Best ways to manage your retail store employees — Retail Technology Innovation Hub

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Your aim should be to utilise and maximise the possibilities of technology.

The right retail scheduling software makes it easier to operate a retail store. It allows you to spend less time on routine tasks and more time on what matters most to your workers.

Retail scheduling software makes it easier for retailers to schedule their shifts. It may also substantially minimise the time managers spend on scheduling duties by using shift templates, smart scheduling, and automatic forecasting tools.

An absolutely inevitable part of your duty as a retail manager should be to invest in technology.

For some firms, upgrading their Point of Sale (PoS) system might be the ideal option. In contrast, others can connect their in-store technology with e-commerce platforms by implementing effective online solutions.

The most important part to consider here is the necessity of identifying operational inefficiencies, as well as consumer and employee pain points.

Once you figure that out, it would be easier for you to determine your store’s technological requirements.

You might want to consult with your staff to determine which tools will make their duties easier and ensure higher productivity. Once you have the right technology in place, half of the retail battle is already conquered.

1.   Prioritise issues

No matter how big a retail store or chain is, there are bound to be issues arising out of nowhere, almost on a daily basis.

Experts call this “necessary evil”.

Once problems pile up, it’s very easy to get overwhelmed and overlook the most crucial aspects of your operations. However, that should not be the case.

You must learn how to prioritise those difficulties on a scale of one to ten. This will help you focus your efforts by ranking your problems from most critical to least important.

Further, this practice would also ensure that your employees’ focus and productivity are not being wasted on redundant tasks.

Nurture a culture of handling retail problems in the order of priority. You need to figure out which problems your employees should focus on first.

Enabling your employees to think from this perspective will ensure they detect severe problems early and mitigate risks accordingly.

2.   Delegate most of the tasks

It’s not about doing all the retail duties by yourself to be a successful store manager. It’s all about giving individuals around you the authority to carry out the appropriate programs and activities.

It is not your role to micromanage, but to supervise. As a result, proper task delegation is essential. The right delegation framework can also help boost your retail business.

Delegation, when done correctly, ensures that people are held accountable for their actions and the outcomes of their actions, all of this while they are in charge. It also motivates people to strive for excellence in their work.

Make sure that you instill a sense of ownership in your staff. Make it clear that they aren’t just checking items off a to-do list. Rather, they must be responsible for how their tasks are completed and how hyperactive they are

3.   Hire the right set of people

As a retail store manager, you should be able to tell what qualities your staff should possess in order to help your company succeed.

You might need workers with some core competencies such as exceptional customer centric behavior, sales skills, among others.

Often retail store owners make the mistake of hiring absolute freshers, and then trying to train them from scratch. This can be a good plan in the starting, but over time, the entire burden of nurturing new talent can often be an overwhelming experience, especially during times of heavy footfall.

We recommend that rather than trying to instill those characteristics in your staff after hiring them, hire people who already have the necessary skills.

Among the main characteristics that you must be looking for are kindness, organization skills, and excellent manners. At the end of the day, retail stores strive to provide a seamless customer experience.

Your aim should be to hire people who have what it takes to deliver exceptional customer service.

4.   Develop and document repetitive processes

Setting clear work objectives for your retail personnel can help to secure your company’s assets. Simultaneously, building effective processes can significantly improve the customer experience.

The implementation of a retail operations handbook and subsequent training of team members on how to obey the regulations can be your first step to developing such a culture.

We recommend that you make a point of establishing repeatable procedures in your store and ensuring that they are well-documented. This makes it easy for your employees to follow core procedures.

It also gives you more time to focus on other aspects of retail management. As a result, at times of high customer footfall and work pressure, your personnel can complete their tasks without consulting you unless absolutely essential

5.   Keep track of your store’s statistics

You can’t manage or enhance something you don’t track. As it stands, tracking your KPIs is essential. Sales, individual sales records, employee productivity, and customer turnaround times are all measures that managers should keep track of.

This can help you project your goals and share them with your team by allowing you to compare them to other periods of the year and other businesses if you operate out of several locations.

6.   Set S.M.A.R.T. objectives for your employees