Change can be uncomfortable. But, sometimes, a little discomfort is worth the payoff. Such is often true when it comes to training staff as part of an RFID rollout. Your people have a massive impact on how quickly your RFID starts delivering the many benefits we know and love it for. But how do you convince a (sometimes global) team of people to a) go through training for a new system and b) actually start using it? Keep reading and find out!
4 reasons why good staff training is vital
Staff buy-in is one of the most underestimated aspects of a successful store pilot. And we know firsthand — we've been working with clients on RFID projects for decades and have gone through the process hundreds of times in tons of iterations.
It makes sense when you think about it. Store staff are the ones using the technology daily. In theory, RFID tech will help them ace display compliance, restock quickly, monitor inventory, locate items for customers, and service BOPIS customers. With good tech knowledge, your pilot will deliver all those awesome benefits.
Read: why RFID is fundamental to the future of retail
The same is true at a vendor level, too. It'd be criminal to undertrain the staff responsible for tagging your products; they might see the project as an extra hassle rather than something that'll make their lives easier.
1) Super-fast adoption
Nothing puts a hefty roadblock in the path to progress like an uncertain team. Incomplete RFID training could have them frequently emailing or phoning support, failing to use the tech to its full potential, or — worse — avoiding it altogether. By fully training staff, they're much more likely to adopt the tech faster, saving you time and money!
2) Smooth operator
Smooth operations start with a happy, well-trained team. And a happy team is usually one who has been empowered to use RFID tech to their advantage…because they thoroughly understand what that advantage is and are all for it! This means they’ll be more likely to work with you through any early project kinks and hiccups rather than give up in frustration.
3) Unbelievable efficiency
Understanding how to use RFID to their advantage frees in-store teams to be super effective at their jobs. Stock take takes mere minutes rather than days, replenishment is a doddle, and finding items for customers (no matter where it is in the supply chain or the world) is easy as pie. It gives them the tools they need to go above and beyond for customers and frees them to give more attentive service, too.
Read: Unlock the power of beautiful displays
4) Quicker buy-in means quicker benefits
An RFID rollout project takes time, planning, and effort, so you'll want to start seeing those benefits sharpish! The sooner you get staff properly trained, the sooner you can reap those benefits. It also accelerates your innovation timeline — the quicker you feel confident the whole team 'gets it,' the quicker you can start looking at other RFID innovations, like frictionless self-checkout and interactive in-store experiences.
How to train staff for an RFID pilot
Staff training is something our RFID experts cover extensively during client pilots and trials because, in our experience, it's what gives the project the best chance of success.
Keep it one-of-a-kind
Although we can’t give away too many of our trade secrets, we can say we treat each RFID client differently. Every solution, project roadmap, and training plan is uniquely tailored to each client. And that’s because no two are ever the same — they all have their own aims, goals, and challenges. Not to mention variations in the store set-ups.
Forcing everyone down a set path would be kinda foolish where staff training is concerned, too. After all, each team has a different tech awareness and ability level and will be motivated by different benefits. They may need individual learning timelines or different teaching styles.
Use a ‘trickle-down’ tactic
At Checkpoint, all staff training is delivered by your Account Managers and then the product experts. Store Managers are crucial to the process because they’re our champions. Once they’re on board with the tech and its benefits, they can create a culture of acceptance and excitement within their teams.
The main goal of staff training is to show how RFID tech can solve each specific team's issues and speed up (or even eliminate) time-consuming tasks. More than that, it shows them how RFID gives them what they need to totally ace their job…because who doesn't want to look awesome at work?! That's what truly makes staff want to use a new system and, if you get it right, your RFID tech could deliver benefits a heck of a lot faster.
Want to learn more about how we train teams as part of an RFID project rollout? Sure thing! Contact our team today and ask us anything. We’ve successfully implemented RFID systems in some of the biggest retail outlets in the world, and there aren’t many challenges we haven’t tackled. Your project is in safe hands. Help us understand your people, and we’ll help them understand the tech.
