The six day courses, conducted over six weeks, are for retailers registered with the Wholesale and Retail SETA in the SMME category as employers of fewer than 49 staff.
They form part of the Imprint programme, first launched by Old Mutual Properties to train staff and service providers in service excellence.
Along with the six day courses, Old Mutual Properties has also launched a series of two-day courses in advanced retail skills for owners and managers of independent stores and national chains.
"Imprint has grown out of key needs - to provide service excellence, grow skills in a sector where there has been no industry association to drive education, foster new entrepreneurs, and to promote emerging retailers," says Brent Wiltshire, retail property executive of Old Mutual Properties.
"The courses follow a successful initiative which has seen smaller tenants in our centres receive consulting services on retailing. The thrust of this initiative has been on making their offerings better according to the basics of retailing. More than 300 tenants in our centres have so far been engaged in this advisory service.
"The success of that initiative, combined with the findings of research into how extensively customers across South Africa are being satisfied on their shopping excursions, has helped shape the content of the SETA courses and the advanced retail programme," Wiltshire explains.
"Retailers have acknowledged that customer service is below par. A good customer satisfaction rating is between 85 and 95%. Recent research has shown that service providers in our centres enjoy a rating of 80%. Yet the top rating on retail customer service emerging from a Gauteng survey covering retail centres, was at 55%. That, along with the huge opportunity to showcase the country through events such as World Cup 2010, underscores the need for
Improvement."
Wiltshire says the initial day courses, on providing customer service and selling goods and services, are for all staff, managers and owners. Others deal with computers in retail and displaying and marking merchandise.
"A further programme is designed to help retailers understand the financial
management requirements to run their business successfully. The sixth programme addresses the skills required for starting up and managing new business opportunities. "
The two-day courses cover strategic planning, brand positioning and brand building; advanced selling skills and creating a service culture; performance management and human resources practices; merchandise management; advanced merchandise presentation; and management of promotions.
Wiltshire says that assessment of the courses will include research into customer satisfaction, measurement of coaching performance and SETA's own assessments.
