There are a lot of different types of available retail software, making it difficult to know what is right for your needs. The needs of a brick and mortar retail business are vastly different than that of an online retail business. Still, there are some aspects that are universal, regardless of the type of retail business you run.
One thing that retailers need, that most other businesses don’t, is robust software for dealing with constantly changing schedules. A robust scheduling software package is essential for ensuring that you have the staff you need when you need them. The following are aspects that you need to consider when looking into purchasing retail software.
Tracking Absences
One of the most difficult aspects of retail is tracking the different employees’ habits. If there is an employee who is constantly late, you want to be able to see that without having to spend a lot of time plowing through the data. The best retail software will make attendance and work habits more readily available for review. This gives you a way to gauge when you need to talk to an employee before a habit becomes a serious problem. It also lets you see who is putting in extra hours when other staff are not available. They should be rewarded for putting in the extra effort.
Robust Scheduling
Trying to schedule around so many different employees’ availability and big events is a particular challenge that most people find is a real headache. When you have a big event coming up or a holiday, you want to make sure that you have enough staff to handle the anticipated shift in customers.
The best software will make it easy to schedule your best and more reliable talent. Most retailers like to give those who have been at the store the best hours or first choice on the schedule. You want your software to be able to take things like seniority and skill set into account when creating a schedule.
Finally, you want the scheduling software to take into account scheduled time off. Staff should be able to record when they have scheduled time off, and the system will take that into account with each iteration of the schedule.
Real-time Staff Access
Giving your staff the tools to keep tabs on their own schedule can save you a considerable amount of time. The younger generations are accustomed to being able to check everything from their mobile phones. The best retailer software lets them do that so that they can make sure to schedule around their hours. It will help reduce the number the number of tardy clock ins you have.
Scalable
You want your business to grow over time. The best way to ensure that you don’t have to go through future implementation of your software is to get something that you can easily modify. The best retail software makes it easy to add new locations and employees without needing to implement a completely new software package. This also saves time as your current employees will not need to learn a new system, saving time and money on your software so you can put it toward growth.