Time is of the essence in retail. 52% of consumers are trying to limit the time they spend shopping. 90% of shoppers avoid queues, and 70% won’t return to a store that keeps them waiting. The convenience of internet shopping combined with COVID-19 concerns has made customers unwilling to spend too long in store.
Retailers are recovering from a tough year, and VoCoVo is here to help. We empower colleagues to work productively and deliver better customer service. Let’s take a look at one of the biggest causes of inefficiency, and what can be done about it:
Customer queries take up the most time
We surveyed 251 retail workers from over 100 stores and asked them to name the biggest cause of inefficiency. 26% said that trying to find information for customers was the main reason for inefficiency. A further 26% said that tracking down more knowledgeable staff to answer queries was the biggest issue. Overall, 49% of colleagues said that it regularly took them over a minute to answer a customer query.
We also asked colleagues to suggest ways to improve the situation. The response was clear: better communication. 47% said that they would be more productive if communication was improved, and 43% said they needed to be better connected with colleagues in other departments.
VoCoVo is designed with speed in mind
All of our products are designed to increase efficiency by eliminating unnecessary traveling. Walking back and forth across the store to find information, consult colleagues, or check stock levels is a major cause of inefficiency. It takes an average of 12 minutes for a colleague to walk 1km, and this adds up over the course of the day.
Our headsets allow colleagues to communicate without having to cross the store. Colleagues can call the stockroom to check stock levels, and can ask for help without having to track each other down. Our headsets reduce daily walking distance by an average of 1.4km per colleague. This means that each colleague will save just under 17 minutes a day in walking time alone.
As well as cutting travel time, headsets also increase task efficiency. With access to the necessary help and information, colleagues can complete tasks more quickly. Headsets also allow colleagues to multitask. They can answer queries remotely while continuing to perform manual tasks. We found that VoCoVo saves an average of 67 minutes per store per day through better task efficiency.
How much time can I save with VoCoVo?
We’ve made some handy tables so you can check exactly how much time you will save. It is worth noting that the annual savings are based on 358 working days per year.
Table 1
Time saved by reducing walking distance
(Based on reducing daily walking distance by 1.4km per colleague)
Number of colleagues across all stores |
Time saved per day (hours) |
Total saved per year (average wage @ £10 per hour) |
| 50 | 14 | £50,120 |
| 100 | 28 | £100,240 |
| 500 | 140 | £501,200 |
| 1,000 | 280 | £1,002,400 |
| 5,000 | 1,400 | £5,012,000 |
| 10,000 | 2,800 | £10,024,000 |
| 27,000 (number of B&Q colleagues) | 7,560 | £27,064,800 |
| 50,000 | 14,000 | £50,120,000 |
| 100,000 | 28,000 | £100,240,000 |
| 112,000 (number of Sainsbury’s colleagues) | 31,360 | £112,268,800 |
| 423,000 (number of Tesco colleagues) | 118,440 | £423,872,000 |
Table 2
Time saved by increasing task efficiency
(Based on saving 67 minutes per store per day)
Number of stores |
Time saved per day* (hours) |
Total saved per year (average wage @ £10 per hour) |
| 1 | 1 | £3,580 |
| 5 | 5 | £17,900 |
| 10 | 11 | £35,800 |
| 20 | 22 | £71,600 |
| 50 | 56 | £200,480 |
| 100 | 112 | £400,960 |
| 200 | 223 | £801,920 |
| 300 (number of B&Q stores in UK) | 335 | £1,199,300 |
| 500 | 558 | £1,997,640 |
| 1000 | 1,117 | £3,995,280 |
| 1415 (number of Sainsbury’s stores in UK) | 1,580 | £5,656,400 |
| 2,000 | 2,233 | £7,994,140 |
| 3,968 (number of Tesco stores in UK) | 4,431 | £15,862,980 |
*rounded to the nearest hour
VoCoVo can help you make significant time savings. This translates into faster service and more satisfied customers. Happy customers will spend up to 140% more, so investing in customer experience is a smart choice. Our research shows that, through a mixture of reduced travel time and improved task efficiency, VoCoVo will pay for itself in a matter of months.