You’ve heard the phrase “fake it till you make it.” It’s the idea that in order to be successful, you must exude confidence, even if things are falling apart behind the scenes. It’s like putting up a sign that says “please pardon our appearance” while you renovate. Your customers don’t see the mess and your retail operation marches onward.
Unfortunately, “faking it” doesn’t work when communicating with your employees. If they know you’re not engaged in their activities, they become disenfranchised. Bad morale eventually hurts customer service, and when customer service falters, so does your brand.
Communication is the biggest difficulty in managing multiple store locations.
Fact: If you’re struggling to manage your retail network or franchise, you have a communication problem.- Vendors didn’t send the right products or promotions? Communication problem.
- Employees not cleaning up in the store? Communication problem.
- Store planogram is a disaster? Communication problem.
Communicate Spontaneously
Think of your organization like it’s your family. Imagine if you only talked to your spouse or called a parent during a scheduled timeslot. What would that do to your relationships? It would undoubtedly cause negativity and tension.
Remove barriers to communication
Encourage employees to report problems in real time. Document issues digitally, and keep everyone in your organization engaged. Let’s look at those communication problems again, this time with real-time solutions:- Vendors didn’t send the right products or promotions? Scan a barcode or take a photo with GPS and time stamp. Notify vendor of the problem in real time.
- Employees not cleaning up in store? Document the issue. Take photos as visual evidence. If a store is a “repeat offender,” have managers address individual problems as needed.
- Store planogram is a disaster? Upload latest version of planogram and share with staff. If there’s a problem with SKU or promotion placement, take a photo. Share and comment to resolve.
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