In my Happy Purple Tuesday article I shared how supportive my local
Co-op
store is. In the article How Do People Respond To You If You Are Blind I also shared my experience going out into Plymouth shopping with Mum – which wasn’t quite as positive. As a business however you need to make sure that everyone is supported and valued.
With this in mind, naturally training is the place to start. Mainly to ensure that your team feel confident approaching and supporting customers with disabilities.
Some of the key things for me include:
- A member of staff approaching me to offer support, for example navigating through a shop, knowing where the queue is, and in crowded shops just avoiding taking a load of things off a shelf as I go past.?
- The helpdesk/till letting me know when it is my turn and helping me reach them if I’m looking lost. It’s a bit embarrassing standing there like a lemon because I haven’t realised it is my turn, bumping into other shoppers or even going past the till I’ve been called to because they called me once and I’ve misjudged distance.?
- Asking if I want to ‘take an elbow’ to be sight guided. It’s not great trying to follow someone who is walking off ahead of you, if I’ve even noticed they’ve gone.
- Just taking time to understand what I may wish communicated and asking if they are unsure. I don’t want the full back of a packet read out to me, but I might want to know the price, expiry date and if there is an offer available.
- Being told where the card reader is, when it is ready to input my PIN and asking where I’d like the receipt, which is usually in my hand.
I’m sure there are more, but let’s give some thought to other people with disabilities, briefly, as others will have lived experiences to share and in much more detail:
- Does your team understand the significance of a sunflower lanyard? This is denoting that the person has a non-visible disability or neurodivergence and may require additional support, time or understanding.
- Are they aware of the etiquette to support a wheelchair user? Speak to the person not their assistant, don’t touch or move their chair, rather than crouching before them just stand a little back and speak normally.
- A customer with a neurodivergent condition may like actions to be completed in a specific way. Whilst your team may not be able to know this, unless they’re a regular, being patient and taking the time to support that customer without becoming frustrated or dismissive is really important.
I could go on and on with examples. The message of this article is however, train your customer facing teams, so that they feel confident and provide the best customer experience to your customers.
#IAmYourCustomer #PurpleTuesday #InclusiveDesign #Disability #Accessibility #VisualImpairment