If your organization has multiple locations, detailed guidelines, and KPIs you need to track, you want to read this short case study.
Sören Hinz is Branch Sales Manager at Walbusch Filialen, a large chain of exclusive clothing stores with 43 stores across Germany.
The following is how he, his team, and headquarters uses KPIs, facility management, and photo management to skyrocket the efficiency of their work:
Did you have another system before Instore Excellence?
“We used Excel, a program for photo management, and a program for email management. The challenge was that we stored nothing in the same place.
This decentralization made it hard for us to track individual, store, or employee KPI goals, analyze data, and ensure that we were progressing and optimizing the right places.
Instore Excellence combines everything in one tool. We can access all data with just one click. In addition, I can sort the data as I like – e.g., by choosing and comparing specific periods, stores, or areas. These functions save me a lot of time and allow me to optimize performance across my teams.”
What made you choose Instore Excellence?
“We had been looking for a task management system for three years. The Instore Excellence app is one of the best tools for our specific needs. They developed what the system didn’t have, specifically for our case – e.g., KPI tracking.”
How do you use the app to optimize your work?
“We use Instore Excellence in three primary areas: KPI management and tracking, facility management, and photo management.”
Goal management:
“We track, document, and analyze the KPI progress and ensure we take the right action to reach our goals. With Instore Excellence, we can communicate the monthly goals with all area managers.
In addition, they track their results in the app; thus, headquarters have an ongoing overview of the progress in each store and the whole region.
This level of control means that I can see directly on my dashboard which stores are good at reaching their goals and which are not. I can troubleshoot and address potential issues ahead of time; is the problem a lack of motivation, the methodology, the communication with the store manager, etc.?
In the future, this will also be a good tool for me during annual talks with my team. I have their data from the whole year, making the conversations’ quality much higher.”
Facility management:
“This feature allows us to control and manage the store process. It’s a direct way for headquarters to implement tasks and requirements (e.g., concerning merchandise and campaigns).
The area and in future store managers will use the Instore Excellence app in everyday work. For example, if something is broken in a store or a light bulb is off, the store manager can upload a photo directly in the app and make a comment. The system then automatically forwards the task to the responsible person.
Before, an email would go out to the whole team – even though they had nothing to do with solving the task. This precision has resulted in much less time wasted in the head office. As a result, we save a lot of time and money.
The next step for us is to develop tasks, surveys, and to-do lists, so each store manager knows what to do and when. This knowledge allows us to align all stores nationwide on a new level.”
Photo management:
“We have 43 stores across the country that all have to look the same when a customer enters. Therefore we have specific guidelines regarding the interior, merchandise, campaigns, etc. But the stores are between 50 and 550 km from headquarters, so we needed a way to ensure alignment without a manager going to the physical store.
With Instore Excellence, we can communicate precise guidelines to all stores. When everything is set up, the store manager documents it by uploading a photo (e.g., a campaign) using the app on their phone.
The head office can then comment on the photo directly and address the responsible person if something needs to change. Very fast, very effective!”
What results have you experienced?
In his team (e.g., the merchandise team):
“Their work has become more time-efficient and trackable – meaning more alignment and fewer mistakes.”
In his work:
“I have a much better overview of the KPIs, monthly results, etc. Also, I can better track the performance of each employee, if they reach their goals or not – and why.
This will also be a huge advantage when having annual talks because we can address every topic more precisely and ensure optimal performance.”
In the company:
“We can now ensure that all stores live up to the guidelines from head office.”
Would you recommend Instore Excellence?
“Yes, of course! The support is great, and the app is the best for our specific needs. It makes it possible for us to combine everything we need into one tool. Also, we can add features as the need arises.”
Who would you recommend it to?
“All types of companies like ours, with more stores in a country and one head office. Companies where guidelines and decentral organization are a part of the structure.”
Learn more from Walbusch Filialen: Fast and simple onboarding process
“Now we can access all data with just one click.”
“We track, document, and analyze the KPI progress, and ensure we take the right action to reach our goals.”
“It’s a direct way for headquarters to implement tasks and requirements.”
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Book a non-binding meeting with our expert, Morten Munch-Andersen, at +45 2162 3159 or mma@instoreexcellence.com. You can also check out our FREE trial here.