Christian Floerkemeier is VP Product, CTO & Co-Founder Scandit. The company pioneers the development of data capture solutions on smart devices to provide actionable insights. The solutions automate end-to-end processes by capturing data from barcodes, text, IDs and objects. The technology is used in a wide range of industries including retail, hospitality and manufacturing. Enterprise Times met with Christian, who provided his four top tips for any organisation looking to implement frictionless data capture.
1. Focus on your frontline employees
Overall, one of the key things that we are seeing is successful organisations are focused on their front-line staff. For example, in retail that would be the store associates. It is crucial that you put technology into the hands of staff. Managers must go and ask employees what they think about their tools and how they use technology in the workplace.
2. Reduce or remove mundane tasks
Businesses are finding it challenging to recruit and retain staff. Managers must always remain mindful of how tedious some of these daily employee tasks are. If an employee needs to go and scan all incoming shipments – that is not a fun task. Businesses need to explore how technology can help make these activities easier. Technology can really help with some of the very mundane tasks needed in most organisation. As a result, employees are freed to undertake more productive work and activities.
3. Knowledge management
A trend we have noticed since Covid times, which maybe a little specific to retailers is changes in the career patterns of employees. Previously, businesses were built on having employees that saw retail as a career and stayed there for a long time. As a result, they built up knowledge about their job, industry and competitors. Increasingly, new employees are coming in at a much younger age and may remain in a role for two or three years. Organisations need to think about how to institutionalise knowledge. They must plan how that knowledge must become widely available across the business in a fast and effective way. Businesses cannot continue as usual. Training individuals for three or six months, only to see them leave after a year. Enterprises need to use digital tools that support the work knowledge needed by employees. Furthermore, those tools must be readily available to all employees. We are seeing across our businesses that the quality of digital tools is becoming a very strategic initiative.
4. Provide technology
Business must give employees technology and tools that empower them to do their job better. Be mindful of the devices and tools that are given to staff without a thought. A typical employee will have an iPhone or smart Android device in their pocket. Then you go to work and given a five-year-old industrial scanner. That is not necessarily super appealing. Businesses need to be employee user focus including at the device level.
