Boost retail peak-season efficiency with employee-centric strategies from the start.
Rewritten Article:
During the height of the holidays, retail companies are racing to deliver a top-notch customer experience. With overall retail spending predicted to surge between 3.5% to 4.6% this season, reaching an estimated $1.56 trillion, retailers are pulling out all the stops. This includes recruiting as many as 100,000 seasonal employees to swell their ranks [1]. For these newbies, the retail industry represents their first taste of the workforce: they're the face of the shopping experience and, consequently, a crucial element of delighting customers during the busiest time of year.
But onboarding this many staff members at once introduces fresh challenges that could easily lead to unhappy customers and slipping profits. These trials aren't exclusive to heightened periods; they impact full-time employees year-round as well. When workers aren't supported effectively, both consumer and employee satisfaction can take a tumble.
Retail chieftains should seize the opportunity presented by the current hiring surge to reassess and elevate the employee experience, thereby bolstering customer contentment. Here's how to do it:
Examining the legacies of pandemic-era operations
The pandemic brought about major shifts in consumer behavior, like the emergence of contactless shopping and curbside pickup. These trends appear here to stay. However, many retailers haven't modernized their tech and processes to accommodate these lasting changes. When high in-store traffic intersects with increased buy online, pick up in-store (BOPIS) orders, the result is an additional burden on employees.
If a retailer hasn't taken permanent steps to streamline in-store order fulfillment to make it as efficient as possible, seasonal employees will struggle to adapt to makeshift systems. The key to successfully mass-training new team members starts with setting clear expectations and processes so they can get up to speed swiftly.Before welcoming new faces, retailers must ensure that they've invested time in analyzing, simplifying, and optimizing tasks and processes. Soliciting feedback from existing employees about how operations have evolved over time can provide the insights leaders need to update processes and create an environment where experienced workers feel heard.
Exploring technology's potential for enhancing retail jobs
Digging into operational worries begins with understanding how to find inefficiencies and create value. For instance, a renowned retail brand is employing process mining technology to manage logistics from dock to stock to carrier performance. This helps store managers plan staffing more effectively by accurately predicting shipment arrival times.
Unpredictable or inflexible schedules are one of the top reasons retail employees leave their jobs. Seasonal workers, with weaker attachment to the company, may be more prone to quitting when faced with unmanageable work schedules. By providing more notice or consistency in shift assignments, employee satisfaction will soar.
Technology aimed at customers can likewise boost both the employee and customer experiences. Reformation's dressing room technology lets customers select alternative sizes or other items to try on, ensuring employees quickly gather new items and keeping shoppers in dressing rooms longer, ultimately boosting sales.
Unifying corporate objectives with frontline realities
Even small, strategic decisions from corporate leaders can significantly influence the employee experience on the ground. Leaders should underscore their mission of empowering and supporting frontline teams. For example, Sephora calls its head office the Field Support Center, while Nike regards store employees as athletes, fostering a culture of camaraderie and support.
Collecting and analyzing employee satisfaction data can help leaders stay ahead of burnout and turnover in the workforce. Companies like Starbucks and Amazon offer employee benefits such as college tuition coverage or early access to earned wages to keep employees engaged. Even offering more flexibility to in-store employees, like cross-functional opportunities in customer-facing roles and behind-the-scenes positions, can boost engagement and satisfaction by enabling workers to showcase their strengths.
As retailers brace for a busy upcoming quarter, leaders should scrutinize what both permanent and temporary employees require to succeed. By capitalizing on moments of reduced demand to train full-time employees, leaders can instill increased confidence in their ability to help seasonal employees adapt more quickly. As this year's peak season is already underway, leaders should monitor performance closely through year-end, then evaluate how their processes held up under the pressure. By assessing key KPIs, examining efficiency data, and gathering employee feedback, leaders can fine-tune processes for next season.
Looking ahead
A seamless, consistent customer experience hinges on employees feeling both adequately trained and backed at work. In preparation for a bustling holiday quarter, retail leaders should assess the unique needs of both permanent and temporary employees and ensure their processes are worker-friendly and efficient. By prioritizing the employee experience, retailers can secure an edge in customer satisfaction during this holiday season [1][4][5].
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To optimize employee experience for improved customer satisfaction during peak seasons, retail companies should focus on strategic alignment, technology integration, and targeted support:
- Personalize communications to address individual needs (e.g., shift preferences, role-specific training) [1].
- Boost engagement through recognition programs, leadership interactions, and clear language choices that promote teamwork (e.g., Sephora's Field Support Center, Nike's "store athletes") [1][5].
- Streamline pre-boarding with mentors and structured checklists, and host town hall meetings or Q&A sessions to keep tabs on teams and align them with seasonal goals [2].
- Implement AI-driven scheduling to redistribute workloads and reduce stress, especially during high-traffic periods [4].
- Upskill employees via targeted training (e.g., Gen AI for compliance or customer service) to prepare them for handling selling surges [4].
- Offer flexible roles or incentives (e.g., bonuses) to combat turnover during intense periods [4][5].
- Act on employee feedback promptly, making employees feel valued and heard [2][5].
[1] https://www.gartner.com/en/HR-leaders/employee-experience#:~:text=Employee%20experience%20is%20a%20holistic,and%20drive%20desirable%20business%20results.
[2] https://hbr.org/2020/03/employee-engagement-isnt-enough-the-employee-experience
[3] https://www.forbes.com/sites/glennlloyd/2020/09/22/college-tuition-payments-becoming-hottest-new-employee-benefit/?sh=428840b51a2e
[4] https://hbr.org/2017/07/why-every-manager-needs-to-understand-employee-turnover
[5] https://hbr.org/2020/06/the-employee-experience-is-everything
- In the holiday season, retail companies are fighting to provide an exemplary customer experience, with retail spending predicted to increase between 3.5% to 4.6%, reaching $1.56 trillion.
- This surge in retail hiring presents an opportunity for companies to reassess and enhance the employee experience, ultimately bolstering customer contentment.
- The pandemic has brought about long-term changes in consumer behavior, such as contactless shopping and curbside pickup, but many retailers haven't updated their technology and processes accordingly.
- When high in-store traffic combines with increased buy online, pick up in-store (BOPIS) orders, it places an added burden on employees, making it imperative for retailers to streamline in-store order fulfillment.
- Retail leaders should solicit feedback from their employees to gain insights into how operations have evolved over time and update processes accordingly.
- Process mining technology can be utilized to manage logistics, helping store managers plan staffing more effectively by accurately predicting shipment arrival times.
- Unpredictable or inflexible schedules are one of the top reasons retail employees quit their jobs, and this problem could be exacerbated during peak seasons with seasonal workers.
- Technology aimed at customers, like Reformation's dressing room technology, can boost both the employee and customer experiences by keeping shoppers in dressing rooms longer, ultimately increasing sales.
- Leaders should prioritize their mission of empowering and supporting frontline teams, creating a culture that fosters camaraderie and support, like Sephora's Field Support Center and Nike's "store athletes".
- By collectively analyzing employee satisfaction data, retailers can stay ahead of burnout and turnover in the workforce, offering benefits like college tuition coverage or early access to earned wages.
- As retailers prepare for a busy holiday quarter, they should assess the unique needs of both permanent and temporary employees and ensure their processes are worker-friendly and efficient to secure an edge in customer satisfaction.
