What about the workforce?
One of the most vital ingredients to any successful business is ensuring the customer is happy, afforded the greatest possible experience, and provided with the best level of support possible throughout the purchasing cycle. But it is also vital to remember that the key to guaranteeing this entire process is faultless is making sure the workforce is happy.
As we already know, an engaged workforce is more likely to go the extra mile and offer more to the business than those taken for granted. And this has become more important than ever as we start to ease out of a global pandemic — employees need to know they are valued, especially with most having to adapt their home lives to accommodate their working lives.
Employee engagement is a must
For the year ahead, 88% of employers are investing more in mental health, 81% in stress management, with 69% in mindfulness and meditation, according to the 2021 Employee Wellness Industry Trends Report by Wellable, the US provider of employee wellness programmes. This approach is genuinely essential to support the workforce as the impact of COVID-19 continues to present unique challenges to businesses. According to the Office for National Statistics, in the UK alone, the effect of COVID-19 is being felt as around one in five adults experienced some form of depression in early 2021.
These measures will undoubtedly influence the well-being of staff — employees are more likely to stay longer, helping your business increase sales. For a great example of how to look after staff, view operations at Richer Sounds. Wholly owned by founder and managing director Julian Richer until in 2019, he sold 60% of his share to an employee-owned trust and paid staff a £1,000 bonus, from his pocket, for every year of work, totalling more than £4m. it is no surprise that the retailer has won five ‘Retailer of the Year’ or ‘Best Retailer’ awards from Which? It also holds a unique record — Richer Sounds has been listed in the Guinness Book of Records for over 20 years for the highest sales per square foot of any retail outlet in the world.
Think also how you can equip teams to perform better in their roles: access to product technical details and information at their fingertips, the ability to communicate directly with their customers, and information from store bulletins to performance indicators only a tap away. This way of working is not just “nice to have” — it is what Store Associates expect in a world where everything else is available via the mobile device they have in their hands daily. Solutions such as KIT offer this and more as standard — not only driving store associate sales but enhancing your brand through convenience and experience.
By keeping your workforce happy and content, they will pass on the same feeling to the customer, not only keeping both sides satisfied but also potentially creating the ultimate customer experience.
