Retail Ready - entry into retail, customer service with CRM, digital communication and digital marketing

The course provides practical knowledge about the retail sector - from merchandise knowledge and checkout systems to customer communication, POS marketing and personnel management. One focus is on customer relationship management, including CRM software, conversation techniques, digital communication and professional complaint management. The course also shows how artificial intelligence can be used in a professional context. The course is rounded off with modern forms of marketing and communication such as market research, target group analysis, SEO, social media, content marketing and the use of web analytics and chatbots.
  • Certificates: "Retail Ready - Entry into the retail sector" certificate
    Certificate "Customer service with CRM"
    Digital Communication" certificate
    Digital Marketing" certificate
  • Examination: Praxisbezogene Projektarbeiten mit Abschlusspräsentationen
  • Teaching Times: Full-time
    Monday to Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 3:35 p.m. (in weeks with public holidays from 8:30 a.m. to 5:10 p.m.)
  • Language of Instruction: German
  • Duration: 16 Weeks

Retail Ready - entry into the retail sector

Retail basics (approx. 2 days)

Structure and organization of the retail business

Tasks of the retail trade

Introduction to product ranges

Presentation of goods and prices

Overview: Forms of distribution and sales channels


Product knowledge (approx. 4 days)

Assortment classification

Production and nutrients of food

Textile raw materials and material composition

Labeling and storage (incl. shelf zones, product carriers)

Labeling and care of textiles

Handling packaging and sustainable packaging trends

Promotional placement of special offers

Dealing with unsaleable goods

Legal regulations (LMIV, Price Indication Regulation, textile labeling, etc.)


Artificial intelligence (AI) in the work process

Presentation of specific AI technologies and

Possible applications in the professional environment


Cash register systems and payment methods (approx. 3 days)

Basics of checkout systems

Payment methods, incl. contactless, mobile, digital

Cash register organization and instructions

Cash register training: keyboard, scanner, checkout processes

Cash register accounting and difference clarification

Security features of banknotes


Customer contact and communication (approx. 2 days)

Advising and informing customers

Basis of communication and body language

Complaints, returns and exchanges


Special sales situations (approx. 1 day)

Recognizing and reacting to shoplifting

Dealing with accompanying persons (e.g. children, pets)

De-escalation with difficult customers


Assortment and sales management (approx. 2 days)

Assortment optimization and development

Merchandise management systems (insight and control)

Key sales figures and purchasing behavior

Analyzing customer structure

Inventory management and replenishment processes

Planning sales, income and costs


POS marketing and customer approach (approx. 2 days)

Sales and advertising concepts

pricing policy

Sales promotion

Visual merchandising

Customer loyalty programs

Location-based public relations


Insight into personnel management (approx. 1 day)

Planning personnel requirements and personnel costs

Selection and recruitment of employees

Scheduling and shift models


Project work (approx. 3 days)

To consolidate the content learned

Presentation of the project results

Customer service with CRM

Basics & Strategic CRM (approx. 2 days)

CRM as a strategic corporate function

Companyblueprint: company processes

CRM vs. pure software solution


Business models & target group analysis (approx. 1 day)

Business models in the CRM environment

Market and target group definition

Personas for a differentiated customer approach

Sales channels in strategic CRM


Customer worlds & individual relationships (approx. 1 day)

Definition of the customer world

Customer journey, customer experience

Customer needs-demands-motives


ERP & operational CRM (approx. 1 day)

Resource planning and business contexts

CRM in the value chain

Synergy between sales, marketing & service


Data protection & GDPR (approx. 1 day)

Data protection

GDPR in marketing

DSGVO practical cases


CRM software systems (approx. 2 days)

Introduction to CRM systems

Implementation of software

Mapping processes, automating workflows


Artificial intelligence (AI) in CRM (approx. 1 day)

Presentation of specific AI technologies

Predictive analytics

Sentiment analytics

AI humanizers for customer loyalty


Analytical CRM (approx. 2 days)

KPIs for measuring success

Data mining, OLAP

SWOT analysis in CRM

Drill-down analysis


Customer Relationship Cycle & Customer Satisfaction (approx. 2 days)

Customer Relationship Cycle

Satisfaction management: NPS, CSAT, KANO & parameters for optimization


Customer acquisition, customer loyalty & increasing profitability (approx. 2 days)

Account-Based Marketing (ABM)

Strategic acquisition processes

Loyalty programs

Increase profitability


Customer communication as a relationship guarantor (approx. 2 days)

Conversational skills and empathy in customer contact

Psychology of customer relationships

De-escalation techniques for critical customer moments

How authentic communication creates long-term relationships


Project work (approx. 3 days)

To consolidate the content learned

Presentation of the project results

Digital communication

Basics (approx. 2 days)

What is "digital communication"?

