Tell us about you and your role at Axonify.
My name is Cara Yarzab, and I’m the VP of product innovation at Axonify. I’ve helped other organisations through massive transformations in work and technology and I’m guiding the teams at Axonify to do the same.
What’s the biggest challenge retailers are facing with workforce operations?
There are so many challenges that retailers are facing today, and as we learned in our report with RedThread Research, these challenges are as nuanced and diverse as workforces. Broadly speaking, there are 3 key areas that organisations need to focus on. First, ensuring that workforces have the information they need to perform their best every day and keep up with rapidly changing contexts and standard operating procedures (SOPs). Second, making sure that retail associates have the opportunity to learn, grow and prepare for new roles. Third, creating a workplace environment where teams feel motivated, engaged and included.
To me, the first and third on this list are the most challenging and impactful—and it’s those challenges that we at Axonify are dedicated to helping customers solve.
How can technology help operational leaders better enable large workforces?
Technology can help operational leaders enable large workforce teams by providing them with an engaging, single source of information that is easily accessible within the flow of work. It’s hard to know if everyone is up to date with all the new information that’s required to get the job done at scale. It’s challenging to onboard and train staff on new SOPs and to communicate the rationale for some of these changes. I think technology has the opportunity to consolidate information, personalise learning and enable and empower teams to get more done—all while keeping them engaged and loyal.
People are leaving retail businesses in droves in the past year. What do you think the future looks like for retail workforces and the technology they use?
I think the future is really bright for retail workforces and the technology they use. We work with large retailers who are building Axonify with us to develop a solution that measurably helps employees on the shopfloor learn, connect and get things done, every day.
We also see a lot of opportunities for consolidation in retail technology. Organisations want more from their vendors and at Axonify, we’re listening and have evolved from a personalised and engaging learning-focused solution that delivers outcomes to a consolidated enablement solution that has everything an employee needs to access in the flow of work—operational communications, learning, task management —all within a single application.
This consolidation leads to better, more efficient solutions that are easier for frontline employees to access and apply every shift. And for businesses, the impact of this investment will be trackable and scalable.
What are you most excited about in the retail industry when it comes to technology innovations?
I’m super excited about the application of AI for retailers. AI has the potential to save time in answering associates’ questions in moments of need, freeing them up to better serve customers and ensuring adherence to the latest standard operating procedures. We also believe that AI will help you deliver the right message to the right people at the right time to lead to more productivity gains.
Let’s face it, store managers have a lot on their plates. They are the glue that connects workforces on the floor to corporate HQ. They need to provide support to their associates, attend to customer needs and keep everyone focused on driving key business outcomes. I’m really excited about the opportunity we have to better support and unburden managers with technology. For example, how might AI provide recommendations to managers or suggest smart actions to relieve some of the admin burden that managers often face? When they’re better equipped with the tools and technology to do their jobs more effectively and efficiently, they can better support their teams to perform well and take the time to create an engaging and inclusive workplace.
Where and how does Axonify fit into the technology needs for retailers?
Axonify can solve many pieces of the technology puzzle! Our employee enablement solution can serve as a single source of truth for your workforce or we can integrate seamlessly with a number of other solutions. We’re available on the devices that employees are already using in the flow of work: POS systems, Zebra Devices, laptops, desktops, tablets and mobile devices. We have an expert team who will take into account the outcomes you want to achieve, survey your tech stack and develop the best approach to help you meet your goals.
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