Like many big changes, the implementation of a new retail solution requires careful consideration and thoughtful execution. When done successfully, a smooth implementation helps employees learn new technology while streamlining operations and enhancing the customer experience. Without this support, employees may lack awareness, knowledge, and time to realize the full value of the system and its role in day-to-day business.
By keeping a few key ideas at the forefront, you can make sure employees leverage the full benefits of the new solution before, during, and after the implementation process.
Communication with Your Employees
Boost employee confidence and buy-in by highlighting the capabilities and benefits of the system from the start. Work with your employees and your operations to team to define daily challenges and long-term goals. Make sure your employees understand how the new solution can help them work better and smarter, including:
- Ease of mobile checkout
- Ability to generate customized recommendations for customers at the point of sale
- Freedom from time-consuming back-office tasks
Engaging team members early gives them a stake in the project’s success.
Established Best Practices and End-to-End Training
Help your employees onboard with ease and stay productive by sharing a set of best practices for using the new system. For best results, your training should be specific to how you do business—making it easy to share this knowledge with future hires. Enable documentation to make onboarding new hires seamless. Your retail solutions partner should also allow full-reach support at all stages of your implementation, for a range of technology comfort levels—ask your tech providers what resources they have to help streamline employee training.
Full Commitment to Full Results
If you’re all in, you’re ready to begin. For an implementation to work effectively, retailers need to embrace the complete scope of a solution, rather than trying to implement bits and pieces here and there. When the system’s capabilities all work together, it can help produce better results, including gains in efficiency and improvements in operations. That translates to a better shopping experience for customers, with minimal disruption for you and your business.
Communication with Your Technology Provider
Help your employees feel informed and involved in the switch to a new system at every stage, by choosing a technology partner who anticipates their needs. To help clarify the decision process, ask potential partners for the most common practices they’ve seen work with other similar customers. A strong partner will help you respond to staff concerns about the system change, the ability to master a new set of tools, or time away from customers—make sure potential long-term technology partners define their level of post-go live support.
As an industry-focused, trusted partner, we understand the future of retail, where sales can happen anywhere and anticipating customer demand gives you the edge in changing markets.