Differentiation from analog communication

Mixed forms

Advantages and disadvantages of digital communication (always on, data integration, internationalization, interactivity)

What is digital rhetoric?

Text-based, audio-visual and multimedia communication channels and hybrid forms (e-mail, instant messaging, podcasts, etc.)


Legal basics (approx. 1 day)

Media and copyright law

Data protection (DSGVO) and data security

Encryption of data


Artificial intelligence (AI) in the work process

Presentation of specific AI technologies

and possible applications in the professional environment


Media competence (approx. 1 day)

keywords

algorithms

Recognizing fake news

Confirmation bias

Prompt engineering


Corporate communication (approx. 2 days)

Networked working environments/collaborative working

New Work

Corporate Communication

New, digital corporate models and tools

Digital change in the corporate culture

Social networks

Social intranet

Video conferencing


Customer communication (approx. 2 days)

Meaning and structure of e-commerce

Customer experience (CX)

Medium selection for written customer contact based on customer needs

Communication requirements at the customer touchpoint

Definition and implementation of conversation goals

Successful and active conversation management

Solution-oriented conversation

Saying goodbye at the end of the conversation

Chatbots


E-mails in the digital age (approx. 1 day)

The customer-oriented e-mail

Formulations

Choosing the right writing style

Quick blocks

Spam filter


Video conferences and telephone calls (approx. 3 days)

Preparation for online meetings

Methods and tools for successful

online meetings

Procedures and pitfalls in online calls

Technical framework conditions

The importance of body language, influence of voice, choice of language, facial expressions and gestures

Perception of breathing, voice pitch, articulation and posture as well as personal perception

Active listening

Radiating confidence and competence

Service-oriented greeting, successful and active conversation skills

Invitation, preparation and follow-up (taking minutes)


Conflict management (approx. 1 day)

Causes of a conflict

Conflict models

Obstacles to communication

Stages of conflict management

Roles within conflict management

Shitstorm

Dealing with trolls


Project work (approx. 2 days)

To consolidate the content learned

Presentation of the project results


Complaints management


Introduction to complaint management (approx. 1 day)

Complaints as opportunities for the company

Causes and types of complaints

Understanding customer behavior

Complaint management systems


Psychology of the complaint (approx. 1 day)

Iceberg theory

Relationship levels

Needs pyramid according to Maslow


Reaction to complaints (approx. 0.5 days)

Interpreting complaints and wishes

Tone and voice pitch

Key factors


Processing of complaints (approx. 1 day)

Basic rules for complaints

Processing written complaints

Procedure of a complaint discussion


De-escalation strategies (approx. 0.5 days)


Project work (approx. 1 day)

To consolidate the content learned

Presentation of the project results

Digital Marketing

Basics (approx. 2 days)

Market research and analysis

Target group analysis, customer insights

Limbic map

Customer Experience (CX)

4Ps (Product, Price, Place, Promotion)

Price and sales strategy

B2B and B2C

Communication strategy and channels


Digital marketing (approx. 5 days)

Marketing forms and media advertising

Design options with Canva

Content marketing, storytelling

Content management systems (CMS)

SEO/SEA

Google Ads

Mobile marketing

Push and pull marketing/pay-per-click (PPC)

Special forms of advertising at a glance: Display, affiliate and viral marketing

Retargeting and remarketing

Social media marketing in online publishing

Collaborative consumption

Email and newsletter marketing

Cross-channel and cross-media: the optimal marketing mix


Artificial intelligence (AI) in the work process

Presentation of specific AI technologies

and possible applications in the professional environment


Web analytics and social media monitoring (approx. 1.5 days)

Key Performance Indicator (KPI)

