Seven Must-Haves for Enhancing the Customer Experience with WFM

In a January 2011 survey, the vast majority – 85% – of responding retailers identified "Enhancing the customer experience" as a critical driver for workforce management (WFM) solutions. It's the response that consistently tops this list in survey after survey, according to Scott Knaul, vice president of strategic services for Workforce Insight, which conducted the survey.

"The goal of WFM is bringing the customer experience to life," says Knaul, who presented the workshop "Delivering the Optimal Customer Experience through Sustainable Workforce Management," at last week's RIS Retail Executive Summit.

The first step is defining the customer experience, and Knaul notes that even the most value-oriented retailer does offer a customer experience: for example, a clean, well-lit, safe store environment with merchandise available on the store shelves. Luxury or other "high-touch" retailers will offer a more interactive and/or personalized customer experience.

Knaul identifies seven "must-have" elements that a WFM solution needs in order to successfully enhance the customer experience. WFM solutions should be:
            · Realistic
            · Engaging: "If you want your program to be successful, measure the adoption rate," notes Knaul.
            · Accurate and relevant
            · Actionable
            · Accountable: "Someone has to be responsible for WFM within your organization," says Knaul. "It's usually in-store operations but it can also be a VP, manager or director of WFM. Without one person to pull everything together, and with everyone in the organization creating work for the store to do, there needs to be a gatekeeper. Sometimes this person needs to push back, saying there's not enough payroll or the drivers aren't clear enough."
            · Technology-enabled
            · Sustainable: "Retailers need to ensure that WFM is not a 'flavor of the month,'" notes Knaul. Solutions must "stand the test of leadership changes, meaning they have to make sense when someone leaves and a new person comes in."

Learn more at the two upcoming Retail WFM conferences, August 5, 2011 in New York and August 19 in Los Angeles.