30 WORKFORCEMANAGEMENT
CO-OPERATIVE FOOD PUTS ZEST INTO LEARNING
The Co-operative Group has completed an initial rollout of a online communication and training programme to food stores nationwide after a successful pilot. CITRUS, which stands for communication,
induction, training, resource, understanding and support, is a web-based application, developed in conjunction with BT Learn Diverse (the learning division of BT Expedite), and introduced to teams within The Co- operative’s 3,000 food stores across the UK – including their estate of 258 Post Offi ce franchises.
The CITRUS solution replaces Lotus Notes
email, which was used previously used to manage communications between the stores and head offi ce. Mark Hale, director of food information
services for The Co-operative Group, said: “The CITRUS programme will completely revolutionise our training and communications at both store and head offi ce level. “CITRUS has provided an easy-to- use web-based system that incorporates computer-based training and store policy. 2011 will see additional phases of CITRUS launching a new web-based messaging system, operational task management and the delivery of an electronic form design engine and interactive form library. It will help enhance colleague engagement by giving them immediate access to business tools and information so they become more confi dent and informed in their roles, which will ultimately help improve store’s operational standards and service levels. “In essence, CITRUS is a simple but
cost-effective solution that has brought about a series of changes which will put The Co-operative at the forefront of industry technology.”
The Co-operative Group’s Lisburn Road store in Belfast was the fi rst to pilot the new CITRUS tool. Sarah Thurman, store manager, said: “I think CITRUS is fantastic as it allows my staff to take responsibility for their own training and development. “I can easily keep track of everyone’s progress as my toolset allows me to see what stage each person is at, but it’s a much speedier process so I can spend more time focusing on improving my store and making it a better place to work for my team.”
RETAIL TECHNOLOGY JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2011
KELLOGG’S ADOPTS FIELD SALES MOBILITY
mobile technology from provider Quofore to plan sales visits and take and manage in-store orders for their snacks products more effectively. The Quofore mobility software, running
N
on Windows Mobile-based handheld devices from Intermec, enables a fi eld sales representative to take orders quickly while simultaneously accessing customer information. The information captured by the sales force is shared with Kellogg’s management team, which provides them with store level trends that are used to better develop account specifi c strategies. Some 250 Kellogg’s sales, marketing, operations and IT managers have access to the Quofore management suite and can view real-time data from the fi eld and generate reports.
“Kellogg depends on effi cient operations,
effective marketing, and a strong sales force to maintain our leadership in the
early 2,000 sales territory managers in Kellogg’s US snack food division sales team are using
market, and the Quofore software gives us the insight we need to develop targeted campaigns, manage resources and improve overall retail execution,” said Mike Browne, Kellogg Company vice president of retail strategy. “Quofore has helped us transform our fi eld sales order process and provides a valuable look at instore sales conditions. As a result, we can make better-informed decisions based on real-time market conditions.”
ARGOS CATALOGUES SERVICE IMPROVEMENT
Argos has partnered with productivity experts at SWL Group to complete a comprehensive manpower study. John Douglass, Argos operations director, explained: “Argos have invested in a wealth of cutting-edge initiatives since the last full review. Kiosk rollouts, a new Java EPoS [electronic point-of-sale] solution and voice-picking solutions for our store stock teams have all been introduced over the last couple of years.” Combined with other developments such as increases in extended trading and new product ranges, Douglass said Argos was also keen to establish an understanding of how much these initiatives had improved operations and whether any further opportunities to improve customer service. To complete this work, SWL used a combination of store productivity review methodologies to initially understand how all store time was being spent, providing a revised set of defi ned store activities. It then measured over 25,000 store process cycles in detail, and created a full set of standard allowed times to update the labour model and enable Argos to understand the extent of effi ciency improvements achieved. “The exercise identifi ed a small amount of activity that does not add value and we are addressing this through colleague training. We now know the size of the opportunity for store staff effi ciencies, and how our staff-to-workload fi t can change to improve store service coverage,” said Douglass. “We’re already working with SWL to execute on these service coverage improvement opportunities.”
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40