Walmart Takes Customer Service Associates To School

It’s become a tired trope to complain about how much better customer service was in the good old days of retail, but one company at least thinks that a more academic approach to greeting, bagging and all-around assisting can make a difference.

The Dallas Morning News reported that Walmart is set to open about 200 new academies dedicated to training department and assistant store managers in the finer points of the American consumer. Much like a finishing school for the aspiring mid-level retail manager, the first academy is set to open Friday (March 4) at a Walmart Supercenter in Carrollton, Texas, with two more opening in Arkansas by the end of the month.

Sonya Hostetler, general manager for Walmart’s Dallas region, told The Dallas Morning News that the company is confident the academies can help improve on some disappointing customer service reviews in the past.

“Happy associates, make happy customers,” Hostetler said. “We will end up with better customer service in our stores. Our associates will have a better understanding of the expectations we have as they serve customers and how far we want them to go to satisfy the customer.”

While Walmart’s customer service training has usually revolved around videotaped instructional programs shown during orientation periods, the new academies will replace all that with reconstructed stores that allow would-be students to practice their skills under the live fire of customers trying to return produce and claim discounts that never existed in the first place. The Carrollton academy will have 14 full-time trainers, and educational retreats for lucky applicants will range from two to six weeks.

“We haven’t been consistent with training across all stores so that everyone knows how to take care of the customer,” Hostetler told The Dallas Morning News. “The program will also help managers know how to develop and train the folks who work for them to be successful on a career path.”