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The Problem
The Problem
Sales associates at Fast Feet were inconsistent in how they recommended running shoes. While they provided good customer service, their recommendations often relied on personal preference or brand familiarity rather than a structured evaluation of customer needs.
Sales associates at Fast Feet were inconsistent in how they recommended running shoes. While they provided good customer service, their recommendations often relied on personal preference or brand familiarity rather than a structured evaluation of customer needs.
This led to:
This led to:
- Uneven customer experiences
- Reduced confidence in recommendations
- Increased product returns
The business goal was clear:
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The business goal was clear:
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Reduce running shoe returns by 10% by improving the consistency and accuracy of recommendations.
Reduce running shoe returns by 10% by improving the consistency and accuracy of recommendations.
What I discovered
What I discovered
At first glance, this appeared to be a product knowledge issue. However, the analysis revealed something more important:
At first glance, this appeared to be a product knowledge issue. However, the analysis revealed something more important:
- Associates already had basic product knowledge and customer service skills
- The real issue was inconsistent decision-making
- Key factors (pronation, terrain, customer profile) were not applied consistently
- Available tools were underused or used incorrectly
Most importantly:
Most importantly:
The gap was not about motivation—it was about process and skill.
The gap was not about motivation—it was about process and skill.
Associates didn’t need more information.
They needed a clear mental model and practice applying it in real situations.
Associates didn’t need more information.
They needed a clear mental model and practice applying it in real situations.
My Approach
My Approach
To address this, I focused on aligning training with real on-the-floor performance, rather than content coverage.
To address this, I focused on aligning training with real on-the-floor performance, rather than content coverage.
I used action mapping to:
I used action mapping to:
- Identify the key behaviors required for accurate recommendations
- Eliminate unnecessary content
- Ensure every activity directly supported a real-world task
The core actions I designed for:
The core actions I designed for:
- Assess customer needs (running style, terrain, preferences)
- Evaluate foot metrics and pronation
- Recommend shoes that match both factors
This approach ensured that training focused on decision-making, not memorization.
This approach ensured that training focused on decision-making, not memorization.
The Solution
The Solution
I designed a scenario-based eLearning experience that helps associates practice making accurate shoe recommendations in realistic customer interactions.
I designed a scenario-based eLearning experience that helps associates practice making accurate shoe recommendations in realistic customer interactions.
The training focuses on building a consistent decision-making process by guiding learners to:
The training focuses on building a consistent decision-making process by guiding learners to:
- Identify customer needs (running surface and preferences)
- Assess pronation using observation
- Match shoe features to those factors
Each scenario includes immediate feedback with explanations, helping learners understand why a recommendation works—not just what to choose.
Each scenario includes immediate feedback with explanations, helping learners understand why a recommendation works—not just what to choose.
This approach shifts learning from memorization to applied decision-making, directly addressing the inconsistency identified in the analysis.
This approach shifts learning from memorization to applied decision-making, directly addressing the inconsistency identified in the analysis.
Impact/Results
Impact/Results
This solution directly targets the root cause of the problem—inconsistent decision-making.
This solution directly targets the root cause of the problem—inconsistent decision-making.
Expected impact:
Expected impact:
- More consistent and accurate shoe recommendations
- Increased associate confidence when explaining decisions
- Improved customer experience
- Reduction in product returns (target: 10%)
Success would be measured by:
Success would be measured by:
- Decrease in return rates
- Improved customer satisfaction ratings
- More consistent use of the recommendation process on the sales floor.
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