3 of the best sales performance coaching tools for retail teams

10 Nov

When you work in retail, it can be easy for your sales associates to lose focus.

They’ve got so many different things to keep track of that following a sales journey becomes a low priority. If they’re not serving customers, they’re maintaining stock, managing the tills or tidying. This is why sales performance coaching tools / retail coaching tools are so crucial in keeping your frontline sales team on track with what they need to get done.

Sales performance coaching and retail coaching tools make it effortless to guide your retail employees, highlighting the areas that they need to improve to achieve more success. Not only this, but they can also be used as a motivational tool because most employees appreciate feedback as it makes them feel valued as an employee, helping them to feel more supported in their role.

In fact, a survey found that there were 14.9% lower turnover rates in companies that implemented regular employee feedback.

If you’re serious about purchasing a sales performance coaching tool or a retail coaching tool, it’s crucial that you know the best ones available for retail teams so you can make the best decision.

#1 Ocasta Review

Ocasta Review is a sales coaching app and retail coaching tool which allows you to drive sales with “in the moment“ observations, store visits and retail audits. The platform was initially built in collaboration with the retail telecoms brand Virgin Media O2 but is now used by other brands such as Victoria’s Secret and Next. They needed a platform which could resolve the exact challenges that their retail teams faced, so the features built into this platform are a reflection of that.

Retail managers can use the sales coaching app on any mobile or tablet device and carry out an employee observation in minutes. They can map their observation to their ideal customer journey and ensure their frontline sales associates are following the steps which lead their customers to buy. Whilst carrying out the review they can quickly create tasks for employees to complete so they never forget what needs to be done.

How Review the retail coaching app works?

Managers simply open the retail coaching app and work their way through the questions, tapping, swiping and typing to complete the report.

When they are done, the retail coaching app automatically collates the data to create a colour-coded action report which highlights areas of strength and weakness. This makes it super simple to see what they need to do to improve.

Even better, the more observations they complete, the more data they’ll have overall. The sales coaching app uses this data to create overarching insights, and this bird’s-eye view gives you a real-time view of your performance gaps and highlights what you need to do to improve. This allows you to take a proactive approach to retail selling rather than taking a backseat and following a reactive leadership style. Scoring allows an unbiased, straightforward comparison between reports, regions, stores and sales teams.

Why it’s great

Being able to map your observations to your customer journey means you can easily enforce the behaviours which are driving sales.
When you have solid evidence of what’s working to improve or decrease sales, it makes it easy to present your training ideas to internal stakeholders.
Being able to measure learning efforts makes it simple to prove ROI which, as we all know, our managers love.
Review closes the gap between the shop floor and head office by making it seamless for senior management to see the action which is happening on the shop floor. This allows you to work with more agility because everyone has access to the data, which guides your business on what you need to do next to improve.
Having structured forms which are consistent throughout your entire business means that every manager is following the same format, so no time is wasted when they carry out an observation or store visit, and no data is a result of management bias.

See How Victoria’s Secret Used Ocasta Review to Drive Sales in Their Business.

#2 Gong

For retail teams who work online or over the phone, Gong is the perfect platform. It analyses customer-facing interactions which happen across the phone, email, and web conferencing and delivers insights which highlight the actions you need to take to close more deals.

The platform makes it easy to replicate what works so you can strengthen your sales strategy and achieve higher success rates. Gong turns objective, data-based guidance into coachable moments for managers so they can confidently coach their employees on what works and what doesn’t.

Dashboard from Gong a retail coaching app

How Gong works?

Simply integrate Gong with your email, phone and websites and let it record the interactions your employees have with your customers. It will use automatic data capture to collect insights which unearth trends and patterns that are affecting your sales. Unlike most customer relationship management tools, it doesn’t just focus on your end results, it looks into how you got there, which is crucial for continuous improvement.

Why it’s great

Users will get an email from Gong recapping all the things that they promised to their retail customers, so nothing gets forgotten.
You can quickly search for keywords and discover what customers say during sales or service calls.
Employees can go back and listen to calls so they can easily spot their own pitfalls.
Gong makes it possible to coach your team when they're interacting with customers.

#3 Allego

Allego is a sales enablement platform which is preferably used for B2B sales teams, but it can also be used for frontline retail teams. The platform delivers high-impact, AI-powered coaching and dialogue simulations. These allow you to pinpoint your sales associate’s strengths and weaknesses.

You can easily track seller engagement and progress, which makes it easy to coach more efficiently. Managers can map coaching activities and follow-ups to key skills and track improvement across the team or individuals over time.

How Allego works?

Allego empowers sales associates with the sales content they need to make more sales at a speedier rate. It offers personalised coaching and learning, which helps them to improve continually and what’s even better is that it can all happen in the flow of daily work.

Managers and colleagues can provide feedback to one another through video, or they can improve their skills at any time through AI-powered coaching and peer-to-peer collaboration.

Why it’s great

You can leverage peer-to-peer learning to boost engagement, and encourage behavioural changes amongst your teams.
You can give your sales associates what they need by activating content with the context they need to use it effectively.
You can easily dig into meetings and calls for valuable coaching moments.

FAQ’s about sales coaching and retail coaching tools

What is sales coaching/ retail coaching, and why is it important in retail? Sales coaching is a process where managers provide guidance, feedback, and support to sales teams to improve their performance. In retail, where customer interactions directly impact sales, coaching ensures staff are equipped with the skills and knowledge to excel in their roles, resulting in increased revenue and customer satisfaction.
What are the key benefits of implementing sales coaching/ retail coaching in retail settings? Sales coaching in retail can lead to improved sales performance, enhanced customer service, increased employee morale and retention, and a stronger team culture focused on continuous improvement.
What are some common challenges faced when implementing sales coaching/ retail coaching in retail? Challenges may include resistance to change from staff, difficulty in finding time for coaching sessions amidst busy retail schedules, ensuring consistency in coaching across multiple locations, and measuring the effectiveness of coaching efforts. And that’s exactly what a retail coaching tool helps with, it makes carrying out a coaching observation very quick and very easy. What's more, all of the results are aggregated for you.
What are retail coaching tools, and how do they aid in sales coaching? Retail coaching tools are software platforms or applications designed to support sales coaching initiatives. These tools often include features such as checklists or questions which users can quickly use to score an employee’s performance, the ability to set tasks “in the moment” to tasks are completed, a bird’s-eye view which gives you a real-time snapshot of performance.
How do retail coaching tools benefit both managers and sales staff? Retail coaching tools empower managers by providing them with data-driven insights into their team's performance, facilitating targeted coaching interventions, and streamlining administrative tasks. For sales staff, these tools offer opportunities for personalised skill development, real-time feedback, and access to resources for continuous learning.
Are retail coaching tools suitable for businesses of all sizes? Yes, many retail coaching tools offer scalable solutions tailored to the needs of businesses of various sizes, from small independent retailers to large multinational chains. The key is to choose a tool that aligns with your business goals, budget, and technological infrastructure.
How can I measure the ROI of investing in sales coaching and retail coaching tools? ROI can be measured through metrics such as sales performance improvement, customer satisfaction scores, employee engagement and retention rates, reduction in training costs, and overall business growth attributed to enhanced sales effectiveness and customer experience.
What are some best practices for successful implementation of sales coaching and retail coaching tools? Best practices include gaining buy-in from leadership and frontline staff, providing comprehensive training on tool usage, establishing clear goals and expectations for coaching efforts, fostering a culture of continuous feedback and improvement, and regularly evaluating the effectiveness of coaching programs through data analysis and feedback loops. If you want a retail coaching tool which requires very little training to get started. Ocasta Review would be best for you.