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Should IT Staffers Periodically Work in Their Stores?
When programmers design and construct a software program or system, do they know the conditions under which the software will be used in the real world, or are they only familiar with the confines of their home or office and the way to the cafeteria? Do the telecom staffers understand the meaning of uptime and the implications of accidentally causing a network shutdown?
By giving IT employees first-hand experience in the stores that their work impacts, they can gain valuable knowledge to apply back to their jobs. For instance, procedure writers can compose operating procedures using language that matches the terminology used in the stores. Additionally, when new computers or mobile devices are deployed, IT teams can prepare a solid plan for how to charge the devices and how to replace non-functioning devices without interrupting daily in-store functions.
In the retail industry, we have witnessed firsthand situations in which IT development teams proudly construct and release store-oriented solutions that barely support what store associates do every day or, worse yet, make their jobs harder than they were before the new software was deployed. The retailer would have been better served if IT team members knew more about the business firsthand by working periodically “in the trenches.”
It is important for certain functional groups in retail to periodically do the jobs of the people they supposedly support. Just as merchants and loss prevention staffers need to work in the stores intermittently, it is also crucial for IT personnel at all levels and skills to do so.
As part of the work involved in developing a sufficiently credible treatise on this topic, we contacted a small, unscientific sample of seven retail CIOs (friends of my firm) and asked them four questions:
- Do you engage your staff in this practice?
- If so, how often (in time per period e.g., days/year) are they required to perform one or more jobs in-store?
- If not, why not?
- Would you comment briefly on the merits or lack thereof in doing so?
Of all the respondents, only one company does not require that IT staffers work in the stores, but it does encourage them to do so. The rest approach this topic with a varying range of practices. Some instituted several hours to be worked per quarter or twice a year. One executive in the specialty apparel sector makes working in the stores a fixture for onboarding new IT employees.
In the health supplements category, one retailer has both a formal program for IT personnel and an informal program in place for all corporate employees and also encourages store visits by employees through a generous discount program. Formal programs are described in department policy and follow a schedule with a specific number of hours per instance, whereas informal programs leave the decision and amount of time spent to the individual employees. Another retailer to whom we spoke goes so far as to hire store employees to work at the company’s service desk.
All respondents indicated that they consider the practice to be important for both new and existing employees. It allows them to understand the processes and challenges that front-line associates face on a regular basis and grasp, by inference, the importance of discharging their duties with the store associates and their customers in mind.
In the responses, one conspicuous absence was the mention of associated costs. None of the respondents mentioned the cost associated with taking IT workers off their “paid” job to do “another” job as a reason for not employing this practice. I take this omission to mean that the payroll and other costs of having corporate staff work periodically in the stores are not material or that working in the stores is, in fact, a part of their job and, therefore, accounted for in the salary and expense budget.
As a retail industry veteran who has faced these situations more than once, I subscribe to the notion that all members of operational functions whose work product impacts or supports other functions should experience — hands-on — the environment in which their occasionally unintended victims work. There is much to be gained from their experience, including learning about the challenges they face each day. It can improve how the support functions conceive of solutions, new systems, and new processes. It is also a practice that can reduce the probability of corporate staffers inadvertently doing things to the store associates versus doing things for them.
Discussion Questions
Should corporate IT staff have to work periodically in stores?
What are the potential benefits and detriments of IT employees working in their stores?
Is having IT workers take time away from their typical job duties to work in stores worth the associated costs?
Poll
Loading …BrainTrust
Georganne Bender
Principal, KIZER & BENDER Speaking
Patricia Vekich Waldron
Contributing Editor, RetailWire; Founder and CEO, Vision First
Everyone who works in retail should spend at least some time on the shop floor. even if only initially when training. Understanding the purpose of the business is critical. In. terms of IT workers, it is very important that those designing systems understand the real-life context in which they are used. Speaking to those that use the IT – whether staff or customers – is vital. It ensures that the user experience is functional. There is nothing worse than a system designed by someone who hasn’t a clue how it is used.
There’s no better way to understand the store environment than to actually experience it first-hand. Not only would this benefit IT, but it would also be beneficial for any head office personnel who do anything related to what happens in the physical store. For the IT team, the cost in time away from headquarters would be offset by having more effective implementations resulting from having broader context/understanding of the store environment. This is especially the case in proof-of-concept projects where technology is being tested.
Not just the IT department, but that is a good place to start. Every person who works in a retail corporate office should be required to work on the sales floor, and just for a one day a year.
I started my retail career at a family owned department store chain in Milwaukee. Our corporate offices were in the flagship store so it was easy to monitor what was happening on the sales floor. Later, when I moved to a Federated owned department store, buyers were required to work in the branches once a month. It kept us on our toes and in touch with associates and customers.
It’s important that corporate personnel understand how their policies, programs, and merchandise assortments land in the real world. What looks good in theory doesn’t always translate as intended.
