Archived Guest Services

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lifewithtarget

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Hey guys!

So, after reminding HR about 50 times, she finally found some training hours for me to get cross-trained over at Guest Services.

I am very excited because it's another area of the store that I can do, which means if I need more hours at some point when schools gets out, I have more options. My training shift is two weeks from now and it's from 5:00-10:00pm.

I saw the person who is also working that night at Guest Services who will be training me I assume. I believe the team member has worked there for a while over there, so I am not worried about his expertise.

I was wondering if anyone could PM me with tips, and not a guide, but more like a beginner's note to working at Guest Services. I know there was a thread for it, but if anyone has worked at Guest Services could PM me, that would be great.

My store has registry kiosks and a photo center.

I'm looking for return policies, dealing with defects, and anything in between. I just want to feel somewhat prepared in my head when I go over there for the first time because I want to make a good impression for my TL's and etc.

Thanks for reading!
 
Just smile a lot and apologize. People get upset if something's wrong and no one apologizes to them. Also, a lot of older people like to tell their life story when you ask if there's anything wrong with the item. Twice I've had old ladies tell me the item was for their husband but he died. Sooo awkward.

Also, the basics are really easy (returns, exchanges, etc), but the little stuff you don't do every day can take a while to learn. There's a guest service desk reference guide that should be somewhere at guest service, and that has answers to stuff like price match policy and whatnot.
 
--Equipment--
  • Walkie
  • Service Desk Keys
  • PDA if one is available. This is not a necessity.
  • iPad for price matching

--Processing a return--

This is obviously a very important thing to know and thankfully it is pretty easy.

--With (gift)receipt--
1.Scan the receipt
2.Scan the item. The register will ask if there is anything wrong. Press the appropriate key (K1[no], K3 [Yes]).
3.Once you are done scanning the items press total. The register will default to refunding them the way they paid. If this is okay hit K1[recommended refund]. If the guest prefers a gift card instead hit K5[gift card].

Sometimes the guest will have paid with a debit card. When this happens there are two options. K1 will put it back on their card after they swipe it through the reader and enter their pin. K2 will refund it as cash.

If you scanned a gift receipt the only refund option will be a gift card.

--With credit/debit card--
1.Swipe the card through the reader on the keyboard. If it is the REDcard credit card you will have to hit K3 [Lookup receipt] after you do so.
2.Scan the item. The register will ask if their is anything wrong. Press the appropriate key (K1[no], K3 [Yes]).
3.Once you are done scanning the items press total. The register will default to refunding them the way they paid. If this is okay hit K1[recommended refund]. If the guest prefers a gift card instead hit K5[gift card]. Sometimes the guest will have paid with a debit card. When this happens there are two options. K1 will put it back on their card after they swipe it through the reader and enter their pin. K2 will refund it as cash.

--No receipt--

These are tricky. The guest has a $70 limit for any tweleve month period. If they hit this limit you follow the procedure below, but it may only let you exhchange the item if it even lets you do anything.
1.Scan the guests' drivers license.
2.Scan the item. The register will ask if their is anything wrong. Press the appropriate key (K1[no], K3 [Yes]).
3.When you are done scanning the items hit total. The only refund option for no receipt returns is a gift card.

--Gift purchase log--

Gift purchase logs are printed from the kiosk and act as one giant registry gift receipt. As long as the gift was taken off the registry, it will be on the purchase log.
1.Scan the purchase log.
2.Scan the item. The register will ask if their is anything wrong. Press the appropriate key (K1[no], K3 [Yes]).
3.When you are done scanning the items hit total. The only refund option for a gif purchase log is a gift card.

--Processing defectives--

Follow the steps below if an item is brought to you defective. If a guest is returning something defective you hit K1[yes] during the return and then follow the steps below.
1.Enter sort stuff if defecting an item outside of the return process. You can then either hit K3[defective] or scan the item and then hit K4[make defective].
2.Take a license plate and stick it on the item. These are green (for items we donate), yellow (for items we send back to the manufacturer), and red (items we throw away or need special handling like ESIM items.) The computer will tell you which color you need and it knows if you scan the wrong color.
3.Apply the white sticker that prints out of the portable printer.
4.Place the item in the appropriate area for its color and handling need.

