Part 2: Observation Project

7

Observation Plan for A Target Behavior

Identify and define the target behavior/pinpoint.

Target Behavior

This observation project is to observe the target behavior of employees greeting customers within five seconds of entering a retail store. This behavior was selected because greeting customers is an important customer service activity that can contribute to a positive environment and good customer and employee interaction. Quickly greeting the customer can enhance their experience and lead to higher satisfaction with the business. Positive employee-customer relationships have been shown to correlate with higher customer satisfaction, customer loyalty, and more positive views of service quality (Pham & Nguyen 2025). Thus, welcoming the customer with a timely entry is a concrete action that can have an impact on the customer and on the organization.

Operational Definition

The pinpoint behavior is defined as an employee verbally greeting a customer within five seconds of the customer entering the store. Some acceptable greetings are: “Hello”, “Welcome”, “Good morning”, or “How can I help you today?” The behavior starts when a customer steps through the entrance threshold of the store. The behavior is counted if the employee verbally greets the recipient within 5 seconds. If no greeting is given or a greeting is given after 5 seconds and only a nonverbal acknowledgement is given, then the behavior is not recorded. This behavior is observable, measurable, reliable, and passes the dead man's test, as it requires a response from the employee.

Category of Performer

The performers who will be observed are the retail store employees. These employees have the usual responsibility of communicating with customers and offering customer service during regular business hours.

Data Collection Process

Observation Setting

The observation will be conducted in a retail store setting where staff are in constant contact with customers. The business name will be anonymous, but the setting is a customer service area where customers enter the store and staff are available to serve them. In this environment, there are several chances to see if customers are welcomed at the door.

Type of Data Collected

The data collected will be frequency data. The observer will determine the number of customers entering the store and the number of customers who are verbally greeted in the first five seconds of entering the store. This data can then be used to help determine the percentage of customers greeted in each observation session.

Observation Duration

Each observation period will be 20 minutes. Consistency of observation time will facilitate data reliability and, over time, data that are comparable.

Observation Schedule

Observations will be made three times a week at different times of the day. Several observation sessions per week will allow for enough opportunities to observe the target behavior and assess patterns of employee performance. The observation schedule will also enable data collection to be completed in a timely manner during Part 2 of the project.

Summary of PIC/NIC Analysis Results

The PIC/NIC analysis suggests that employees may not consistently greet customers because the current consequences support the undesired behavior. Often, staff will be filling the shelves or tidying up the stock or doing other work rather than attending to customers. This effect will typically be immediate, beneficial and definitive, because the employee will work without interruption. However, there are not many immediate repercussions for not greeting the customers, which increases the likelihood of it continuing.

The analysis also reveals a number of factors that could enhance the desired behavior, greeting customers within five seconds of entering the store. Setting clear expectations, customer service training, reminder signs, feedback on performance and employee recognition programs can all act as antecedents and consequences to promote desired behavior. When a customer responds positively, and a supervisor gives praise, it may reinforce the employee to continue to greet customers in the same way.

Overall, the analysis of the PIC/NIC shows that making the environment conducive to the target behavior, and providing positive consequences for the target behavior, is more likely to lead to behavior change. An opportunity to be recognized, receive feedback and engage with customers in positive ways can help boost the chance of staff being able to greet customers promptly. The analysis results will be used as a basis for future observations and recommendations that will enable managers and employees to enhance the performance of customer services.

References

Pham, D. N., & Nguyen, G. T. (2025). The relationship between employee satisfaction and customer loyalty: The mediating role of customer experience.  Edelweiss Applied Science and Technology,  9(3), 1531-1543. DOI: 10.55214/25768484.v9i3.5598