VoCoVo is all about efficiency. Every part of our system is designed to help you and your colleagues make the most of your time. This is especially important at the moment:
- The retail sector has lost almost 190,000 jobs since the start of the pandemic. Many stores are operating with reduced numbers and cannot afford to rehire colleagues.
- Self-isolation rules look set to continue for the rest of the year. Experts also believe we are in for a severe winter flu season. This means that frequent absences are likely.
- 86% of UK consumers are expected to shop online in 2021. Convenience is a key factor in this decision. Speeding up in-store service is the only way to compete.
With fewer colleagues on the floor and an impatient customer base, you need to make every second count. Our system uses the power of communication to turn your team into a well-oiled machine:
1. Reduce travel time by 1.4km per day
Retail colleagues spend a lot of time walking. Visiting the stockroom to check on an order or tracking down a colleague to ask for advice is a time-consuming process. In larger stores such as DIY outlets or out of town supermarkets, this can have a serious effect on efficiency.
This is where our headsets can help. Colleagues can communicate instantly, even if they are at opposite ends of the store. Our research shows that this can save each colleague up to 1.4km of unnecessary walking each day.
2. Free up seven hours per day:
Reducing walking distance by 1.4km will save each colleague an average of 17 minutes per day. If you employ 25 colleagues, this is over seven hours of extra working time- the equivalent of hiring an extra colleague.
3. Save £22,995 by reducing walking distance
Cutting out unnecessary walking allows colleagues to make better use of their time. Over the course of the year, this translates into some serious savings:
- Reducing walking distance by 1.4km saves you an average of £919 per colleague every year
- If you employ 25 colleagues, you will save £22,995 each year on travel time alone
4. Save 105 minutes per day on task efficiency
The shop floor can be a distracting place. Colleagues are frequently interrupted by customer questions, and this can make it hard to stay on task.
VoCoVo solves this problem by combining hands-free headsets with customer call points. Customers can ask questions via a call point and colleagues can answer without stopping their work. Telephony integration also allows colleagues to take external calls from the shop floor.
By enabling multitasking, our system can save you 67 minutes per day. In larger stores, this increases to 105 minutes per day.
5. Save £5,749 by improving task efficiency
It is often said that time is money. In the case of task efficiency, this is literally true. Improving efficiency by 105 minutes per day can save you:
- £111 per week per store
- £5,749 per year per store
Find out how much you could save with our team time-saver calculator:
6. Save £30,888 by unmanning counters
Almost half of customers increased their use of Click & Collect during the pandemic. While this has its benefits for stores, it also presents a problem. Along with customer service desks, Click & Collect points require colleague supervision to operate. These desks aren’t always busy, meaning that the assigned colleague is left with nothing to do during quiet periods. When numbers are tight, this is time you can’t afford to waste.
Our call points give you the best of both worlds. Colleagues can leave the Click & Collect desk to perform other tasks without worrying about missing a customer. If a customer needs help, they simply press the call point to alert a colleague.
Our research shows that removing one colleague from this area can save you £594 per week per store. Over the year, this adds up to a saving of £30,888.
7. Save £36,504 by reducing SCO intervention
Three quarters of shoppers used self-checkouts during the pandemic, and most will continue to do so afterwards. Sadly, manual authorisations remain an unavoidable part of this process. There is always a danger that colleagues will spend all day running between SCOs, never getting a chance to perform other tasks.
Our headsets allow colleagues to authorise purchases remotely from anywhere within sight of the self-checkout. This allows a single colleague to oversee multiple SCOs from a fixed position. Call points can also be placed on self-checkouts. As with Click & Collect desks, this allows colleagues to get on with other jobs between customers.
Removing one colleague from the self-checkout area can save you £702 per week per store. This means a saving of £36,504 per year.
8. Save over £96,000 in total
All of these savings come together to create a truly spectacular result. We estimate that a large store is likely to save £96,136 per year. At this rate, our system will pay for itself in just three months, leaving you nine months of pure profit!
Find out how we reached this total:
9. Save millions across your estate
The more stores you have, the greater the potential savings. Larger estates stand to save millions each year:
- 100 stores could save over £9.6 million
- 250 stores could save over £24 million
- 500 stores could save over £48 million
10. Improve morale by 50%
Helping colleagues to stay on top of their workload is a surefire way to reduce stress. This may be harder to measure than other benefits, but it’s just as valuable. Happier colleagues are less likely to quit, saving you the hassle and expense of hiring and training replacements.
We ask colleagues to describe their satisfaction levels before and after every VoCoVo installation. We’ve found that our system improves morale by an average of 50%.
Get in touch today to find out more about improving efficiency with VoCoVo.