Any advice about learning the customer service desk

Date: Aug 14, 2015

Any advice about learning the customer service desk

Date: Aug 14, 2015

You have to be about your business all the time in order to do well. Those in customer service that stand around and order other people around all day are hardly in customer service at Kroger. You have to be able to do it all, all the time. If you need to run the office, do it, if you need to run floors, do it, if you need to run self checkout, do it, if you need to do anything at all, just do it. I have office helpers who constantly bicker about who is going to do what, which is just crazy. Get ready for people to yell at you, and always act professional, because you never know who is watching. Running any office at any store is not a difficult task, but, there is a lot of responsibility involved. Always put your customers first, and do WHATEVER it takes to get the job done, that ultimately allows your front end to run well. If you just put your head down and do your job, you will do very well. Any old-timer Front End Manager like myself and many others would be delighted to have someone who does all that on their team.

Good luck!

Going 4011 · Guru

No offense to you (1st replier), but I sure bet they'd be delighted. You've got someone to run the desk, do U-Scan, supervise, bag, "do it all, all the time", all for the price of one and at least in my store, with no pay raise (and while keeping that professional smile plastered to your face!). At our store we try to have the office person run the office and do it well, but unless they're covering a break or lunch and it's absolutely unavoidable, they don't take on more than one task. When they're not busy helping customers, they do office tasks that need doing (stocking cigarettes, filling out new Kroger card apps, general tidying up). I think that's more fair than covering up a lack of hours or a weakness in schedule making by having your employees do the job of multiple people.

Anyways, as far as tips are concerned, there's a good thread here you might find helpful. Take notes, lots of them. Make sure you know what you're doing, in the correct order, when you're closing the office. Keep everything neat, organized, and well-documented (in our store they have us keep void and refund receipts, and receipts for financial transactions like Western Union). This will keep your accountants happy and your job safe. Don't be afraid to ask for help from someone who has more training, and don't be afraid to second check (out of earshot, of course) what a customer is telling you when it involves a good amount of money. Know what to do for what kind of refunds (vague because I'd imagine procedures differ based on store/district, but definitely find out!). Keep the door under lock and key. DON'T BE AFRAID TO ASK FOR HELP. Keep in mind there's cameras watching everything, don't do anything you wouldn't want a manager to see. Be polite with customers, no matter how dumb or wrong they may be, refunds and all that might be annoying to give to someone who may not deserve them, but it keeps them in our store and Lord knows management will side with customers anyway. Be on good terms with whoever wears the vest. That's about all I can think of for now :)

Date: Aug 15, 2015

Take notes on EVERYTHING. How to use machines, policies, etc.

If your store is like mine, there are a lot of regulars. If you are new to the office, they will automatically assume that you are incompetent. If they won't accept your answer just because you are the new guy, ask "your supervisor" (which means anyone else in the office). If they ask for a manager, get one. Most of the time they will side with the customer for things like refunds, but for other things (particularly western union, bill pay, and checks), they will side with you.

Most important thing - you are dealing with way more cash than out on the floor. If something seems off, ask for help. If you don't know the employee, check with someone else before cashing a Kroger paycheck. Make sure you understand how to check for counterfit bills and ID's. Always count back large amounts of cash. Always get permission to do things that seem strange. If you call management because someone wants to return a Kuerig machine with no proof that they bought it there, they will side with the customer. Make sure the manager makes that call though. If you do, you can get in trouble.

Also remember that you won't be fired for upsetting a customer. If you don't know if you are doing something right, ask. If you need to wait for 15 minutes to get a manager to the front, you'll keep your job but make someone pissed off. If you do something seriously wrong (running a check through without an ID, taking a bad check, not collecting the right amount of money, etc.), you will get fired. Always collect money first and give out things (WU receipts, money orders, paying bills, lottery tickets, etc.) last.

the_outlaw2011 · Veteran Member

I usually work the late office shift, and this is what I do.

1. Get with the floor supervisor and make sure all breaks and lunches are caught up.
2. Do safe drops on registers which I know have been run long enough to warrant safe drops. I collect run-through Coinstar slips and keep them together and put them in the back accounting room.)
3. Make a note of who is working in other departments (produce, deli, meat, etc.) and call them by name in case we need relief help to satisfy the Que.
4. If there is another person trained in the office and they are scheduled to clock out around 6:30 to 8:00, take my lunch first and have them keep an eye on the office.
5. Write down a list in the back accounting room to write down loans from the safe to the registers.
6. If there is nobody trained in the store to give the fuel center a break, I close the office to give them a break.
7. Do a final set of safe drops for the registers. Collect all remaining run-through Coinstar slips and take to back accounting room. Take all coupons out of drawer and put them in coupon box.
8. After the office is closed for the night, I do a Western Union report, a Coinstar report (use a calculator to add up all run-through Coinstar slips and make sure the final total matches what is on the Coinstar report), and a lottery report (Online Summary - Today and Online Summary - Week-To-Date) and put those reports in the back accounting room.
9. Put RX tills, Deli till, and Office till in top safe. (For the office till, I put all lottery stuff with the $50s/$100s, refund/expense PO slips with the $20s, checks with the $10s, and C-pays with the $5s.
10. Fill up changers.
11. For any register which will not be run for the rest of the night, after the changers are filled, I will take the tills out of the drawers, put the coin rolls in their respective tills, and put the tills in the top safe. (We usually need just two registers past 10 pm.) Normally, I keep tills in registers 2 and 3. (Register 3 is always used by the 6 am cashier when the store opens, and Register 2 is 20 "about 20 items or less" express lane.)
11. Use VeriBalance to put all loans into the computer. (Only do this if you know how to use VeriBalance and are authorized to use VeriBalance.)
12. If there has been a Loomis delivery, I put it into the computer on VeriBalance using Safe Management, Armored Car Delivery, key in whatever is on the delivery slip, and process as "Current". (Only do this if you know how to use VeriBalance and are authorized to use VeriBalance.)
13. Make sure all misplace is taken care of, and make sure all carts are off the lot. (If there is no courtesy clerk til midnight, I will go get carts after the night crew arrives at 10 pm.)
14. After lot and misplace is taken care of, start making announcements at 11:30 that the store will be closing at midnight. (I make more announcements at 11:45, 11:50, and 11:55.)
15. Help somebody from the night crew walk the store to make sure no other customers are in the store. If there are none, they walk to the front, I have the cashier and courtesy clerk - if there is one - to clock out, I make sure all registers are signed out, I leave, and night crew locks the door.

If you do not know how to use VeriBalance and/or you are not authorized to use VeriBalance, then let the morning accountant put the Loomis delivery and all loans into the safe. (They will do it under "Previous".) If you get on there and screw something up and you are not authorized to use VeriBalance, they will see you on camera, and you will have some 'splaining to do.