Defining the Guest Experience-Phish Out of Water
In these series of weekly blogs on the cannabis industry I’ll explain why now, more than ever, it’s important to have an educated and caring staff at your dispensary. A Certified Dispensary Technician’s influences are heavy, and the spotlight is bright.
Prologue
Imagine being teleported to a destination and time that seems remarkably familiar but espouses things you were taught were bad for you are now ok. That medicine and recreational substances that are derived from chemicals you were taught for decades will cook your little brains like an egg on a burning hot skillet (I see you nodding your heads in remembrance of those famous PSA’s of the 80’s) are happily and legally consumed with no more worry and care as walking down Bourbon Street with an open adult beverage. But unlike reckless ease and approachability of alcohol, tobacco and vape this new society has figured out a way to allow “the forbidden plant” to be consumed in a conscientious and safe manner. Would you just march right into your newly sanctioned local dispensary and take a look around? Or would you sit outside, intimidated by your new surroundings, like a penny-loafer wearing Yuppie at a Phish concert? Well, welcome to the conundrum of the new world! Dare I say, most people will be intimidated by the strange new looks, smells and terms of the dispensary environment even though over 60% of Americans think cannabis should be legalized in the U.S.A. So, now is the time to start making your dispensary inviting and warm to encourage these bashful foals to abandon their pre-dispositions of cannabis and enter into your institution of “higher” learning.
The legal cannabis industry is expected to explode in the years ahead. According to estimates from Euromonitor International, an international research company, global sales of legal cannabis will soar from $12 billion in 2018 to around $166 billion by 2025.
In the interim, however, cannabis remains an unusual business sector that is still weighed down by decades of misconceptions, outlaw culture and stigma. Due to its uniqueness and its transition to a mainstream commodity, you need to be more alert than your counterparts in other businesses when it comes to maintaining your good reputation as well as the reputations of your stores and the overall industry, by creating a well-defined and positive experience for your guest.
It Starts Outside
The guest experience starts well before the customer enters a dispensary. It can begin with the company’s website and extend to the business’ exterior. Consumers are savvy. They consciously or subconsciously will be aware of things like signage, overall appearance, and cleanliness – and a discouraging exterior might be enough for them to decide to go elsewhere. You and your colleagues are responsible for maintaining the best possible appearance of your workplace, both inside, outside, and online.
Acknowledging the differences
At standard retail stores customers enter the establishment, get a cart or a basket, examine the products, chooses items on the shelves, and then take their purchases to a cashier and check out to complete their experience. Due to the strict restrictions placed on the cannabis industry, however, entering a cannabis dispensary is a vastly different shopping experience. It can bear truly little resemblance to a mainstream retail experience. You need to help your guests get past any “culture shock” they may be experiencing and make them feel both welcome and comfortable.
The Waiting Room
Typically, at the entrance of a dispensary there is a waiting room for cannabis customers – a room that is blocked off from the actual sales floor. Customers have to first interact with a receptionist who will check their identification before they can proceed into the sales room.
Rather than creating a forbidding and unfriendly atmosphere, the Certified Dispensary Technician or CDT working in the waiting room wants to be as welcoming as possible with the customer from the moment they walk through the door; to answer any preliminary questions they might have, to explain the sales process and to be apologetic if there are any delays getting them inside to the sales floor. Also, let’s not forget what’s going on right now-so if there are any COVID-19 requirements like wearing masks, this should be covered in your introduction.
The Sales Floor
Once on the sales floor the customer talks with a CDT on the other side of the counter. You guide the customer through every step of their experience from helping the guest examine products and samples to answering their questions, choosing products, and ringing up their purchases.
This is a unique situation for most customers, because instead of doing the shopping themselves, you will lead and guide the interaction every step of the way.
Here are some basic tips to help put a customer at ease:
Acknowledge their presence. Don’t wait for a customer to make the first contact. Everyone, from the dispensary receptionist to you working on the sales floor, should be sure to establish eye contact and greet everyone entering the business.
Tell them your name. The receptionist and sales floor personnel will have an advantage over the customer from the very start by asking for their identification. A fair way to level the playing field is for all sales personnel, from the receptionist to those who interact with customers, to volunteer their name to their customers.
Tell them to keep their ID handy. In many states the customer is required to have their identification examined a second time, once they’re on the sales floor. In those situations, it helps to let the customer know that they will want to keep their identification in hand for now, because it will be checked again inside. It’s best to assume the customer doesn’t know that regulation, and it’s a simple courtesy.
Make sure to check their ID. Remember that checking identification is an important procedure that can make or break a cannabis business. All states have age restrictions on who can purchase cannabis, whether for recreational or medicinal purposes. If a dispensary is found in violation of those age restrictions, then the entire business could be put at risk.
Getting to Know the Consumer. You need to know your customers, and one easy way to start a conversation is by asking them, “What brings you in today?”
If the customer knows the product they’re looking for, then your job is nearly completed. The experienced shopper is aware of what’s available and what they need or want. In that case, you’re there to assist in the transaction, and to perhaps make suggestions regarding other available products.
Other less-experienced customers, however, require consultation with you. They might be looking for a particular experience or a solution to an ailment but may not be aware of what products are available, and what might suit their needs.
In those scenarios, you need to ask exploratory questions to help the customer find a satisfactory outcome.
By asking questions and relying on your training, you can then determine the category of product that best fits the needs of your customer.
Completing the circle. The guest experience should not end with the customer’s purchase. Consumers should be thanked for coming in, and for meeting with you. You can also suggest that the consumer let you know how the product worked; a suggestion that invites the customer to come back in the near future while establishing a relationship.
Having the receptionist acknowledge the customer as they leave also completes the circle; by opening and closing the guest’s experience in the dispensary setting.
In next week’s “Blunt Talk” we’ll cover “Customer Education and Relationship Building”