--Opening--

Opening shifts are normally 8-4:30
When you first arrive it will be slow. During this time you sort all the abandon that the overnight/early morning team brought up.
As the day progresses you do returns and sort out any abandon that is brought to you. This can cause slow periods so always keep yourself busy!

--Mid-Shift--

Mid-shifts vary, but are normally 10-6:30. There can be multiple mids if it is expected to be a busy day, i'm looking at you December 26th...
All you do during the mid-shift is sort stuff and do returns.

--Closing--

Closing is generally 2:30-11 or 3:30-12 depending on when your store closes.
Initially all you do is process returns and sort stuff.
The only difference between this and the mid is that you will close all but one of the guest service registers with an hour to go. Once the GSTL gives you the okay you close your last register. Make sure you give the GSTL all checks and media (coupons, post voids, sales audits, tax exemption slips).
Some stores also require the guest service tms to zone dollar spot.

Wiki: http://www.thebreakroom.org/w/index.php/Service_Desk
 
When doing refunds, always ask if it's okay to put it back on the card. 95% of the time it is, but sometimes they'll have used something like a Visa gift card which they've since discarded, and they'll want it on a store gift card instead. I usually don't offer any other options until they say they don't want it back on the card. I avoid giving cash back if I can, on the off chance that they used a card fraudulently or otherwise scammed us.

The hours will depend on your store obviously, at mine we schedule three people a day: 8-12 or 8-1, 12-4 or 1-5, and 4-9 or 5-9. We close at 10 but only schedule people till close around the holidays. It's also very very rare for us to have any double coverage. This will changes with the holidays though, we usually get double coverage on weekends (they add a mid shift) and then someone stays right till 10.

Our GSTL is responsible for closing all the GS registers; guest service never does this at our store.

Also, the bit about license plates isn't true anymore because we did away with them a few months ago.

If someone is doing a no-receipt return and really wants a gift card instead of exchanging it for stuff AND you think it's a reasonable request, you can override it. I don't think many people know this. All you do is scan the gift card instead of whatever items they should exchange it for, type in the exact amount of the exchange, then have a supervisor override it (since it's from a different department). All the register knows is that the guest exchanged it for something from the same department. I did this once when a lady was returning some baby gifts from her sister to her daughter. You should only do this if you really think you should and if your GSTL agrees with you.
 
Thank you guys! Even this much information is very helpful and I really appreciate it. I was trying to think of some things as I see it while I'm in the store on the sales floor and such. Let me see if I can come up with some specific questions.

1) When the walkie says "Restroom follow up is needed", I see the guest service team member grab the swiffer, but what exactly do you do and then how do you clear it so it says "Restroom checkup is complete"?

2) When it says "Registry kiosk paper out, who is responding" or "Registry kiosk, paper jam", how do you do that? Is it similar to changing the receipt/coupon paper on the registers and then how you do clear the message when the task is complete?

3) Since the license plates aren't used anymore. Could you explain the procedure in dealing with a defect?

4) So if they return something in cash, and then would like a gift card instead of getting cash back, then obviously K1 means recommended refund, but if they wanted a different form of a refund such as a gift card, does it say which K function that is?

5) For guest services, there's a cordless phone, so when the operator says "Guest services, you have a call on 2281", do you just have to pick up the phone, dial 2281 and then it will connect you to that guest?

6) Is there a K function for repackaging, or is that done through the PDA? And then are there methods to repackaging things such as a window panel, such as folding and things like that so that it's presentable?
 
1) At my store, we just fill the toilet paper and clean up paper on the ground and any "spills". If I have a blood spill or something, I usually get my GSTL because I'm not trained on cleaning bodily fluids. We've never used a Swiffer. I've also NEVER heard "restroom checkup is complete" so I dunno how to clear that.

