In order to grow customer loyalty, make Best Buy Mobile stores more of a one-stop shop, and increase operating income, retailer Best Buy designed a training program to help solve specific business gaps and/or identify new business opportunities. This program is delivered within the framework of the company’s sales model, so there is a sense of consistency in the delivery each time, but the rest of the content changes to meet the needs. Advanced Solve Care is a combined effort and partnership between Training, Sales, and Operations to ensure all employees are aligned around Best Buy’s strategic direction.
Program Details
The first of these trainings was centered around Home Connections, which includes digital sign-ups for services such as Internet, cable, and home phone through available providers based off the customer’s address. For this course, Best Buy designed one-day facilitator-led training for all general managers, district managers, and one top sales expert from every store across the nation. These trainings brought together more than 650 employees with a labor investment of more than 5,500 labor hours. The leaders and employees were trained on competitive benefits of all available Home Connections in their region, qualifying questions around Home Connections, how to present packages and savings, and how to tie it into a mobile phone sale. The leaders and employees were certified as Home Connection Experts and required to train every store employee on how to qualify a customer and present impartial options that would best serve the customer.
Last year’s session was centered around what Best Buy calls “Account Analysis.” The goal is to provide impartial, informed advice to every customer and ensure that their full plan (all lines) are up-to-date and the customer is taking advantage of current promotions and upgrade opportunities, which, in turn, can save the customer or family money on their bill.
To ensure Best Buy Mobile employees are experts in this area, a one-day facilitator-led training was created for all general managers, district managers, and one sales expert from every store across the nation. The training consisted of expert account analysis and role-play selling designed to understand a customer’s or family’s needs and lifestyle with a recommendation of solutions to best suit their needs. The leaders, district managers, and sales experts returned to their stores to train each sales employee, which also included live role-plays and demonstrations with a proof of proficiency.
Results
In both cases, Best Buy saw a positive business impact that correlated directly to the timelines of the training delivery. Prior to the training, Best Buy Mobile locations averaged approximately 820 Home Connections per month; post-training Best Buy Mobile locations exceeded 1,200 per month—the monthly average basis point increase as a result of training was nearly 380 to 400 basis points. The engagement score as a result of the multiple training programs in Best Buy Mobile (including sales courses, multiple leadership development courses, and special seasonal courses such as Advanced Solve Care) helped drive an employee engagement score of 92 percent, 600 basis points above the company average.
Through the Account Analysis training, Best Buy saw growth of multi-line connection activations of more than 300 basis points monthly.
