Empowering Retail Employees With Enterprise Resource Planning Software

By Roman Davydov, Itransition

Teamwork is important, that’s what we hear so often today. It boosts the productivity of the entire company and even makes the employees themselves happier: we are a sociable species, after all. Customers too are much more likely to engage with happy associates than those who are visibly burnt-out.

All of this is true for the retail industry. However, its specifics pose a challenge for the smooth collaboration of multiple departments. It is quite tricky to work like a well-oiled machine when the teams are scattered from the store to the warehouse, and from the back office to the remote home office. Not all those people have the time for extended communication: sales representatives who need to consult customers on the item’s availability can’t just call the warehouse and wait for workers there to check. Communication among different teams should happen much quicker and easier, or everyone will get frustrated.

Enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems coordinate all such data and processes within an organization. Usually, it is viewed as a tool mostly used by the admins to simplify the process of operational management. This is only partially true. Employees benefit from retail ERP software too, as it facilitates the exchange of information between teams no matter how far they are from each other or how busy.

Getting Inventory And Warehouse Connected To The Front-Office

Front-office and sales representatives need to know which items are in stock right now without the need to contact the storage facility. Online stores also must be updated automatically so that customers can get real-time availability details. At the same time, warehouse workers shouldn’t spend hours uploading all the stock movement data and order status into the system manually.

With help of an ERP, stock availability status is automatically refreshed. The solution connects warehouse management software with the front desk, point of sale terminals, and e-commerce platforms. The second the item’s barcode is scanned at any point of its life cycle, all systems get notified of the status change. The information is then stored securely in the system and can be accessed anytime, showing the entire journey of any item. All teams involved in the product handling process act with cohesion and can perform their tasks without interruptions and the need for extensive intercommunication.

Managing The Supply Chain And Making More Informed Purchasing Decisions

The ERP solution doesn’t only bring together departments from one company. It facilitates the company’s interactions with vendors, wholesalers, carriers, and other external parties. All of them benefit from transparent and timely delivered information.

Supply managers want to obtain accurate statistics on product movements to produce a demand forecast. The more precise it is, the more productively procurement costs will be distributed. At the same time, inventory managers need a current availability status at all the facilities on hand to direct the carriers and fill out orders properly.

Making Employees More Autonomous

With a mobile ERP, members of any team can exchange timely information with others and clearly see where assistance is needed. This promotes a healthy work environment, where everyone can count on support from others.

This type of ERP solution can integrate flawlessly with field service applications, used by warehouse operators, drivers, technicians, sales representatives in hybrid stores, and other in-field workers. It also helps connect independent contractors so they would act more in cohesion with full-time employees. This is especially valuable in times of the pandemic when nobody wants to visit the office for a debriefing.

Thanks to the syncronization between inventory and order management, drivers know the nearest point of product pick-up and the address for delivery and can create the best logistics route. In cases when installation is required, technicians have access to all the product and order information, which simplifies their task and can connect directly with the driver who is making a product delivery. The ability to converse and manage their operations autonomously gives staff members ownership over their work, thus motivating them to perform better.

All the mobile ERP users additionally benefit from the simplicity of reporting after the job is done. This cuts down bureaucracy, gives a transparent view of productivity for every person, and enhances employees’ satisfaction.

In Conclusion

Human resources are the most valuable ones for any company. Keeping each employee happy and motivated is an important goal but it is no less crucial to keep the entire team productive.

In the retail industry, different teams might feel disconnected even if they belong to one company. This happens due to the multitude of locations people are distributed through and the variety of tasks they perform. The retail enterprise resource planning software is a great tool to bring them all together, especially when it is integrated with HR, inventory management, accounting, CRM, e-commerce, and other software that is vital for a retail business’s smooth operation. By conglomerating the data from across the enterprise systems and getting real-time updates from teams across different locations, the ERP system reflects the current state of operations throughout the company.

At the same time, employees feel more secure if they have access to corporate information, don’t waste time and energy trying to keep each other posted, and can offer a helping hand to each other when needed. They also become more autonomous as they get to use the system on their mobile devices. All of this strengthens the company’s culture and boosts productivity across all departments.

About The Author

Roman Davydov is Ecommerce Technology Observer at Itransition. With over four years of experience in the IT industry, Roman follows and analyzes digital transformation trends to guide retail businesses in making informed software buying choices when it comes to commerce and store management automation.