2) At my store, there's a big grey plastic housing that covers the printer, and you have to yank that whole thing out (it's on wheels). Underneath it's just a normal Lexmark printer. If you have a different set up, someone at your store will have to show you. They're supposed to clear themselves but they don't have the time. There are directions in the service desk reference guide on how to access the troubleshooting menu (I think you quickly tape the top left and right corners, but I'm not positive), and from there you can clear anything that hasn't cleared itself. I work at a fairly new store (5 years this past July), so older stores might have a different set up.

3) It's the same thing, just skip the part with the license plates. Scan the item, hit the K button for defective, and follow the prompts.

4) K5 is always a store gift card. If it's a debit card, K2 is for cash. K3 just says "credit" and I usually only use it when the register doesn't automatically detect the original payment (sometimes happens with same-day receipts from a different store). It always says on the screen what button does what.

5) Yes. I would answer with, "guest services, can I help you find something?"

6) Yes, there's a K button. You can also do it with the PDA. Go into sort stuff, scan the item, then hit the K button that says "needs repackaging". I only use this item if I can't make it presentable. I've had luck with following the original creases from the factory, but a LOT of people just defect it out. I always try my best though.
 
Thank you so much!
 
So, I swear I don't stalk, but when I was on Sales Floor today, I was grabbing reshop from the front end and the guest service team member was dealing with a guest, and so I was easdropping because you never know if that situation will come up when I work up here, so why not haha.

Anyways, so I believe the guest bought a few items, and realized she forgot to grab the coupon out of her purse. So, she came up to guest services afterwards to use her coupon.

So, how do you fix this. What would you do after you scan her receipt?

And this is kinda a cashier question, but one of the functions is "Fix Payment", is that when you accidentally put in $40 when they really gave you $35, and what are the steps in this process?

Or for instance they forgot to use their gift card for the purchase, what are the steps in doing this?

And finally, about the re-packaging question that I asked about. If I can't get the item to look presentable, is it okay to defect it out, or should I call the LOD first and ask about it?
 
Anyways, so I believe the guest bought a few items, and realized she forgot to grab the coupon out of her purse. So, she came up to guest services afterwards to use her coupon.

So, how do you fix this. What would you do after you scan her receipt?

After you scan the receipt, select Fix a Mistake (K6, I think), then select Missed Coupon. Scan any missed coupons and hit Total. The guest will get the difference back in cash. NOTE: If a coupon is expired, we can not accept it, even if it was still valid when they originally bought the item.

And this is kinda a cashier question, but one of the functions is "Fix Payment", is that when you accidentally put in $40 when they really gave you $35, and what are the steps in this process?

If they were paying with cash, don't worry about it. Just make sure they get the correct amount of change back. If they were paying with a debit or credit card and only wanted a certain amount to be paid with that card, then see below for post voiding.

Or for instance they forgot to use their gift card for the purchase, what are the steps in doing this?

Scan the receipt, select Fix a Mistake, then select Wrong Payment. This will post void their receipt and undo their payment. Now hit Total and scan the gift card. Just be careful with this if the guest used a credit card, as credit transactions (including returns and post voids) may take a few days to go through.

And finally, about the re-packaging question that I asked about. If I can't get the item to look presentable, is it okay to defect it out, or should I call the LOD first and ask about it?

If the item doesn't look presentable, there's little (if any) chance that a guest would buy it, so you should be ok defecting it out. If you're not sure, ask your GSTL for advice.
 
Scan the receipt, select Fix a Mistake, then select Wrong Payment. This will post void their receipt and undo their payment. Now hit Total and scan the gift card. Just be careful with this if the guest used a credit card, as credit transactions (including returns and post voids) may take a few days to go through.

