Back To School

When is it?

The dates vary depending on location. Scotland - August and Ireland/England/Wales – September. During BTS we will see an increase in all contact across our channels. Our stores will also be busier than normal so they will need our help quickly. 

EASY should be at the forefront of our minds and we should continue to deliver the best service possible to every customer.    

We can categorize our customers contact in 3 different sections.

Pre purchase – this is before a customer has made a purchase. Common queries can include

1. Location of stores

2. Fitting in store

3. Suitability for school

4. Returns policy

5. Website navigation

6. Product availability 

7. Reserving stock in store

8. Click & Collect queries

Purchase- This is during the purchase process, common queries can include

1. Service in store

2. Product availability

3. Online purchase

4. Fitting and suitability

5. Discounts

6. Promotions

Post purchase- this is queries after purchase wich can include

1. How to return

2. Worn returns

3. Delivery issues

4. Missing/broken spare parts

Regardless why the customer has contacted us , we need to remember to make this as easy as possible for the customer to get the info they want.

Schuh has one of the best returns options on the high street and this can be used as a selling tool. We should try and include this where possible in our interaction with our customers.  During back to school, knowledge is key. 

FAQs 

Is leather waterproof?

No – Leather is a natural material and is porous to allow feet to breath.

Do shoes come with a guarantee?

Unfortunately no, however we do have a 365 day return policy for unused items should you changed your mind.

Will the shoes last the full school year?

There are a number of factors that will determine the lifespan of a shoe include the amount of wear, care maintenance applied and how quickly the wearer grows. 

Kids Fitting

All our kids stores provide a fitting service in store. Our staff are trained on fitting and measuring, However this is only a guide and we advise to ensure that the fit is correct before purchasing/wearing .  

When a child is fitted and measured in store we allow some room for growth to ensure the customers can get the most out of the product.

Hints and tips for Back To School

• Ensure you ask relevant questions to ensure you are providing the most suitable product. 

  • Are laces suitable or does it need to be velcro fastenings? 

  • Do the shoes have to be formal all black leather or are black trainers acceptable?

  • Do they have to be all black or is a white sole acceptable?

• Use our returns policy as a selling tool.

• Can we check & reserve the shoes at a store for the customer to avoid disappointment?

• Ask for help if you are not sure.

• Be honest – think about delivery timescales- will they arrive in time for school?

• Know your product. Take time to see what the best sellers are, recognize names of popular styles.

• Be aware of the promotions/discounts we are offering.

• Use the filters on the website, including wide fit and vegan.

• Make it EASY – remember just because we are busier than usual, we should still offer the same high level of service.

Offering an Alternative

To enable us to find the most suitable alternative product we need to know what the customers criteria is. To do this we use open questions, giving us the information we need to source an alternative.  Asking open questions and building a rapport with our customers this will allow us to have a full understanding of what the customer needs and help us to select a suitable alternative. Remember they may already feel disappointed their first choice is not available, so the key here is to introduce the alternative in a positive way. 

When introducing an alternative we should use the following as a basis for our choice:

• Similar price.

• Similar style.

• Similar colour.

• Size (remember insoles).

• Availability.

If we have asked the correct questions we should find selecting an alternative an easy task. Being able to sell alternatives in a positive way will ensure you are allowing the customer to feel they are still leaving with a great purchase. 

Using our product knowledge and the tools available to us will help us with this, the product descriptions on the website, our own personal experiences with a brand and the reviews online are just some of the tools available.  Remember to mention our amazing 365 day returns policy! 

Features & Benefits

Every product we sell has a FAB (a feature and benefit). Some popular examples of FABS can be seen below, the feature is in red and the benefit in green

• The shoes are leather; this allows your feet to breath.

• This product has laces; this allows you to adjust the width.

•  These shoes are white, this means they will go with almost everything.

• These shoes are exclusive to schuh, this means hardly anyone will have them.

• This bag has adjustable straps, it means it can be worn by anyone.

•  This crepe spray can be used on all materials, this means you can use it on all your footwear.