Hear why Schnuck Markets, Inc.
selected Logile as their enterprise WFM technology provider when their legacy software was sunsetting.
Five Steps to Keep Retailers in the Know
Preparing for workforce management (WFM) software that is in the process of sunsetting or approaching contract renewal is a two-pronged challenge. First, it is vital to assess the timing of potential phaseout to ensure there isn’t a giant gap in functionality, or indeed a rushed or ill-thought process to replace it. And second, it is important to reassess what actually constitutes best practice in modern-day WFM, and use the moment as an opportunity to get ahead of the curve.
Below are five steps that organizations should take to convert an often-delayed or underprioritized sunsetting decision into a golden opportunity for WFM optimization.
Step 1
Know your Timelines
“This software still has another two years – we have time!” Simply, you don’t.
Leaving renewals until the final three months of a software’s tenure is restrictive to progress or transformation. Leaving replacements to those final moments is even more damaging. Identifying the right replacement, negotiating contracts, implementing the new software and reaping results isn’t a three-month exercise. Your two-year sunset warning should spark you into life, now.
Step 2
Know your Context
The speed of change in retail sparked by the pandemic means that falling behind the curve is not an option. The likelihood is, a WFM technology within view of the sunset is already behind that curve – a curve that champions employees’ calls for greater flexibility and an improved work-life balance; and one that will maintain your status as an employer of choice in a tight labor market.
By misjudging the time-critical nature of software replacements, you’re likely to misread the room, and underexplore context-critical functions such as predictive scheduling or improved workflow management.
Step 3
Know your Status Quo
Moving from time considerations to enhancement opportunities, getting well ahead of a sunsetting deadline offers the opportunity to reevaluate what you’re good at now and where value is being lost.
By engaging with a dedicated service provider who is ultimately going to help you form a progression roadmap, this process actually begins with an assessment of where you are now. Priorities across the WFM landscape form as a result of need, not just of time. This could open the door to quick wins via short-term plug and play augmentations of functions in dire need, while the broader roadmap is developed.
Step 4
Know your Potential
When seeking out this provider – this guide towards the sunset – make sure to think beyond just the software subject to phaseout. This moment offers a golden opportunity to take an end-to-end view of your WFM infrastructure, so it makes sense to engage a similarly end-to-end solutions provider. Rather than firefighting every two years in a disjointed fashion, you are instead preparing for what you ultimately want your WFM operation to look like.
Step 5
Know the Road Ahead
In choosing the right end-to-end provider, this shouldn’t force a daunting all-at-once overhaul of your current state. Rather, the roadmap points to quick wins, priorities from both a time and functionality perspective, and how returns from each new investment can help pave the way for the next innovation.
Ultimately, you should know from day one what your WFM infrastructure should look like at the end. Critically, this should be a connected suite of complementary solutions delivering seamless optimization. However, this can only happen with a complete understanding of your challenges and opportunities, now, and plenty of time in hand to formulate a bespoke roadmap of incremental improvements along the way.
