Zebra Technologies Corporation (NASDAQ: ZBRA), a global leader in digitising and automating frontline workflows, today announced that leading consumer electronics retailer, Currys has saved 900 management hours over a two month period, to spend more time on customer-facing activities with Zebra Workcloud Scheduling and Task Management software.
Currys operates 296 retail stores across the UK and Ireland, providing a wide range of consumer electronics and home appliances, smartphones, gaming gear, home appliances, and top-tier laptops, making the brand a prime destination for tech lovers.
The retailer knew it needed more visibility and efficiency across its stores to improve its scheduling, communication and task allocation, which would lead to more engaged colleagues and elevated customer experiences.
“At many branches, task management and workforce allocation weren’t as effective as they could be,” said Brad Porter, Process Product Support Manager, Currys. “Store managers were spending excessive time manually adjusting colleagues’ schedules, leading to inconsistent availability.”
Currys selected Zebra’s software to create better schedules with three main objectives: to introduce fixed shift scheduling, implement certifications for job roles, and improve workload distribution. By leveraging Workcloud Scheduling, Currys has gained greater efficiency and improved its customer service as colleagues can now spend more time on the store floor and less time doing administrative tasks.
“During the busiest shopping season, we were able to cut store schedule edits by 8,000 per week, preventing a total of 90,000 edits from November to the end of December,” said Nathan Holland, Workforce Management Systems Development and Insight Analyst, Currys. “That has saved us approximately 900 management hours which were reallocated to customer-facing activities.”
Colleagues across many branches also lacked up-to-date communication methods with teams relying on multiple channels like email and internal portals, which led to inconsistent task completion. Currys needed a centralised approach to ensure tasks were completed on time and inconsistencies across stores were eliminated.
Currys has expanded its use of Workcloud Task Management to include the coordination of various operational and promotional activities beyond compliance tasks. This new approach enables targeted task distribution, reduces email clutter, and ensures that relevant information reaches the right people at the right time. It also gives visibility to all levels of the business from store managers to corporate teams, with real-time feedback that allows them to quickly identify and resolve issues.
Currys has also improved resource allocation by mapping out annual operational plans and aligning staff resources with business objectives and compliance requirements.With the Workcloud Activity Planning functionality, Currys can schedule efficiently across the entire year, ensuring execution at the right time without overwhelming store colleagues.
“Currys demonstrates how a customer-first focus, drive for efficiency, and the right technology solution can benefit shoppers, frontline associates, and business operations,” said Mark Thomson, Retail Strategy Director, EMEA, Zebra Technologies. “It’s a great example of Zebra’s Modern Store vision for retailers, and we look forward to working with Currys as they set the bar even higher for what’s possible.”
Currys continues its close collaboration with Zebra on initiatives planned for the next 18 months including further optimising skills-based scheduling, broadening fixed shift applications, and enhancing real-time decision-making processes. “One of our major next steps is a health check with Zebra to identify additional opportunities for efficiency gains as we’re always looking for ways to push the boundaries of what this software can do,” said Holland.
