Imagine you’re a store associate at a department store.

You didn’t catch when waffle makers were out of stock, and had an exasperated customer who couldn’t find one. Another customer was frustrated because they were picking up an online order, and you were unaware and took far too long to get it to them. There was a moment where you were standing around, unsure what work needed to be accomplished, and your manager snapped at you. You wondered if every day was going to be this mixture of confusion and frustration, and you quickly became dissatisfied with your job.

Being a store associate in retail is already difficult enough without the added frustration of being unsure of what you’re supposed to do and when you’re supposed to do it. It’s even more difficult when customers believe they know more than store associates because they have a smartphone in their hands. All of this clearly contributes to the high turnover rate among hourly store employees, and negatively affects job satisfaction among store associates who stay on the job.

This has a dramatic impact on store sales. A study conducted by a consulting firm and a University Pennsylvania professor  shows that engaged store associates bring in 69 percent more in sales than those who aren’t. The cost of losing an employee, when you factor in hiring, onboarding, training, and other variables, can be thousands of dollars or higher.

Creating the Next Generation of Store Associates

For store associates to keep up with today’s hyperconnected customers, they need access to information via a mobile device. More than that, they need mobile access to a real-time task management solution that provides them with real-time alerts and a prioritized list of tasks to complete.

Store associates have a great deal to accomplish during the day, but often are confused about what to do or how to complete their tasks in an efficient way. With mobile access to a real-time task management solution, store associates receive a prioritized list of tasks, ensuring that they are always focused on the most important work. This solution ensures that store associates are not overloaded with information, so they won’t have to sacrifice customer engagement to complete their work.

A mobile-enabled real-time task management solution is a necessity in retail today. With more work coming into stores from mobile and online channels, and with retailers largely unable to increase labor budgets, retailers need to increase the amount of work that is accomplished in their stores, raising store associates’ compliance rates and how much they sell to customers. With a real-time task management solution, store associates can do just that, better optimizing their time and increasing productivity.

Store associates also need to be aware of real-time changes in the store. They need to be immediately notified if a truck is late, equipment is broken, or a customer is picking up an online order and needs it brought to the front of the store. With mobile access to a real-time task management solution, store associates receive real-time alerts, letting them know when an interruption impacts store operations so they can quickly resolve it. With the ability to access this information at all times, store associates can to respond in real time to anything that negatively impacts the customer experience.

So imagine again that you’re that store associate, but now you have a connected mobile device.

You’re sent alerts when waffle makers are low on shelves, and can restock them before customers have trouble finding them. You’re notified that a customer is picking up an online order, and are able to quickly bring it to them. You always know exactly what you need to do because you have a prioritized list of tasks on your mobile device. You’re feeling good about your job, and are satisfied with the work you’re completing and the customers you’re helping.

These are the next-generation of store associates with the power of real-time store operations solutions at their fingertips – better for the employee, store and customer.

For more tips on how to empower your store associates, check out our white paper, 3 Ways to Simplify Work for Retail Store Associates!