Maximizing ROI of New Technologies

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Maximizing ROI of New Technologies

Equip your frontline workers with the tools and training they need to deliver impactful customer experiences.

Kirsten Markley

Customer Executive, Consumer & Retail

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Rich Faltot

Customer Director

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Ann Covington

Principal, Solutions

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Retail and restaurant leaders are making big investments in new technologies that could transform the way customers experience their brands. According to a survey of 200 retail IT leaders, nearly 70% said they plan to increase retail technology spending in the coming years. It’s easy to see why – these technologies offer many bottom-line and broader business benefits, from expedited resource reallocation to improved customer experiences.

However, despite the growing investment, many companies still haven’t been able to maximize usage of their new technology. Often, the missing link is a robust workforce training and adoption strategy. Whether you’re still developing a plan or need more leadership support and resources to deploy effective training programs, your frontline employees can’t deliver impactful customer experiences without the right tools and skills.

Read on to learn what challenges employees face when adopting new technology, what’s at stake, and how to develop a thoughtful training plan.

Frontline Workforce Training Challenges

Many challenges prevent frontline workers from fully upskilling on new technology. For instance, frontline workers may understand the benefits of new technology but might not be comfortable using it to its full potential. Your employees may also be experiencing:

Labor shortages. Store labor shortages may impact frontline workers’ ability to engage in training because it often requires off-the-floor hours.
Lack of ongoing support. Many companies fail to create accessible, ongoing training support. With staff turnover rates at roughly 60%, having a robust training program is vital to keeping employees empowered and engaged and ensuring business continuity.
Unclear troubleshooting resources. A lack of clarity on where to troubleshoot issues or ask questions about technology may prevent proper use—or any use—of new tools.
One-size-fits-all training solutions. Facility conditions and access to digital devices can vary between stores—especially given that some locations may experiment with new technologies before rolling out across an entire brand. A one-size-fits-all approach to training won’t set your employees up for success.

Winning hearts and minds through change management is helpful, but building skills through robust workforce training is equally important.

What We’re Hearing from Frontline Workers

We recently surveyed 120 retail employees to better understand their experiences. The results reveal a dedicated workforce eager to succeed but frustrated by inadequate training on new tools and technologies.

"Customers are my priority," says one quick-service restaurant worker, "but without proper system training, it's hard to be efficient and deliver a smooth experience."

Robust training isn’t just something frontline workers value - it’s also a deciding factor as they consider other opportunities. Almost all frontline workers agreed they would stay with an employer longer if they were investing in workforce training.

Get the full report.

Training Program Building Blocks

Training should empower your frontline workers, no matter their tech skills. Start with these 4 steps to build an end-to-end strategy that covers everything from initial adoption strategies to ongoing support.

Assess Workforce
Map Learning Journeys
Develop Training Content
Create a Change Management Playbook

First, assess new technology solutions at the feature level to measure efficacy and ROI and determine frontline workers’ readiness to adapt and implement new tooling.

Tips for Delivering Impact Through Workforce Training

Deploying new technology without a worker-centric training program can backfire on retailers. Poorly trained teams waste time, struggle to engage, and jump ship, leaving customers frustrated and your brand loyalty in tatters.

But it doesn’t have to be this way. By investing in your frontline workers and tailoring your training to accommodate unique learning styles, you'll boost employee retention and satisfaction, ultimately leading to positive customer experiences.

To make the most out of your workforce training program and help your organization meet its goals, make sure your approach is:

Human-centered. Taking a human-centered design approach is key to accommodating frontline workers' unique learning and adoption needs.
Context-specific. Training should be customized to fit diverse industries, geographies, ownership models, store formats, GTM channels, and more. These differences may add complexity or simplify your workforce training program depending on your business model.
Responsive to employee feedback. Establish help desk, "help text," or other hotlines where employees can access on-the-go resources or address their questions. Leverage AI to mine internal and external social media channels and monitor employee feedback and sentiment toward new technology.
Worker-driven. Some employees have leveraged Slack, Teams, and other internal channels to self-organize their user communities. Employers should find creative ways to support these informal channels while ensuring process and procedural standardization.
Robust & ongoing. Deploy a continuous learning agenda to support workers' long-term skill growth. Gather insights on workers' greatest training needs and adjust your strategy to enhance the impact of ongoing training resources. Should a system fail or a talent gap arise, have subject matter experts available to assist with training and transition planning.

Two frontline staff training at a grocery store

Remember, frontline workers are your greatest brand ambassadors. The better equipped they are for the job, the better brand stewards they’ll be. With the right training programs in place, our customers have achieved adoption rates of over 90%, empowering their frontline workforces with the skills and tools they need to maximize new technologies and deliver excellence in every retail experience.

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Reach out to schedule a demo and discuss your organization's unique needs. We partner to help you accelerate progress and reduce time to launch by prioritizing the right level of customization to meet the needs of your teams and your organization.

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