Best Buy has already started 'wiring' their employees up with small microphones and recorders so that they can record customer interactions for training purposes (and probably for accountability purposes). Rumors of small cameras also being attached to employees is as of yet unsubstantiated. A small tag above the name tag of the employee informs the customer they are being recorded.
What does this mean for the customer?
Best Buy relies heavily on 'junk' to make their money. Service agreements, internet packages, magazine subscriptions, financing, and many other gimmicks, not to mention extra accessory and related-product recommendations, are required mentionings to customers. (Ex. If you only buy a drink, at the checkout you could be offered a magazine subscription, a Reward Zone card, a Best Buy card, a gift card, and several other things depending on the current promos running at the time.) All of these things takes time to explain and recommend to the customer, who may become quickly agitated at being constantly bombarded with more things to consider buying. Most employees streamline their sales pitches so as not to cause agitation, and tend to leave out some of these gimmicks the company wants desperately to sell.
When employees participate in role-playing scenarios (where one person acts like a customer and the other an employee) with higher-up employees (such as managers and supervisors) for evaluation purposes, it isn't uncommon at all for the employee being graded to offer every single thing for the sake of getting a positive evaluation. It's quite a contrast to real life scenarios where there just isn't enough time nor customer patience to justify offering them so many things to consider.
Now that Best Buy has a new Orwellian approach to employee sales evaluations, it isn't too much to expect customer interactions to be much longer now that there will be a 'hard evidence' way of telling whether an employee offered what (and all of the things) they were supposed to offer. No longer will the employee have the freedom to cut out what they may deem as unnecessary add-ons to sales during customer interactions and, in turn, sales will be longer and more pressure will be present on the employee's part to make sure they are doing what 'Big Brother' wants them to do.
The average 'looker' who has no interest in employee assistance will likely have to deal reluctantly with presentations pre-informing them of financing options, new products and/or services, and other things the company wants to use to plant seeds within the mind of the customer when they do decide to seek assistance.
No word on what happens when a customer refuses to be recorded.
What does this mean for the customer?
Best Buy relies heavily on 'junk' to make their money. Service agreements, internet packages, magazine subscriptions, financing, and many other gimmicks, not to mention extra accessory and related-product recommendations, are required mentionings to customers. (Ex. If you only buy a drink, at the checkout you could be offered a magazine subscription, a Reward Zone card, a Best Buy card, a gift card, and several other things depending on the current promos running at the time.) All of these things takes time to explain and recommend to the customer, who may become quickly agitated at being constantly bombarded with more things to consider buying. Most employees streamline their sales pitches so as not to cause agitation, and tend to leave out some of these gimmicks the company wants desperately to sell.
When employees participate in role-playing scenarios (where one person acts like a customer and the other an employee) with higher-up employees (such as managers and supervisors) for evaluation purposes, it isn't uncommon at all for the employee being graded to offer every single thing for the sake of getting a positive evaluation. It's quite a contrast to real life scenarios where there just isn't enough time nor customer patience to justify offering them so many things to consider.
Now that Best Buy has a new Orwellian approach to employee sales evaluations, it isn't too much to expect customer interactions to be much longer now that there will be a 'hard evidence' way of telling whether an employee offered what (and all of the things) they were supposed to offer. No longer will the employee have the freedom to cut out what they may deem as unnecessary add-ons to sales during customer interactions and, in turn, sales will be longer and more pressure will be present on the employee's part to make sure they are doing what 'Big Brother' wants them to do.
The average 'looker' who has no interest in employee assistance will likely have to deal reluctantly with presentations pre-informing them of financing options, new products and/or services, and other things the company wants to use to plant seeds within the mind of the customer when they do decide to seek assistance.
No word on what happens when a customer refuses to be recorded.
It sounds like Best Buy's best days are behind it. Which is a real shame.
