According to the 2014 Deloitte holiday shopping survey, the most often cited in-store feature that increases the likelihood of an item being purchased is knowledgeable associates. Floor workers who are experts in the products they are selling—and who can use that expertise to advise shoppers—are obviously a big asset, even more so during the busy holiday season when consumers don’t have as much patience or time.
Employee training software can get workers the skills and knowledge they need to shine during the holidays. The last six weeks of the year are so important to retailers that maximizing productivity is ideal. Here are some ways tablet-based employee training software can help you prepare for the holiday shopping season:
Store Setup
During the holidays, retail stores are magical, frenetic, crowded spaces redesigned to move as much merchandise as possible while still providing a positive customer experience. Setting up displays, initiating sales rollouts, and placing featured items where they can be found easily (while still drawing shoppers’ attention to other products) become even more of a science during this critical time—a science that workers must learn well. Employee training software can make the process less stressful for your sales associates and ensure these processes and procedures are done right. For example, assembling a complex sales display becomes easier if a worker can take a tablet on the floor and follow step-by-step instructions. The alternative is fumbling with a binder or instruction booklet (maybe not even on the floor), which wastes time and resources that your company can’t afford to waste during the holiday season.
Holiday-Specific Training
Most retail stores operate differently during the holiday season than the other 10 months of the year. Employees may be moved to different departments, holiday-specific promotions such as layaway may be offered, and Black Friday brings a new kind of madness to the retail management experience. Tablet-based employee training software can help teach your workers everything they should know for the holidays. For instance, if a stocker is suddenly needed to work a cash register, a 15-minute training session on an iPad can get him or her up to speed with less effort than a manager spending a half-hour (and closing a register) explaining the entire process.
Seasonal Workers
American companies will employ hundreds of thousands temporary workers for the holidays. These seasonal hires can be a great asset to stores hoping to maximize sales at this important time of the year, and employee training software can provide an even greater boost. Many temporary workers must learn their new responsibilities quickly and thoroughly, but spending hours training them isn’t cost-effective. Tablet-based training content minimizes the time and resources required to instruct seasonal employees. Simply hand them an iPad that contains everything they need to know about the job, and soon after, they should be up to speed and, ultimately, adding to the store’s productivity. Furthermore, because content is mobile, you can give seasonal employees the option of absorbing the training content on their own tablets and smartphones before their first day on the job—they can be ready to work right after punching the clock.
Does your company adapt employee training software to the holiday shopping season?
