Halfords is looking to motor thanks to its service revolution.
As a female who is willing to try her hand at most things if given the chance it is still with an element of trepidation that I enter willingly into stores like Halfords. Not because they haven’t tried over the years to make it more inviting for all shoppers. More because there is every chance that I will be asked a seemingly easy question to establish my requirements to which I will fail miserably in answering succinctly and at best end up buying the wrong thing and at worst it has me scurrying back outside without the required purchase.
It was therefore with delight that I read about Halfords new CEO Matt Davies plans to rev the retailer up a gear by implementing a five step plan that includes a ‘service revolution’.
Halfords has a strong service proposition that it has been improving over the past year such as it’s WeFit service, and Davies believes that such services must be accompanied by improved customer service. Through a £7m investment Halfords aims to transform customer service among it’s 12,000 staff by opening Halfords Academies to provide the ‘training that colleagues need’. This will be supported by a qualification programme called 3-Gears, which trains and rewards the Halfords team for serving customers at three different levels. Having run a similar programme myself I can advocate the benefits wholeheartedly.
Halfords are also reviewing the recruitment process since 20% of people who join the business, are no longer there three months later. This is essential if they are to achieve their aims both for the customer, and importantly for ensuring a return on their valuable people investment.
All in all it’s excellent news for ‘us’ shoppers…… good luck Halfords!
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