While most business owners and managers understand how far workforce management solutions and other forms of administrative automation have come, far too many misjudge the value of such solutions in a smaller environment. It’s important to understand that workforce management isn’t just something for mega-corporations looking to shave a tiny amount from operations expenses; these tools have value for even the smallest of retail operations, so long as they’re applied effectively. Here are just a few of the ways a small retail business might leverage workforce management software:
Reduce costs
At the most basic level, the advantage of any workforce management suite lay in its ability to reduce costs. Not only can you cut down on wasted hours of employee time, pay for time when employees weren’t present, and similar expenses directly related to your retail workforce, you can cut down on administration expenses by automating much of the time-intensive work of admin. It can even help your business take steps towards a paperless office, reducing storage space for documents and similar expenses.
Make better use of your best employees
Good workforce management software makes it easier to put the right employees in the right place at the right time. In many small retail businesses, employee responsibilities can be quite flexible and varied—which makes it all the more important that you make optimal use of each team member. Effective workforce management solutions allow you to make sure a productive team is always scheduled for each shift.
Understand your team better
Not sure who your most productive team members are? Not sure when people are being overworked and falling behind or when you’re overstaffed and wasting money? These are questions proper utilization of a workforce management suite can help answer. You can even go a step further by using the integrative features of modern workforce management to cull data from other programs you utilize around your business, producing even greater levels of insight.
Engage employees
If you ask employees whether they want increased scrutiny and attention from above, they’ll almost always answer no—but the truth is more complicated. Proper engagement of your employees without being overbearing can improve employee loyalty and morale. Employees like to know that the effort they put into their work is noticed, that they’re being rewarded appropriately for their work. Cutting down on free riders who show up late and leave early has as much value in encouraging your hard workers to keep up the good work as it does anywhere else.
Easy compliance
Maintaining compliance with laws, union rules, and other regulatory hurdles can be difficult for smaller businesses, especially in areas with more detailed or nuanced regulation. In some cases, this means smaller businesses risk falling out of compliance. More often, it means being overly cautious out of fear of non-compliance and losing efficiency in the bargain. By leveraging a rich workforce management toolset with compliance considerations programmed in, you can build schedules without the stress, limitations, and paperwork of compliance—and always have thorough documentation if its needed.
Increased security
The more paper you have floating around containing detailed information on the way your business operates, the worse security becomes. A full-featured well-automated workforce management solution can cut your exposure to a tiny fraction of what it may currently be. Consider the damage your business may suffer if information compromising the privacy of an employee, supplier, or customer were to leak.
Learn more about workforce management solutions and related administrative toolsets by contacting Synerion today. We’ll be glad to answer your questions and help you find the optimal solutions for your business’ needs.