TRAINING FOR THE CUSTOMER MEETING

Magnus Rygh is sales manager at Elkjøp Norway, responsible for computing, photography and gaming. At Campus Tech, he also contributes to an internal session on customer interactions, with the training organised by Elkjøp itself.

– The message is about meeting our customers and creating positive customer interactions, Rygh tells the trade magazine Elektronikkbransjen.

He believes that employees in the technology industry often communicate using technical terms such as megabytes and hertz, and says that an important part of the training is therefore to explain technology in a simple and relevant way for each individual customer.

– Asking the questions that enable us to meet the customer's needs is incredibly important, whether it concerns products or services, says Rygh.

Product knowledge vs. communication

He says that product knowledge is acquired from the suppliers present at the trade fair, but that the ability to communicate it in a customer interaction requires a different type of training.

– Being able to communicate the products and handle customer interactions is something we need to practise. Customers are the most important thing we have, he says.

Rygh himself has a background as training manager at Elkjøp, and has also attended the Elkjøp School.

– Being part of this is something I am incredibly proud of, and I know many others are too, he tells the trade magazine Elektronikkbransjen.

Physical presence

The internal training programme is mandatory for all employees from all the Nordic countries taking part in the training fair at Gardermoen, regardless of category, and applies to both Campus Home and Campus Tech.

– Are there major differences between the countries and the way they meet customers?

– We are talking about customer behaviour and human behaviour, and it is quite similar across all our markets. Of course, there are cultural differences between the countries, but at the end of the day, it is about communicating in a way that people understand and can relate to, says Rygh.

He highlights the physical store and in-person staff as a competitive advantage over competitors.

– Meeting a customer and saying hello, smiling, making eye contact – these are natural things. But simply reminding people how important this really is, I think that is very important, says Rygh.

Continuous improvement

Asked whether Elkjøp succeeds in creating good customer interactions, Rygh says the chain does a good job, but that mistakes do occur.

– The day we say we are perfect at it, I think we have failed. This is something that must be practised every single day and worked on continuously, he says.

Rygh believes the course sequence is largely about reminding employees of something they already know, rather than presenting new knowledge.

– The very best among us are those who create the best customer interactions. Bringing that out and reinforcing it, I think that is very important, says Rygh.