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 Situation
Solution
Benefits
SituationRetailers struggle with corporate oversight and compliance requirements in the day-to-day operational tasks at the store level. Many current systems are paper-based and heavily dependent on store and department managers for tactical execution, with little feedback to corporate management. This inefficiency can result in overworked managers and staff, low customer satisfaction, and confusion at the store level-all of which can increase operating costs. It can even generate high profile class-action law suits. A retail operations management solution provides a collaboration portal to the store level that allows the assignment and tracking of day-to-day operations in real-time, and can allow for task management to the associate level through the use of point-of-sales (POS) terminals and/or kiosks. Retail operations management teams typically face the following challenges: | • |
Insufficient visibility and insight into marketing, merchandising, and operational tasks
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Poor communication and accountability between corporate offices and retail stores
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Delayed task execution and under utilization of employee resources
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Reduced floor visibility of store and departmental managers
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SolutionRetail operations management solutions built using the 2007 Microsoft Office system can improve operational efficiency and enable collaboration between corporate offices, retail stores, and associates, resulting in increased business insight, improved governance, and better focus on high-value tasks. A solution based on the 2007 Microsoft Office system can help deliver: Improved Business Insight | | • | Roles-based dashboards and portals provide summarized views of the business
| | • | Replace paper-based systems with simple Microsoft Office-based applications that turn data into business intelligence
| | • | Get effective tools for high-confidence decision making and real-time task tracking
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Effective Communication Channels | | • | Key information and tasks are communicated electronically
| | • | Real-time voice and data communication enhances collaboration between corporate offices, district locations, and retail stores
| | • | Managers can receive alerts and notifications on their mobile devices
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Improved Employee Productivity | | • | Store and department managers can align associate tasks with corporate objectives
| | • | Task progress can be updated and tracked in real-time for effective workload and resource allocation
| | • | Enhanced communication and task management reduces the time that employees wait for instruction
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Mobilized Management Team | | • | View critical information on point-of-sales terminals and mobile devices
| | • | Managers can remotely supervise associates and workloads
| | • | Managers are not restricted to paperwork in the back office, but are free to supervise retail floor activity for optimization
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BenefitsBy adopting a retail operations management solution based on the 2007 Microsoft Office system, companies can attain the following benefits: | • | Reduced learning curve and training costs with simple and familiar interfaces | | • | Efficient task management at the associate level | | • | Easy customization of roles-based dashboards | | • | Data aggregation for effective business reporting |
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