I think that all Best Buy employees should have to wear a badge that shows if they really know about the products they are selling.
The other day I went to Best Buy with my dad to help him get a new laptop computer. His old one had died and all he wanted in a new one was something that was fast enough to handle large excel spreadsheets he uses for work.
There were two guys who were helping us decide which laptop was best for him and while they seemed nice, I questioned how much they actually knew about the computers. They seemed more interested in simply getting him any computer than making sure it was the right computer.
I know very little about computers and I don’t doubt that they knew 50x the stuff that I know, but their lack of interest and enthusiasm made me question their knowledge.
I started to wonder if they knew about electronics or if they had just been at Best Buy for years and worked their way up from store greeter.
Is there a test or anything that Best Buy employees are required to take to prove they know what they are selling? And if there is, why not put their test scores on their name badge?
It could say, “My name is Adam and I scored a 70% on the computer test (although I bet it would have a better name than “computer test”).
The name tag test score would work in two ways:
First, if someone had a great score they would immediately be seen as trustworthy and knowledgeable. Customers would want to work with them and their sales numbers would go up.
If Lindsey had a 97% and Brett had a 67% I would definitely ditch Brett and ask Lindsey for advice. Lindsey’s sales would go through the roof
Second, the above situation would hopefully have a positive effect on Brett. His low test score, and subsequent low sales numbers, should motivate him to learn more, retake the test and improve his score. And if it does not motivate him, I don’t want Brett working at my Best Buy.
Just by putting test scores on a name badge, Best Buy could create better employees and generate reassurance for their customers that their employees actually know what they are talking about.
Just a thought Best Buy. Take it or leave it.
Blog By Bake 