Multi-location businesses often face shared challenges. Since you can’t be in every store at the same time, you rely on technology to facilitate collaboration and communication with your employees and customers for the smooth running of your business.
Some of the challenges multi-location companies face include the struggle to monitor and maintain your team’s productivity and inconsistent customer experience, which may be due to different location policies or a difference in policy implementation. Below are tips for managing multiple stores in other locations.
Take advantage of a franchise point of sale (POS) system
A POS system helps manage sales, operational processes, promotional offers, and customer experience. With a franchise POS, data updates are made in real-time to ensure all locations have the same data; you can set automatic payment of royalties and enjoy the convenience of consolidated inventory management. In addition, a multi-location POS also enhances communication between different locations. A POS system offers employee management tools that help you manage payroll, track time, and handle scheduling, in-depth sales reports and metrics, and fast transaction times.
Establish standard operating procedures
Although it’s impossible to be physically present at each store simultaneously for monitoring, you should ensure the smooth running of all store operations, which is why you need similar operating procedures across all locations. The policies implemented in each store should include work schedule, discount determination, customer complaint management, product return procedures, and customer communication.
Leverage cloud technology
With cloud technology, you can sync and organize data from across all your stores, making it easy for you to manage all your stores from a single system. It also allows you mobile accessibility, so you have access to your business data on the go, allowing you to run the business from anywhere. Unlike manual systems, cloud technology automatically helps you backup your business data in the clouds, ensuring safe data transfer.
Hire reliable, professional staff
Although you can be physically present in each store, hiring professional, reliable, and competent staff will ensure smooth business operation. Consider organizing regular training for your employees to sharpen their skills and encourage them to work diligently. Explain your business’s mission and vision to them so they can work towards achieving it. Mind your employees’ welfare by ensuring that they get their salaries, incentives, and other benefits on time. This will motivate them to work harder and honestly even without monitoring.
Centralize your sales
Manual transmission of customer details and sales data can be challenging to manage, making it hard to track your sales. When you automate your sales system, it becomes easier to integrate sales data from all stores, allowing you to track your sales efficiently. Through the automated sales system, complete and accurate sales reports can be generated in real-time.
Regularly evaluate your retail stores
Although technology offers you great flexibility, it doesn’t mean you don’t have to visit each store physically. Physical appearances enable you to monitor operations on the ground and identify the stores that need improvement or fixing.
Endnote
Managing multiple stores in different locations can be complex and challenging, but you can efficiently manage it all with the proper techniques. Use these tips for the efficient management of all your stores.
