The Co-op has increased in-store task completion by more than a third just five months after launching MyWork, a mobile task management system, across its network of 3,750 stores and 70, 000+ store colleagues.
Previously store colleagues had been inundated with multiple communication channels, including more than 20 back-office systems and 70 different paper processes. This complexity negatively affected task execution, prioritization and completion visibility and led to additional stresses on Co-op staff, higher operational costs and non-optimised customer service.
Speaking at the Reflexis EMEA customer event in London, Co-op Work Stream Lead, Dave Tyas said approximately 80% of all paper processes had now been incorporated into the mobile MyWork tool.
“Previously compliance in terms of task fulfillment was 70% and now sits at more than 95% and has done so for more than six weeks,” said Tyas. “It’s ever more important to make store associates visible to customers to drive positive customer experience. Mobility is very important in the store environment and there is no longer an elastic band keeping colleagues in the office so they can be on the shop floor when needed.”
Tyas said the additional benefits of MyWork, which was developed in partnership with Reflexis, included the complete removal of some processes, a significant improvement in the correct completion of tasks and an empowered workforce who are more inquisitive and forward thinking.
“Prior to Mywork, store managers often became an unintended communications bottleneck. Now non-management colleagues are more engaged with processes because they have visibility, which they didn’t when all processes were paper,” said Tyas.
Each store colleague now received a personalised and prioritised list of tasks. If colleagues are unfamiliar with a particular task, guidance can be requested through a “How Do I?” link which provides the step-by-step process for consistent execution across all stores.
A specially recruited team of digitally native Co-op associates lead training sessions designed to address any colleague concerns and help transition store teams onto the mobile system, which replaced embedded businesses processes, some of which were more than 25 years old.
Following the successful launch in-store the next phase of the project will see MyWork further integrated with other store systems to generate real-time notifications such as service and low stock alerts, delivery arrival notifications, predictive self-check-out interventions and store walks based on time of day and external factors such as the weather.
