3 Ways Retail Managers Can Boost Employee Retention with Retail POS Technology
The current labor shortage has impacted many industries, and the retail sector is no exception. A report released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics shows a 5.8 percent national unemployment rate, but unemployment in the retail industry currently sits at 7.3 percent. This 1.5 percent difference has left hundreds of thousands of retail jobs unfilled and many businesses struggling to stay afloat.
More often than not, employees are frustrated with working conditions because they feel burnout and overworked. To make matters worse, out-of-date operations and systems make it even harder to work efficiently and quickly.
To maintain a productive and healthy atmosphere for employees, retailers need to invest in innovative technology like inventory management software to help empower employees and reduce turnover. Read on to discover how integrating the right technology into your point of sale (POS) system can improve your workplace, create a better work environment, and increase employee retention.
1. Increase Operational Efficiency with Mobile Technologies
Employees need real-time access to critical information; otherwise, work gets backed up, they become frustrated, and can’t do their job correctly. With mobile POS technology like wireless handhelds, you can empower staff by giving them access to the tools they need while controlling what they can access.
These multi-purpose devices can quickly switch from inventory management tools to mobile check-out solutions. By providing staff with a mobile check-out solution, you enable advanced line-busting capabilities, allowing more of your team to get out on the floor, eliminating bottlenecks at the check-out counter, and providing better customer service. In addition, when employees aren’t using their mobile POS to cash out customers, they can monitor floor inventory levels. With inventory management features, staff can minimize the time spent taking floor inventory by hand, writing down product numbers and product information. A mobile inventory management solution allows them to instantly take floor inventory and see what’s still in stock in the back as their portable POS provides front and back-office information right to their hands.
Modern retail POS technology can also boost employee morale and efficiency by pushing personalized communications to your staff when they log in to the point of sale system. These communications might include corporate and operational messaging that will help them get through their day. Instead of relying on bulletins or emails, messages are sent through channels employees prefer. Plus, employers who provide easy mobile tools over old-school solutions are more likely to retain tech-savvy employees.
2. Eliminate Worker Strain and Frustration with Inventory Tracking
If your retail business is still completing inventory by hand, you’ve likely seen how frustrating and tedious this task can be for employees. With a top-of-the-line inventory management system, you can reduce employee strain and frustration with automated tracking and ordering.
With a solid inventory management system, your inventory count is accurate and up-to-date. This ensures employees spend less time looking for out-of-stock items when restocking shelves or helping frustrated customers look for products on the floor.
In addition to being a tool for sales associates, a proper inventory management solution can help reduce stocking issues with calculated order suggestions, which can predict demand for seasonal spikes and reduce stock-outs, and overstock issues to improve operations. When overstocking is minimized, staff don’t have to worry about the burdensome task of monitoring spoilage and expired stock. This means staff can spend less time monitoring shelves and more time helping customers on the floor.
The technology around inventory is rapidly evolving, with new options becoming more affordable every day. For example, retailers can implement electronic data interchange (EDI) and wholesale integrations, enabling stores to import product and promotional information while streamlining the purchasing and receiving process. Another inventory technology growing in the retail space is electronic shelf labels. These new shelf labels are becoming more affordable and have a significant effect on staffing challenges. These labels enable a more responsive pricing strategy driving higher margins, higher sales, and less waste. Implementing new technologies in your retail business is crucial to increase employee retention in today’s highly competitive atmosphere.
3. Get Workers Out From Behind The Counter with Self-Checkout
With limited staff on hand, the last thing you need is for customers to get stressed and leave your store without making a purchase. Instead, get staff onto the floor and out from behind the counter with self-checkout solutions, ensuring employees get ample time to interact with customers.
Today’s shoppers expect a quick and seamless checkout experience, and more and more of them prefer a self-checkout solution. With its compact size, a self-checkout solution is ideal for any size retailer. Self-checkouts, while enjoyable to customers, can also alleviate employee stress by reducing bottlenecking at the checkouts. Benefits of self-checkout also include:
- Freeing up staff to focus on customer service and management tasks
- Utilizing one cashier to manage several lanes
- Integrating seamlessly with the Star-Plus retail management software
- Remaining easy to maintain
Not ready for complete self-service solutions? You can still automate your POS hardware to make cashiers’ lives easier. Our integrated POS hardware and software can operate using coin dispensers, making cashiers more efficient with less cash handling and fewer errors, speeding up cash reconciliation. With high turnover and inexperienced cashiers, this makes providing change and managing cash more manageable and accurate.
With retail employees leaving their jobs at record numbers, your business could be next. If your business hasn’t implemented new technology, your employees may feel overworked and undervalued performing redundant tasks that can be easily automated. Employees know they have options and aren’t afraid to jump ship for better opportunities.
Retailers that invest in their employees through updated retail POS technology stand a better chance of increasing employee retention and attracting new employees. With Auto-Star, you can implement technology that helps your business get ahead and retain your helpful staff. When you take care of your employees, not only does workflow improve, but customer satisfaction increases as well.
At Auto-Star, we offer a POS solution that can handle all your retail management needs while creating employees that feel valued. Learn more today!
