Omnichannel for staff

COLUMN /

mike van der hulst

As a consumer, it’s never been easier to get in contact with your favourite brand. Thinking in terms of individual channels is a thing of the past. The physical store and the webshop are now truly integrated, extending the whole brand experience – truly omnichannel. Or at least that is the dot on the not-so-distant horizon, right? Finally!

Why is true omnichannel thinking not the standard for staff?

A few years ago, I made the decision, I wanted to work for my favourite brand! Time to update my CV, go to the job site and apply for that perfect job. A couple of weeks later, the meticulous hiring process is over and it's time for my first day at work.

I arrive early to make sure I make a good impression, unfortunately there is nobody there. Ten minutes after the store is supposed to open, somebody arrives and greets me, then we drink a cup of coffee together.

One of my new colleagues introduces me to the Point of Sale system. It’s not thát user-friendly – it will take me a while to fully understand. I am also reminded to fill in a form necessary to receive my pay and mail it to HQ. Where, what?
Long before joining, I booked a holiday in Bali. I can see from the printed out excel store schedule that it’s not perfect timing, as more colleagues will also be away. What to do?
The Store Manager assigns tasks seemingly randomly. Today I am asked to fix the new sale window sticker. How?
I do not know how to stick to the window, where it should be placed. I make the best of it, but I am sure the result could have been better.

It’s time for the first customer. I help her as best I can, and... success! Now to register the sale. But the customer also wants to return a different item that she bought online a week ago. I've no idea how to do this so I have to call in a colleague.

It seems that there's an absolutely no logic behind all processes and systems. The brand's products are still great, but little did I know that the brand is very different from the impression you get as a customer. How am I now going to convey this as passionate as I was before joining?

Unfortunately, this is a very typical first day for a lot of new employees. In a world where omnichannel is the new standard, for some reason, this does not apply to staff. Everybody talks about customer journeys, so why not a staff journey?

We are passionate about staff, particularly store staff. When we implement our solutions, we help transform the organisation to focus on staff delivering that same omnichannel experience we have all come to expect. If you are a social business on the outside, why not on the inside?
Why no integrated training, warm onboarding, a way to get into contact with colleagues easy or a possibility read the latest and greatest.

All-important ingredients to further engage your staff!

Omnichannel for staff · Kega