How workforce management enhances customer experience in retail

The continuous emergence of robotics, AI and modern technology has brought about large
disruptions throughout all industries – and retail is no exception. For instance, last year global
retail e-commerce sales amounted to about 2.8 trillion dollars and are only projected to grow
more. E-commerce, alongside many other developments, have had quite an effect on the role
of stores.

The majority of modern consumers who are just looking to make a purchase can easily do so
online. When a customer enters a store, they are looking for something else. They want to
have an experience, a connection to a brand. This could be someone walking into a high-end
fashion designer store to browse the latest styles, entering a home goods store wanting to be
inspired to decorate their new home and even someone stepping into a convenience store for
fast and enjoyable service.

With the ever-evolving expectations of the modern consumer, retailers need to adapt. The
experience that customers seek comes not only from the store itself but also from its
employees. As experience becomes more and more important, it becomes paramount to
have an engaged and knowledgeable workforce that can provide the right sales services.

Having employees who can add something extra to the shopper’s experience means
achieving a maximised turnover, and seeing that the experience is enjoyed, the end result will
most likely be a returning customer.

But how can retail businesses ensure staff are providing the experience customers expect
and that stores are running optimally?

A good place to start is retail workforce management, workforce management that is built
and optimised for retail. SameSystem is one of a few such systems, made exclusively for
retailers.

Just as modern technology brought us e-commerce, it has also allowed for the development
of intelligent systems that make running a retail store more efficient. Endless amounts of data
are collected on customers’ online shopping preferences, so why not make use of in-store
data as well?

Having the right retail workforce management solution can take care of tedious
administrative tasks across the board, while simultaneously collecting data to instantly
improve in-store operations.

Knowing when customers will be in the store is key, and so is having the right staff at the right
time. Imagine having an accurately predicted schedule based on data such as the flow of
customers throughout the day, the average number of transactions each sales assistant can
handle an hour and whether any staff is scheduled to be temporarily off the shop floor – for
instance, refilling stock or packaging online purchases for in-store pick-up.

With this schedule, store managers can be confident knowing that the most knowledgeable
and high performing sales assistants are on the shop floor during times of high customer
traffic, enhancing the shopping experience and resulting in more sales.

Investing in retail workforce management opens the door for endless opportunities to
maximise your retail operations. Eliminating administrative tasks and collecting profitable
data allows everyone to place more focus on sales and in-store operations, ultimately
providing the best shopping experience to customers.

Want to learn more about how retail workforce management like SameSystem can increase your
turnover?