unique staffing model Inspire ATA acts as the employer of the candidate hosting them out to various organisations while providing them with relevant training and recognised qualifications. This model allows organisations to hire qualified individuals with minimal risk, less paperwork, and without impacting headcount or budget.

If you are interested in hiring new team members through Inspire ATA, book a discovery call with the team today!