There are a lot of thoughts running through a retail manager’s head at any point in time. From scheduling employees to balancing inventory levels, it takes hard work to run a successful store. Fortunately, the innovative culture of the digital age we are living in means there are new solutions to make nearly anything work more efficiently. With inventory management systems, managers can stay on top of their inventory and optimize a strategy based on the ebb and flow of business. So why aren’t workforce management systems just as popular?
Save Time with Automation
You, as a manager, spend time optimizing inventory – whether that be making sure you have enough dresses during a sale or ordering a pair of out-of-stock shoes online. Through technology, inventory management has been streamlined and managers are enabled to run more efficient, prosperous stores. But inventory is just one of a manager’s numerous responsibilities – why don’t managers think about their staff in the way they do with their merchandise?
Streamlined, automated processes can save valuable time and free up the manager from tedious tasks. Technology is capable of optimizing schedules according to employee requests, as well as performance ratings, so you no longer have to deal with complicated manual scheduling. Managers can also save time by using automated time sheets and attendance records, which are recorded by the employee through an app and sent directly for processing.
Find a Balance
There’s no reason to put up with the chaotic environment associated with retail – especially when there are workforce optimization solutions out there to navigate the space for you. You have learned how to balance your inventory according to the flow of business. Too much stock means dealing with the costs of storing and displaying it; too little stock means lost revenue that proper inventory levels could have generated.
The same truth applies in balancing employees; poor scheduling can lead to shifts that are overstaffed, where money is lost due to inefficient scheduling, or understaffed shifts, where money is lost due to unnecessary overtime payments and missed sales opportunities. With a software platform displaying who is working where and when, you can avoid the chaos and easily revise the schedule, especially when the need is urgent.
Focus on Your People
If there are no people in the brick-and-mortar store to sell, there are no sales, and there is no movement of inventory. It’s just as important to manage a workplace as it is to manage merchandise. Through workforce management systems, managers can identify top performing individuals and utilize them strategically – like when there’s a big sale or important holiday coming up. When it comes to meeting sales goals, your people are just as important as your merchandise.
When a manager optimizes their workforce strategically, as they do with their inventory, they create a better environment for achieving their retail store’s goals. AllWork’s platform allows any retailer to access an on-demand and flexible workforce. We know that in-store talent drives the retail industry and that managing profitability from each store is a key concern, so we’ve created an efficient way to find, manage, and pay talent. Learn more about AllWork here.
