We often describe VoCoVo as an ecosystem. Every individual Headset, Call Point and Keypad serves a purpose, but they really come into their own when they work together. VoCoVo benefits you in a number of ways, but if we had to boil it down to a single word it would be productivity.
Less waste and more profit
Things are looking better than they did a few months ago, but retailers still have a challenging year ahead. The COVID-19 outbreak saw many consumers embracing online shopping for the first time, and some of these customers won’t come back.
- 77% of UK consumers bought groceries online in 2020.
- 1 in 5 online shoppers did so for the first time.
- 42% of consumers plan to shop online more frequently after the pandemic.
With fewer customers coming through the door, you need to make the most of every opportunity. Broadly speaking there are two ways to increase profits- cutting costs and increasing sales. Improving productivity does both at once. Productive colleagues can perform tasks more efficiently, saving you money. Greater productivity also means better customer service, encouraging customers to spend more and return to your store.
Measuring changes in productivity is not always straightforward. Some aspects are easier to quantify than others. We can put a concrete figure on the savings that come from increasing task efficiency or reducing walking distance, but the effects of team spirit and job satisfaction are harder to measure. Nevertheless, with a little research, we believe that we can paint a clear picture of VoCoVo’s impact on productivity.
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Task efficiency
One of the major ways in which VoCoVo increases productivity is by empowering colleagues to work more effectively. This is something that your colleagues are keen to do. In our recent survey, 38% of retail colleagues said that using technology to improve efficiency was the key to greater productivity.
Traditional forms of shop floor communication, like tannoys and walkie talkies, waste time in countless ways. From stopping work to answer customer queries to crossing the store to find information, these lost seconds add up. We have analysed the main causes of inefficiency and designed our products with these in mind:
- Headsets allow colleagues to answer customer queries and phone calls without stopping their work. You can answer questions and continue to stock the shelves at the same time.
- Customers can request assistance via Call Points. Colleagues can answer these queries remotely.
- VoCoVo improves task efficiency by an average of 67 minutes per store per day, or 105 minutes in larger stores. This can save you as much as £5,749 per store, over the course of a year.
- VoCoVo reduces walking distance by an average of 1.4km per store . This can save you £442 per week per store.
More efficient training
Training newer colleagues properly can give your productivity a huge boost. It will save you time and money as trained colleagues are less likely to make mistakes or stop work to ask for information. As colleagues no longer need to leave customers to get an answer, the customer experience also improves, as do sales.
A good training programme also makes your company attractive to work for. A recent survey found that 35% of millennials prioritise training and development when looking for a job. Conversely, poor training makes colleagues feel undervalued, leading to lower staff retention rates. It costs an average of 6 to 9 months’ salary to replace an employee, so good training will pay for itself many times over.
VoCoVo is the ideal training tool:
- Headsets allow experienced colleagues to give hands-on training while they work. This means that you don’t have to remove colleagues from the shop floor to carry out training sessions.
- Headsets use full duplex technology to provide clear two-way conversation. This gives training a more natural feel, helping newer colleagues to relax.
- New colleagues can check information remotely without having to track down a manager in person. This means that asking questions feels like less of an imposition, reducing the risk of mistakes.
- Personalised voice reminders allow you to remind colleagues of important tasks in a non-intrusive way. Colleagues can set their own reminders, fostering a sense of independence.
Find out more about training with VoCoVo
And that’s just the beginning…
There are numerous other ways in which VoCoVo can help with productivity. From speeding up the checkout process to improving security, our products create a better in-store experience for everyone. Get in touch today to find out more.