How the right software turned a confusing and time-consuming manual activity into a speedy and efficient one.

The challenge

For a long time Signet had set sales targets for their employees. But the process was manual, clunky and ineffective.

As a result, staff weren’t able to quickly determine the targets they needed to hit to qualify for their bonus. And store managers couldn’t check these targets or track employee performance against them. There was a feeling of confusion and frustration across the business.

How we helped

The first stage was for us to understand the target-setting process in more detail - for example the product lines, store size, number of staff grades and level of experience.

With this in mind, we got to work applying Java tools to create a bespoke Samsung Galaxy Note screen that would link to store target setting software at head office. That way, data from the point of sale could then feed into the application and update every 15 minutes. And individual stores could log on to instantly review targets by product line and staff members.

The results

The new system has significantly cut the amount of time it takes to set and review targets. A process that used to involve 15 minutes of scribbling on paper is now digitized and takes just two minutes. And this translates to financial savings, too. Across 30 stores, it amounts to £175,000 per year.

Now, not only can individual store managers check performance of their employees against targets, but head office can do the same on a macro level, comparing store performance side-by-side.