Retail is a labor intensive business. No matter how much technology retailers employ, their employees have a far greater impact on the bottom line.

Measuring manager and associate behavior, though, is much harder to do than reporting the end results of a day’s sales, profitability, or ADS, or UPTs.

Getting managers to do observations and then give feedback is also tough given the number of things on their regular to do list. So if the manager can’t find the time or isn’t motivated to dedicate part of their day to reinforcement, productive associate behavior could decrease. Because no matter how good the training and how well-intentioned associates are, if skills, behaviors, and concepts aren’t reinforced, they will be forgotten and old habits will return. (You can read more about our take on the importance of training reinforcement in the book, Developing Talent for Organizational Results, and in Training Magazine.)

But retail isn’t like any other work environment. Time is limited and you have to reach people where they are. That’s why we’re so excited about a new mobile app developed by our partner, Axonify.

Axonify has created a companion mobile app that puts associate behavior and learning in the manager’s hands. Once associates or managers go through classroom training, they sign on for 30 second bursts of questions that reinforce learning and build confidence in applying it back on the job.

TeamLink, Axonify’s app, can be downloaded onto an iPhone or Android phone or used on a PC in the manager’s office. It shows exactly what the associate performance has been and what the manager should target as follow up.

This means coaching on the floor gets laser-focused on those behaviors the system shows need support and provides opportunities for celebration on responses that are most positive.

Technology that reinforces and builds retention can drive personal accountability and consistency of the most productive behaviors.

Which of your reports give you feedback on behaviors that drive results? Tweet us @mohrretail or share your thoughts here.

Want to see the app in action? Contact us for details.

Posted in Retail Sales Training
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About MOHR Retail

For more than 30 years, MOHR Retail has developed the critical people-to-people skills needed to create results in the retail industry—and we’re just getting started. Through innovative classroom and online learning methods, as well as our ongoing national retail research projects, we continue to stay on top of the trends so we can fuel the success of specialty stores, chain stores, outlets, catalogue retailers, department stores, and more. Nowhere does learning meet experience as it does in a MOHR Retail training program.