Monitoring processes

Social media monitoring

Web analytics

Google Analytics


Chatbots and dialog design (approx. 0.5 days)

Chatbots in marketing

Related systems


Performance measurement and budgeting (approx. 4 days)

Measurement parameters, billing models and key figures

Methods and tools for usability measurement and optimization

Buyer's journey, customer decision funnel, AIDA model, after sales

4Rs (Recognition, Relevance, Reward, Relationship)

Budgeting


Data Driven Marketing (approx. 1 day)

Big Data, Smart Data, Data Driven Marketing, First Party Data, Second Party Data


Legal framework (approx. 1 day)

Copyright, personal rights and rights of use

Information obligations on the Internet

Trademark, competition and expression law

Legal limits of unauthorized advertising

Trademark registration and trademark monitoring


Project work (approx. 5 days)

To consolidate the content learned

Presentation of the project results



Changes are possible. The course content is updated regularly.

You are familiar with the organization of retail businesses, the handling of goods, checkout systems and customers as well as sales promotion measures. You are also familiar with the basics of sales management and personnel management.

You also have a holistic understanding of CRM. You are able to analyze and optimize customer relationships.

You will also gain confidence in communicating with digital communication tools and technologies and, above all, learn how to communicate with customers in a winning and solution-oriented way. Furthermore, you will be able to deal with complaints, process them and thus optimize customer satisfaction. You will be able to design complaint management systems and know that the focus here is on increasing customer orientation.

After the course, you will also be familiar with the most important modern marketing strategies and communication channels, be able to plan, implement and evaluate marketing strategies and work creatively with Canva. You will also be familiar with the most important terms and activities in the field of digital marketing, such as social media and influencer marketing, the 4Ps and 4Rs or cross-channel and cross-media marketing.

This course is aimed at anyone whose daily work involves contact with customers or whose area of responsibility involves external communication.

This course is suitable for anyone who wants to gain a professional foothold in marketing or successfully market their company. The course is also suitable for lateral entrants, e.g. from technical professions.

You will have a wide range of career prospects in sales, customer service and product presentation. The knowledge you acquire will qualify you for entry-level positions in retail.

You will also gain in-depth knowledge of customer relationship management (CRM). After the course, you will be able to take on responsible tasks in customer service.

You will also qualify for a career in marketing. Your newly acquired skills are in demand at all companies with a marketing department, but also at advertising agencies or companies in wholesale and retail.

Your meaningful certificate provides a detailed insight into the qualifications you have acquired and improves your career prospects.

Didactic concept

Your lecturers are highly qualified both professionally and didactically and will teach you from the first to the last day (no self-study system).

You will learn in effective small groups. The courses usually consist of 6 to 25 participants. The general lessons are supplemented by numerous practical exercises in all course modules. The practice phase is an important part of the course, as it is during this time that you process what you have just learned and gain confidence and routine in its application. The final section of the course involves a project, a case study or a final exam.

 

Virtual classroom alfaview®

Lessons take place using modern alfaview® video technology - either from the comfort of your own home or at our premises at Bildungszentrum. The entire course can see each other face-to-face via alfaview®, communicate with each other in lip-sync voice quality and work on joint projects. Of course, you can also see and talk to your connected trainers live at any time and you will be taught by your lecturers in real time for the entire duration of the course. The lessons are not e-learning, but real live face-to-face lessons via video technology.

 

The courses at alfatraining are funded by Agentur für Arbeit and are certified in accordance with the AZAV approval regulation. When submitting a Bildungsgutscheinor Aktivierungs- und Vermittlungsgutschein, the entire course costs are usually covered by your funding body.
Funding is also possible via Europäischen Sozialfonds (ESF), Deutsche Rentenversicherung (DRV) or regional funding programs. As a regular soldier, you have the option of attending further training courses via Berufsförderungsdienst (BFD). Companies can also have their employees qualified via funding from Agentur für Arbeit (Qualifizierungschancengesetz).

We will gladly advise you free of charge.

0800 3456-500 Mon. - Fri. from 8 am to 5 pm
free of charge from all German networks.

Contact

We will gladly advise you free of charge. 0800 3456-500 Mon. - Fri. from 8 am to 5 pm free of charge from all German networks.