This does NOT "undo" the payment. We can refund it, but we CANNOT reverse a transaction after it's been completed. Here's an example: A guest has a $200 order, and pays with their debit card. This charges the card $200. He wants to use the $50 gift card he forgot, so we refund his card $200, then complete the new transaction and charge his card another $150. Let's say there's $250 in his account. The first charge hits his account, so he's down to $50. The second charge hits his account, now he's overdrafted and is at -$200. Because of the way banks usually process things, it's very likely that all the charges will be processed first, and that refund will be processed later, maybe not even on the same day. I had a guest once accuse me of preventing her from buying her kids Thanksgiving dinner because I did this. Please warn them before doing this. 95% of the time they're totally okay with it and will have the funds to cover it, but sometimes they don't or think it's a pain in the butt and don't want to do it.
 
Scan the receipt, select Fix a Mistake, then select Wrong Payment. This will post void their receipt and undo their payment. Now hit Total and scan the gift card. Just be careful with this if the guest used a credit card, as credit transactions (including returns and post voids) may take a few days to go through.

This does NOT "undo" the payment. We can refund it, but we CANNOT reverse a transaction after it's been completed. Here's an example: A guest has a $200 order, and pays with their debit card. This charges the card $200. He wants to use the $50 gift card he forgot, so we refund his card $200, then complete the new transaction and charge his card another $150. Let's say there's $250 in his account. The first charge hits his account, so he's down to $50. The second charge hits his account, now he's overdrafted and is at -$200. Because of the way banks usually process things, it's very likely that all the charges will be processed first, and that refund will be processed later, maybe not even on the same day. I had a guest once accuse me of preventing her from buying her kids Thanksgiving dinner because I did this. Please warn them before doing this. 95% of the time they're totally okay with it and will have the funds to cover it, but sometimes they don't or think it's a pain in the butt and don't want to do it.

I probably should've worded it differently. Thank you.
 
lol they're prepping you to get service desk trained just on time for the holiday season, when it's the most insane. I only did service desk less than 20 times or so, it's nice not having to do as much as you do on a check lane. but be prepared for literally everything and anything. you'll get scammers, angry people, entitled people, people that don't speak a word of English and want to return a ton of things with no reciept or pay off a red card. I honestly was amused by all the stuff that was thrown at me, but there were times when i was disrespected really badly by guests. the biggest headaches for me were when people wanted to do no receipt returns and had already maxed out their store credit limit or people that pay for things and leave without them. the phone would ring and it'd be a guest saying they bought something a few days ago and just now noticed a few things didnt make it into their bags. it was the worst. also, i knew nothing about photo or using the kiosks so that was another issue for me when guests had questions.
 
GSTL-in-training here:

1) What is the best practice for handling guests attempting to return merchandise with an expired receipt? Should you process as a non-receipt and give store credit or decline the refund?

When I scanned the receipt, the register "decline refund" and I politely told her about the 90-day policy... My GS person was on break, so I was by myself and didn't know to proceed. The merch in question was $50, purchased from another store, and the recipt expired in June. Had the receipt been a week or two old and the merchandise was less expensive, I'd probably offer the non-receipt option automatically to the guest. My GS person was shocked that I didn't, but when I asked my GE-ETL, they agree with my call.

2) If, when rebanking registers, you close the drawer without putting the start funds (was interpreted by a guest) , can you just reopen the register and put the funds in OR do you have to do that rebanking process the POS prompts you to do? If so, what is the C/O process for handling that?
 
1) Go with your ETL's take on your call. For an item that expensive, it would've gone on a gift card anyway unless it had been clearanced or was no longer in the system.
2) Reopen the register, bank the funds & do another close. It will print out another closing slip indicating that you'll need additional start funds but disregard that. Just include the extra slips in the media envelope.
 
My store vibes the sh*t out of people. We're surrounded by Walmarts and we want people to come back. Plus, we want great scores! We are consistently in the top #3 in our district on our vibe scores because of this. If the receipt is expired, we try a no-receipt return. If they're over their limit on the license, we suggest they come in with a family member or friend with THEIR license (and then note the situation in our communication log). Hey, if they had just remembered a few days ago to return the item, it would have been returned anyways.... and if we now decline to try our best to refund it, we're going to lose even more sales in the future.
 
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