Numerous chains had to adapt swiftly to new Covid-19 measures as explained in the article below. Join this webinar to learn how UK supermarket giant Tesco successfully hit challenging targets for operating cost reduction and improved profitability, all within the overall customer-centric imperative.
The effects of the Covid-19 pandemic are affecting almost all businesses, but the retail sector in particular had to adapt to ever-changing conditions in quick succession. Grocery stores, discounters and pharmacies experienced a huge rush. They were also concerned by the massive changes that affect the entire retail sector and, beyond that, all companies with a large network of stores such as hotel chains, fitness studios and car rental companies. Opening and entrance restrictions, hygiene and cleaning regulations, and distance and route concepts had to be implemented in the shortest possible time.
This immense pressure brought on by the pandemic raises a question that has great significance for corporate success even beyond the pandemic: how can a company with a very large number of regionally-distributed branches and decentralized units ensure efficient communication between corporate headquarters and all employees? How can corporate headquarters provide assistance for all relevant processes? An important use case in regards to these challenges is the rapid onboarding of new employees and how it can be achieved without experienced employees having to take too long off from their actual tasks.
Employees need easy, role-specific access to work instructions, policies and emergency plans. There are still companies that distribute this information in thick folders rather than digitally. This makes it difficult and time-consuming to find the necessary information quickly and often the information is outdated. Also this does not allow a feedback mechanism from the employee to the corporate headquarters, an important aspect to understand real information needs and benefit from practical experiences in the branches.
Solutions via email or messenger apps also generally lead to information chaos and are not a secure basis for handling sensitive data and meeting data protection requirements.
Corporate headquarters need to distribute new instructions and rules without delay in order to standardize processes; a paper-based approach makes the update process particularly difficult and costly. In addition, it is a major concern of headquarters to track that the information has actually been successfully distributed and read and understood by the employees.
Under the heading "digital workforce management" a solution has been established that digitizes the exchange of information and provides each employee with the information they need for a specific task, also via mobile devices. This is often supported by an intuitive user interface with a configurable graphical layout of the store so that, for example, work instructions can be found in the direct context of the work environment.
The goal is to find the relevant documentation with a maximum of three clicks and to enable immediate access, especially in emergencies. ARIS is the central repository and portal that prepares the information in a role-specific manner. In addition, collaboration functionalities are offered to enable feedback to the head office and to support the exchange between colleagues.
This approach allows the corporate headquarters to distribute and update information without delay. A 'read and understood' functionality allows tracking that information has been received and understood by employees.
The benefits for companies with hundreds or even thousands of branches are obvious: in addition to the simple distribution of information, this digital organization handbook also supports all requirements arising from compliance aspects. In many industries, the fulfillment of quality or safety standards is the 'license to operate'.
The establishment of a quality management system or even a business continuity management system requires the efficient communication of organizational guidelines and emergency plans to all employees. In times of rapid change, there is no way around a digital solution.