Femilet: SameSystem optimised our stores and reduced costs
For many retailers, shift schedules are not just a recurring task that needs to be done week after week. It is also a source of excessive costs if staffing does not match the customer flow in the store. Femilet has therefore chosen an analytical approach.
Store managers and retail managers know about the challenge of planning shifts and making sure that there is the right number of employees on the floor when there are customers in the store.
Too many employees in the store increase costs, while too few employees can cause customers to leave the store without a purchase.
“As retailers, our task is to give customers the best possible experience and sell our products. If the customer leaves without a purchase, it is not just a lost sale, but also a customer who has a bad experience and may not come back,” says Nicoline Larsen, Area Manager at Femilet.
Thorough optimisation
When Femilet decided to invest in a new workforce management system, they chose SameSystem, whose solution is made specifically for the retail industry.
“We chose SameSystem when they offered us a solution where we had both the opportunity to make work schedules based on customer flow, while the system gave us automated payroll and contract processing.” says Nicoline Larsen.
Since Femilet entered into a collaboration with SameSystem for their 25 stores in Denmark in 2019, the results have been clear throughout the company. On the floor in the individual stores, staffing has been optimized in relation to the customer flow that SameSystems Flow Planning, which is based on advanced artificial intelligence, determines for each individual store.
This has not only led to increased sales in the stores, but also to a marked decrease in labor costs.
Nicoline Larsen, Area Manager
We have experienced a decrease in labor costs of 20%. This is mainly due to the fact, that we can now plan each individual shift optimally according to customer flow. This means that we are never too many or too few at work in the shops. Because of this, our store managers spend less time on administration and more time out in the store.
Better business understanding
For the individual store, the results are also clear in other ways. Both store managers and employees have gained an increased understanding of the business and optimization of employees’ resources.
“Our collaboration with SameSystem has given our store managers the best possible tools to manage the store. Every day they can see how their planning affects the bottom line, which is just a great tool. ” says Nicoline Larsen.
The online shift schedule has also proven to be a benefit for the employees in the stores, as they can easily and quickly approve and change shifts. While this previously had to go through the store manager, employees can now swap shifts with each other via the app.
“It gives store managers less administration so they can spend their time with customers in the store. Saving on labor costs also a question of where the money is spent. And of course, it is best for everyone that the money is used to increase business in the store.” says Nicoline Larsen.
Femilet, part of Chantelle Groupe
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