Internal communication in the store is one of the most important factors in turning a group of people into a real team. For that to happen, leaders need to put a set of tools into practice that make sure everyone receives the information, takes it in and knows how to act on it.
Communication with retail employees is especially important. Retail is an industry where the way you communicate with your staff is directly reflected in the way they interact with your customers.
- Here it helps to work with apps or software dedicated exclusively to work matters, where you can post schedules, company news, launches, contest announcements, daily and monthly targets, the store’s financial figures, and so on.
With these tools the store manager can track sales, KPIs, targets and budgets, updated daily to show current figures.
-
It’s important that the whole team knows what they are fighting for, and why, before the working day begins.
-
The daily first-thing-in-the-morning meeting that the store manager should lead before work starts is also vital. These meetings last 10 to 15 minutes, and in them you review yesterday’s results, share today’s targets and go over the points to keep in mind that will help you hit them.
Ideally, every member of the team takes part so it doesn’t turn into a monologue by the store manager. It’s important that everyone on the team understands that this meeting is for them and that it will help them kick off a good day of sales.
- It’s also important to note down or check any questions about everything happening in the store, so the team stays informed about anything they might be asked to do, whether it’s collecting a package, a shipment that arrived incomplete that day, and so on.
Once we understand everything we have to deal with in the day-to-day of retail, and where we need to make adjustments to improve results, we can start working on our Action Plan, where we’ll see which levers to pull whenever something isn’t working well.
Internal retail communication has a direct impact on your customers
In large corporate structures, communication usually travels top-down. Information is shared mainly by email, which lands on the store manager’s desktop computer.
However, it’s rare for all of a store’s employees to be present at the same time or to have access to a desktop computer.
In retail, poorly trained and poorly informed staff have a direct negative effect on the customer experience. In today’s competitive market, one bad experience is all it takes for a customer to decide to go somewhere else.
Engaged employees prevent communication gaps
Communication is the foundation of the relationship your customers have with your brand, as well as the relationship you have with your employees. New developments, such as employee apps, offer solutions that let you reach your people no matter where they are.
Today, 70% of employees don’t work at a desk. To reach everyone, especially in a business as spread out as retail, communication has to go digital. And these days, digital means an app.
Putting news in your employees’ apps means having a wider reach than ever, with the ability to communicate instantly with every one of your employees.
On top of that, apps enable push notifications, a real game changer for internal communication. An app lets you connect directly with all of your locations while also sharing specific details, such as shift plans or location-specific news.