These retail workers’ training courses can help retailers in solving a wide range of training challenges. Whether retailers want their long-term staff members to learn new skills or need to do large-scale onboarding to open more stores in the next several weeks, our curated list has got retail companies covered.
1. Work Within Organisational Requirements Course
For those who need to efficiently onboard new hires, this retail employee training course can help you do that for free. Though it’s likely that your new team members have had some prior experience working in retail, this beginner-level course is also suitable for those entirely new to the industry. You can improve the performance of the entire team by keeping everyone in line with organisational requirements. This retail employee training course can help in the implementation of basic standards (such as those for attire) by outlining the many benefits of following them.
Scope:
- Complying with employment policies and procedures
- Seeking advice from supervisors and managers
- Interpreting staff rosters and providing notice of availability
- Understanding attire and personal grooming standards
Best for: Newly hired retail staff and those who have never worked in retail
Cost: Free
2. Confirming and Responding to Workplace Requirements Course
If a lack of synergy is affecting your team’s performance, then this retail employee training course is the solution you’re looking for. Even if this isn’t the case, the course is still great for improving teamwork and communication among staff. Ensure a conflict-free workplace by developing your staff’s emotional intelligence and interpersonal skills. This course is especially suitable for teams that have experienced miscommunication or are suffering from a lack of clarity regarding work arrangements.
Scope:
- Communicating work arrangements, instructions, and timelines
- Building positive relationships for collaboration in the workplace
- Resolving workplace conflict through open communication
- Implementing constructive feedback in the workplace
Best for: New team members and retail employees of large teams
Cost: Free
3. How to Develop Product and Service Knowledge Course
Do you want to create a reputation among your customers for having knowledgeable and helpful employees? Have customers complained before about not getting the information they need to make a purchase? If you’ve answered yes to either of those questions, then this retail sales training course is just what you need. A sometimes overlooked but important part of the retail selling process is knowing the product or service. Ensure that your staff are trained on how to access, understand, and use information about products and services so that they can be effective in helping your customers.
Scope:
- Recognising reliable sources of product and service information
- Identifying Unique Selling Points (USPs) and key benefits
- Conducting a comparative analysis of products and services
- Collaborating with colleagues and industry experts
Best for: Retail sales personnel and retail employees who are handling customer service inquiries
Cost: Free
4. Contribute to a Service Culture Course
Creating exceptional customer experiences is a must in any industry, but most especially in retail. If you want to get repeat customers and build brand loyalty, you’ll need to have a strong service culture among your team. Train employees to align their behaviour with organisational standards for customer service and see customer satisfaction rates go up. Ensure that customers feel welcome and have a good impression of your store by enrolling your team on this retail employee training course.
Scope:
- Knowing the do’s and don’ts for positive customer interactions
- Understanding the scope of personal responsibility in customer service
- Recognising customer pain points and areas for improvement
- Proactively seeking opportunities to enhance service standards
Best for: Retail customer service employees and other frontline retail staff
Cost: Free
5. Identify Potentially Disruptive Customers Course
Train new hires on how to recognise and successfully interact with difficult customers. The last thing you need is a wide-eyed employee freezing or escalating the conflict when faced with an aggressive customer. In this course, your employees will learn strategies for resolving customer issues and even find out about a method for preventing customer disruptions from occurring. By the end of the course, your team will be able to tell the difference between a reasonable request and a potential disruption as well as know what to do in case of the latter.
Scope:
- Evaluating and monitoring customer behaviour
- Asking relevant questions and actively listening
- Developing a positive and empathetic attitude
- Ensuring compliance when handling disruptions
Best for: Retail employees who don’t have much experience working with customers or are struggling with assisting difficult customers
Cost: Free
6. Documenting and Reporting Customer Misbehaviour Incidents Course
Customer misbehaviour incidents don’t just negatively affect staff. It can harm the entire retail business too. Customers involved in such incidents might blame the staff or management for their misbehaviour. That’s why it’s important that your employees are trained to document and report these incidents as soon as they occur. With this course, your staff will know what evidence to collect and who to go to after an incident. Even if you’ve never encountered customer misbehaviour in your store, it still pays to be prepared in case an incident does happen.
Scope:
- Comprehensively documenting key information for reports
- Approaching witnesses and obtaining reliable statements
- Formatting and submitting incident reports professionally
- Identifying alternative approaches to prevent incidents
Best for: Retail staff of stores with previous customer misbehaviour incidents
Cost: Free
7. Managing the Personal Impact of Negative Customer Behaviour Course
When staff members don’t have the tools to address the emotional challenges of working in retail operations, they might be prone to absenteeism, outbursts, or decreased productivity. One way to help them as a leader is to enrol them on this course so that they know how to manage their mental health after a challenging interaction. Though the course focuses on the personal impact, the entire business may suffer if most employees are demotivated due to negative customer behaviour.
Scope:
- Using self-reflection and debriefing procedures
- Promoting emotional regulation and stress reduction
- Identifying signs that professional support is needed
- Creating a personal response plan to build resilience
Best for: Retail employees who have just experienced a customer misbehaviour incident
Cost: Free
8. Accepting Stock Delivery Course
Unfortunately, many things can go wrong with stock delivery. However, you can prevent them from happening and train your employees how to solve them with this course. If your stock delivery process has led to customer complaints regarding damaged items or insufficient stock, then this retail employee training course is certainly a worthwhile (but free) investment. Your staff will know what to do when there are discrepancies and other issues with quality or delivery. Prevent problems further down the line by training your staff to accept stock delivery.
Scope:
- Verifying incoming stock quantities against order documentation
- Assessing stock upon delivery and inspecting stock quality
- Recording stock deliveries and safely handling stock
- Organising stock and using designated storage locations
Best for: Stock receivers, inventory managers, and quality control personnel
Cost: Free
9. Replenishing Stock Levels Course
If your store has been struggling to maintain just the right amount of stock for customers, then enrol your entire team on this retail employee training course for free. After taking this course, your retail staff will be highly skilled in managing stock. They’ll even get guidelines on stock presentation, visual merchandising, and product placement so that your customers are primed to buy once they enter the store. Use this course as a tool to prevent stockouts, overstocking, and stock loss.
Scope:
- Rotating and replenishing stock
- Presenting stock on the shop floor
- Recording stock waste and shrinkage
- Maintaining optimal stock levels
Best for: Retail employees who need to brush up on their stock management skills or are interested in becoming retail operations managers
Cost: Free
10. Employment Rights and Responsibilities in the Retail Industry Course
Acts of discrimination and/or harassment are not only illegal but can permanently damage the workplace environment and company’s reputation. Enrol your employees on the course for free so that they know more about the prohibited behaviours and the protected characteristics. Ensuring the psychological and physical safety of everyone at work is not only good for legal compliance, but also leads to increased productivity and better team communication. Furthermore, if you’re an employer of retail workers, you should take this course to familiarise yourself with Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) laws and the 11 minimum National Employment Standards (NES) entitlements.
Scope:
- Accessing information on employment rights
- Verifying compliance with employment standards
- Understanding contractual terms and conditions
- Reporting breaches of employment laws and policies
Best for: Regional and district managers as well as employers of retail workers
Cost: Free
Other Retail Courses
If you’re looking for more courses related to retail, check out more of our curated lists:
- 10 Best Free Courses to Enhance Workplace Skills for Retail
- Top 10 Free Customer Focus Courses for Retail
You can also browse our complete Course Library to find many more free training and assessment opportunities.
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