More than ever before, retailers face incredible pressure to deliver on customer experience. Whether online or in-store, the “Amazon Effect” sets the bar for every consumer interaction to be convenient, immediate, and personalized.

But if you manage to deliver that kind of customer experience? Customers are more likely than ever to tell their story to friends and family and spread positive word of mouth — in one survey, 72% of customers indicated they share positive brand experiences with 6 or more people, and 13% share it with 15 or more people.

For better or worse, your customer experience can make or break your success. So, how can you get started on improving your customer experience?

For some retailers, it might be surprising to hear that your LMS can impact how shoppers engage with your store. But we’ve seen the connection between employee training and customer experience for a long time now, and that’s the first solution we look to when helping retailers improve their shopping experience.

Here are three examples of what we mean:

#1: Customers want knowledgeable employees, your LMS helps your employees stay up to date on products

It’s not a good look for your brand when your customers come into the store more knowledgeable than your employees. But when as much as 79% of shoppers research products prior to purchasing in-store (not to mention while they’re shopping!), the bar gets raised again on the kind of product knowledge those customers expect from your employees.

The modern LMS perfectly supports retail employee product knowledge. It streamlines the distribution of frequent product updates into one platform, making it easier to get the new information to employees in the field. It also makes it convenient for employees to learn on their own time and check for updates during downtime they have on the floor instead of waiting for formal, predetermined blocks of training time.

#2: Customers want tech-enabled employees, your LMS helps your employees learn new tech

Did you know that 53% of Millennial shoppers don’t think store associates have the tools they need to deliver great customer service? Equipping a large footprint of retail stores with advanced technology can be a hard sell when you can’t be sure if employees will know how to use it.

Once again, the LMS steps up as a powerful resource. You can distribute education and train employees on the new technology in a familiar digital environment, and provide support and community around the new technology to further improve adoption rates. That way, when you bring in new tools and technology to help employees meet your customer’s needs, it becomes even easier for employees to learn how to use it and assimilate it into their day-to-day roles.

#3: Customers want to see and experience products, your LMS helps your employees sell more

As important as a well-informed staff is to customer experience, it’s also important to your retail sales. Customers increasingly use brick-and-mortar stores as discovery and experience hubs to find new products, with as many as 62% of shoppers spending more than they intended when they shop at a physical store. But if you want shoppers to be in the mindset of exploration and discovery, you must support them with well-trained and knowledgeable staff members — otherwise inconvenience or poor service gets in the way of the sale.

Modern LMS technology combines a cutting edge user experience with intentional learning strategies to create the most engaging learning experience possible. As a result, you can see higher rates of information retention and voluntary engagement within the LMS, as well as employee engagement and company culture, all of which combine to help your employees reach their potential and deliver a great customer experience.

Using an LMS to give your customers what they want

If you want to build a customer experience that wows customers across the board, turn to your LMS first. When you give your employees everything they need to serve your customers under one digital roof, you empower them to deliver an excellent customer experience.