Bipin Paracha
While customer satisfaction is of utmost importance for success in any business, efficient personnel management is imperative as well. A committed workforce not only has lower turnover, but it also has a positive impact on the customer experience.
According to a report by Quantum Workplaces titled “Employee Engagement Trends Report,” well-managed personnel boosts sales and raises customer satisfaction ratings. This, in turn, improves other business metrics. Yet, while the benefits of a solid workforce management plan are undeniable, putting it in practice can sometimes prove to be more of a challenge.
Retail is one of the industries that is exceptionally reliant on good performance from its employees. Whether a customer chooses to purchase goods or services, and how often, is closely related to how satisfied they are with the service they receive. It is therefore of the utmost importance for businesses within this industry to not only implement new technologies to manage employees, but to also keep them engaged and interested in delivering the best possible customer experience.
Formidable Obstacles on the Road Towards More Efficient Workforce Management
Topping the list of roadblocks in optimizing a retail industry labor force is the financial constraint. Simply put, the costs associated with managing employees are high. Wipro has found these costs to be between 10%-20% of company revenues in the industry. With these numbers in mind, it is only clear that decreasing labor costs is a priority, but this must not come at the cost of lower quality of services.
Efforts are being made in finding ways around this problem. A joint study between Wipro and RIS News on mapping omni channel workforce management found that 64% of retail workforce managers say they want to change their processes to point employees to use their time towards tasks related to sales and customer service management. This will allow them to cut costs and spend less time on other tasks.
Another important factor that needs to be addressed is employee disengagement. Lack of communication and opportunities to share information can create frustration. In addition, a major source of disengagement is uncertainty regarding job security. With the emergence of online retailers and a need for fewer jobs, many employees feel like they are expendable, and their performance suffers. These feelings greatly affect business operations.
Mobile Technology’s Imperative Contributions
Quantum Workplace’s “Employee Engagement Trends Report” states that these hurdles can be bridged by providing employees with a sense of connection. The report also highlights the need for communicating a company’s goals and objectives, as well as their mission statement to their entire workforce. This will allow employees to feel more united at all levels.
When employees feel a stronger bond and sense of purpose, and everyone has an equal chance to share a common set of goals, morale goes up and so does performance.
Automation and intelligent workflow allocation can assist businesses in achieving these objectives and meeting other targets by opening communication channels for their employees.
In short, the retail industry needs a single tool that allows managers to measure employee engagement, provide an environment for fluid communication between personnel, and facilitate access to a wealth of data for better job performance. Mobile technology is currently the only tool that delivers all of this.
INRY’s Proven Track Record
In searching for a powerful workforce management platform, it is advisable to select one from a solutions specialist company that has already helped businesses achieve their goals. INRY possesses the tools needed to analyze data, coordinate training, prioritize tasks, organize reports and open communication channels for better dissemination of information and workflow.
INRY has a proven track record in establishing centralized databases to facilitate training and information sharing using an intuitive mobile-optimized portal which simplifies cross-department communication leading to faster problem resolutions and more cohesiveness within the workforce.
In addition, the platform’s superior data management capabilities eliminate duplicate information and miscommunication. Casey’s Retail Company, for example, benefited from 15% faster resolution times. This leap forward also helped drive employee experience and as a result, customer experience as well.
As a ServiceNow implementation partner, INRY is proud to design a personalized workforce management plan with an emphasis on streamlined communication tools and data management for your business in order to boost performance and customer satisfaction.