Five steps for making sure your best store is every store.

Opening multiple stores is an important part of growing a retail business. A large estate has many benefits, but it also presents new challenges. In order to stay profitable, you need to identify your best performing store and bring the rest of your estate up to the same level. 

This is a lot to ask, but we can help. Our system lets you coordinate your efforts across multiple stores, helping associates work together to face any challenges that come their way. In this blog we’ll take a look at the five biggest obstacles facing stores, and the ways in which you can overcome them with VoCoVo. 

A challenging time for retailers

As we’re sure you know, the last few years have been tough on those working in retail. We recently conducted our biggest ever survey of over 1200 associates and decision makers from stores in the UK, North America  and Germany. 

The results paint a clear picture of the everyday struggles experienced by associates:

• 40% consider associate shortages to be their biggest challenge
• 76% are forced to juggle multiple responsibilities as a result of these shortages
• 15% say that theft is a major concern

Download the full report here

Smart technology isn’t helping

The survey results are especially illuminating when it comes to smart technology. It seems that many decision makers are using smart devices to ease the pressure on the shop floor. Unfortunately, this approach is not proving successful:

• 62% of North American  associates don’t believe that smart technology improves their performance
• Only half believe that smart devices have made their jobs easier
• 38% feel that current smart technology is unable to handle the challenges of the shop floor

This brings us to our final problem- the growing disconnection between head office and the shop floor. The rush to update in-store technology has left many associates feeling alienated from those in charge:

• 79% of decision makers feel that they are providing sufficient smart device training, but 30% of associates disagree
• 26% of North American associates feel that head office doesn’t understand the challenges they face
• 39% feel that head office doesn’t consider their needs when implementing new technology

VoCoVo: your all in one solution

All of these problems create more stress for associates, resulting in low morale and poor productivity. This could lead to resignations, making life even harder for the associates that remain. Once a store enters this cycle, getting it back on track can be extremely difficult.

This is where we can help. Our system lets you tackle each of these problems individually. We can help you to remove the barriers to productivity one by one, so that you can bring every store in your estate up to standard:

1. Our headsets ease the pressure on associates when numbers are tight. Associates can communicate instantly from anywhere in store, letting them find information for customers without leaving their side. This cuts daily walking distance by up to 1500 yards, saving both time and energy.
2. Hands-free headsets let associates answer questions without pausing their work. Headsets can also be linked to your phone system, allowing associates to answer calls from the shop floor. By enabling this kind of multitasking, VoCoVo can improve task efficiency by 105 minutes a day.
3. Headsets help you to crack down on shoplifting by linking associates to your security team at all times. Associates can report suspicious behavior discreetly, making it less daunting to raise the alarm. Our research shows that associates feel 54% safer when using VoCoVo.
4. Headsets can be used to train new associates more effectively. This is especially useful for smart device training. An experienced associate can demonstrate a device while simultaneously explaining it to new recruits via their headsets.
5. Personalized voice reminders allow head office to send alerts to multiple stores at once. This allows decision makers to send updates directly to associates’ headsets without the need to call a formal meeting. Sending regular messages lets associates across your estate know that you haven’t forgotten them.

These five examples are just the beginning. For more tips on supercharging your estate, don’t hesitate to read our latest report.