Transforming retail rostering to build retention and revenues
By Mark Thomas, VP of Customer Success at Rotageek
Navigating the choppy waters of the pandemic has been tough for retail businesses, but shifts in consumer behaviour long precede Covid-19.
A switch to online shopping, for example, was only accelerated by lockdowns and store closures. And, while overall figures have somewhat returned to pre-pandemic levels, it has become much harder for retail businesses to accurately predict footfall levels within their stores.
There is constant uncertainty, too, over the availability of staff, with personnel shortages and Covid related absences threatening to deplete the workforce at a moment’s notice.
Resolving issues presented by the volatility of customer numbers and availability of staff will require retailers to protect themselves as much as they can in the future.
At the same time, businesses are having to meet growing expectations around the provision of flexible working options.
Employees want more control over their working lives, and it has been recommended that the government introduces legislation to make flexible working the default position in all industries.
The retail industry, it seems, needs a silver bullet – a way to optimise the workforce, support flexibility and bring back levels of stability lost during the pandemic.
Technology is delivering cause for optimism. The digitising of retail rostering schedules, for instance, can do all of this and more – particularly when businesses keep four areas of focus front of mind: resilience, revenues, retention, and risk.
Resilience
Retail businesses must build resilience into their rostering systems in order to respond to circumstances out of their control.
Data driven rostering solutions help by collating the schedules of staff onto one system, allowing colleagues to review their rotas through mobile apps.
When a gap in the schedule appears, staff can take it upon themselves to fill it quickly, enlisting all colleagues into the role of roster management.
A more flexible and transparent scheduling system also mitigates against the uncertainty caused by worker volatility.
For businesses with multiple stores in one town, this holistic approach can be particularly beneficial; when all employees are enrolled onto the same rostering system, for example, staffing levels could be maintained by bringing together previously disparate workforces.
Retention
As an industry, retail needs to confine the production of physical rosters to the history books – not simply because they’re inherently difficult to oversee, but because employees today expect to review their working schedules through more convenient, tech-savvy means.
eRostering can accommodate more engagement, providing retail workers with the ability to swap shifts and request leave on their own terms.
Over time, this level of autonomy will improve the work/life balance, offering the kind of transparency and compromise that’s associated with more flexible working conditions. This will ultimately help to boost retention rates in an industry where turnover is notoriously high.
Revenues
Happier, more engaged staff deliver better customer service. And better service converts more browsers into buyers in store.
But there needs to be a balance between delivering an exceptional experience and not over-staffing. In the face of increased labour costs, retailers must be able to predict their optimal staffing level, with systems that can forecast demand more accurately and quickly determine the mix of skills required.
Excellent customer service brings obvious revenue gains, but that’s not where the potential ends.
Overhauling rostering will cut down schedule production time from hours, possibly days, to a few minutes, releasing retail managers from the agonising compilation of rosters. Any gains made in increased operational efficiency will be key to the bottom line.
Risk
Picture this: two employees inform their manager late on Friday evening that they can’t work their scheduled shifts the next day. The manager appeals for help, and finds workers to plug the gaps, but unbeknownst to them, these extra hours tip the stand-in workers beyond their contractual limits.
Through the power of automation, concerns over compliance are alleviated. Retailers no longer need to worry about breaching working regulations – a data driven rostering system will flag potential discrepancies before they have a chance to occur.
Rostering re-imagined
The pandemic has further exposed the flaws that were already evident in how the retail industry manages staff scheduling. But it has also shown how the right solution can help to improve the sector, developing more agile and robust businesses.
Through the relatively simple change of digitising rostering, retailers can build greater resilience into their workforce, keep staff happy, boost revenue potential, and mitigate against compliance risks.
About Rotageek
Rotageek is a data driven workforce management solution creating staff schedules using cloud-based technology to effectively manage and engage employees.
More than just digital scheduling, Rotageek uses complex, highly configurable algorithms to create millions of shift possibilities in seconds, to deliver a perfectly optimised schedule that meets business rules and legal requirements.
Today it is used by leading retail businesses and organisations including Pret a Manger, White Stuff, Pets at Home, Sephora, William Hill and Lola’s Cupcakes.