Spending a few days in a store serves as an eye-opening experience for people from all departments in the home office. I think there is a great deal of wisdom in incorporating that into onboarding for all home office staff.
Yes. The fact that this is even an issue is astonishing. How can they develop new use cases if they do not truly understand the environment which it is used? Honestly this should be a condition of employment.
For IT as well as other functions, there are numerous benefits of back-office associates getting out into the stores. Seeing first-hand how store associates actually perform their functions, how technology works, how inventory truly flows, and of course how consumers experience the store and product. Being able to walk the back room, and see how inventory is received and processed. An added bonus is making connections with those that might just be a name on an email, and doing anything to break down silos. Finally, while most retailers have merchants do competitive store visits, it’s also a good idea for IT teams to do the same, to understand what can be done differently and supported better.
My BrainTrust colleagues have covered this well. I will add two comments.
Totally agree – and also that time & motion studies don’t count as “working in stores”. Direct experience of the pressure of a waiting line of customers or what do if something like payment doesn’t go as planned is priceless. I’ve seen companies who require this not only for the Store Systems team, but for their executive team too.
Retail is not about theory, it’s about practice and execution and continuous improvement. It’s not about silos, or corporate vs stores. It’s about teamwork. And teams work hand in hand, face to face, in real time. IT needs a deep intimacy with the myriad moving parts that have to mesh in the store every day. They need to know what happens when those pesky customers interrupt a smoothly planned work flow. Hopefully IT is learning about problems and working on solutions in an ongoing partnership with store personnel. This is not something you can phone in. It can’t be tech for tech’s sake, or about the newest shiny object. Solve problems. Create efficiencies. Create value in the eyes of the customer.
Copyright infringement alert! Jeff, I think that you ‘borrowed’ the “those pesky customers” phrase from ME! “Retail would be so easy if it wasn’t for those pesky customers.” 🙂
I remember the first time I said it out loud, many years ago. It was a sarcastic attempt to be humorous. It was not well received. But I still can’t resist the temptation to use it every now and then. After all, it’s their pesky behavior and decision making that we are all trying to figure out.
Absolutely. It is important at every stage of the business to understand how customers are impacted. I love the practice of several key retailers that requires team members to train on all job functions and gain exposure. This should be more commonplace and I feel there would be greater empathy and a sense of urgency to address pain points.
There is an old saying that you should ” walk a mile in someone else’s shoes to fully understand their experiences, perspectives, needs, and motivations.
Throughout my career, retail IT professionals have increasingly evolved into true partners with business teams and are far less siloed. IT professionals, especially with the migration to agile, product and customer-centric ways of working, have to better understand the actual business challenges and how to enable technology solutions to solve these issues.
What better way for the technology teams to gain these perspectives than to spend time on the front lines of the retail stores, distribution centers, and with the customers? What better way to fully understand and gain a better perspective than to spend time with the retail associates and customers. The advantages this offers are worth the investment of time, money, and energy, as these visits will enable the technology teams to align closely with the needs of the business teams.
It is hard to imagine that most companies would disagree with the idea of exposing your IT staff to working or shadowing staff in stores periodically. Yes, it does take them away from performing their day-to-day work, but the insights gained from the experience can be extremely valuable. There have been several discussions I have had with retail IT staff that explain how visiting store have been very insightful. For example, when you deploy a new technology in a store, the staff my actually use it in a different way than intended. This difference between intended and actual use case, are insights that may improve the future design process or training. Either way, without exposing IT staff to this experience, the learnings may not have happened.
Something magical happens when developers and designers actually understand intimately how their creations will be used, and why,. I’d go further than stores and suggest short internships as well for anyone engaged in systems design. Might be a few months of no code being generated, but will pay big dividends thereafter.
IT should work in the stores a small number of hours annually along with Marketing, Accounting, HR, Product.
These teams can benefit by learning first hand what the customer is saying, experiencing, as well as daily operational realities. In the end, this will create better solutions to complex issues, higher ROI, a better team environment.
Completely agree Brad. The closer you get to the customer and front line employees, the better you can utilize your unique skill set to improve things for all. That goes for all employees. I’ve hosted site tours where guest made powerful and simple to implement recommendations based on seeing the operation live. Conference rooms should be innovation free zones.
I’m a big believer in cross-training and cross-functional exposure, especially corporate-to-store exchanges. Getting a view of other department’s challenges and how one’s role impacts their ability to do their job only improves business processes and customer experience.
Before you have a store team reset their shelves, replenish a location, rotate stock, use a new device, check out a guest, or process a return, you better have walked a mile in their shoes. Doing it any other way robs you of the context, understanding, and empathy necessary to be more effective in your headquarters role.
And why not teach employees on the floor to code? Here’s why: they’ll be incompetent.
This is why management, a clear vision, and guidance exist. Retailing is not church camp where we hold hands and sing Kumbaya.