The fundamental causes are that communication costs have increased due to the complexity of the organizational structure, headquarters control has become less effective, and visualization between headquarters and stores has become impossible.
Systematization is essential to solving this problem, and store management tools and multi-store management tools are extremely effective. However, there are many products on the market, so you may often wonder which system to install. In this article, we will introduce how to choose the best tool for managing multiple stores.
- What are store management tools and multi-store management tools?
- How to choose a store management tool/multi-store management tool
- What is the biggest challenge in store management? organize
- Clarify the necessary operations for each store and the connection with the headquarters
- What features should we focus on? think of
- Consider cloud service usage policies
- Calculate the total cost including initial cost, monthly usage fee, option fee, etc.
- Check the actual usability after carrying out a trial
- Attend introductory seminars held by each vendor
What are store management tools and multi-store management tools?
Before introducing how to choose a store management tool or multi-store management tool, let me briefly explain what the system is in the first place.
Due to the increase in chain operations , the reasons why store management cannot be carried out smoothly are “more complex organizational structures,” “increased communication costs,” and “inadequate headquarters control.” In order to eliminate this root cause and solve various problems faced by store management, store management tools and multi-store management tools are equipped with the following functions.
- Format notifications from headquarters
- Manage store confirmations, tasks, and reports as ToDos
- Check the list of support for stores in each department
- The headquarters conducts a survey to stores and collects responses on the system.
- Format regular reports on a daily, weekly, and monthly basis
- Displays instructions read rate, measure implementation rate, and survey response rate
- Integrate numerical answers into the system by linking with Excel
- Instantly share store layout and implementation status through photo reports
- Manage documents and photos in a system-dedicated file sharing space
- Unify all reporting and application work into a system
- SNS function that creates connections between stores
- Message function to facilitate communication between headquarters, stores, and between stores
*See the basic functions of Dream Arts Co., Ltd. “Shop Ran”
By introducing these store management tools and multi-store management tools, the headquarters company can thoroughly manage stores, solve existing problems, optimize management, and improve productivity throughout the organization.
How to choose a store management tool/multi-store management tool
Although store management tools and multi-store management tools are simply called store management tools, there are differences in the functions provided and the implementation format, so it is very important to choose the most suitable product for each company. The effectiveness of implementation will vary greatly depending on whether or not you choose the appropriate product, so please refer to the points listed below when choosing one.
What is the biggest challenge in store management? organize
The purpose of introducing store management tools and multi-store management tools is to eliminate the causes that hinder thorough store management and to improve communication efficiency by solving various problems. However, “what is the biggest challenge” in store management operations differs depending on the company.
For example, if there are no problems with communication between the headquarters and stores, but there are many problems with human resources management that require priority resolution, you will need to choose a product that has functions centered on human resources management.
What is the biggest challenge? What is the purpose? The products you should choose will vary depending on the situation, so it is important to sort this out first.
Clarify the necessary operations for each store and the connection with the headquarters
In the case of chain operations, the business content of each store is usually fixed, but it is surprisingly rare for the headquarters company to understand the overall picture of store operations . Additionally, the current situation is such that it is not possible to effectively improve operations because the connection with headquarters operations is unclear.
To solve this problem, let’s clarify the business content of each store and the connection with headquarters business. Specifically, we create business flow diagrams to visualize daily, weekly, and monthly operations.
What features should we focus on? think of
As mentioned above, store management tools and multi-store management tools have a variety of functions. The product you choose will depend on which of these features you want to focus on. It also needs to be easy for anyone to use and understand. By clarifying this before starting product selection, it will be easier to select a product according to the guidelines.
Consider cloud service usage policies
Most of the store management tools and multi-store management tools currently available are provided as cloud services. A cloud service is a software product that is provided via the Internet and can be used by simply paying a usage fee without having to operate the system.
Cloud services manage accounts using IDs and passwords, so the advantage is that you can access the same system environment from anywhere or from different devices. Another feature is that the data used by users is stored at the data center of the service provider.
For this reason, depending on the company, there are cases where it violates existing security policies (such as prohibiting taking out internal data), so it is important to reconsider the usage policy of cloud services. Of course, there is no doubt that the cloud is effective for systems for geographically dispersed stores.
Calculate the total cost including initial cost, monthly usage fee, option fee, etc.
Usage fees for store management tools and multi-store management tools mainly consist of initial fees, monthly usage fees, and optional fees. Although there are many cases where the initial cost is free, there is always a monthly usage fee, and depending on the product, there may be additional optional fees.
Don’t just judge the cost based on the monthly usage fee, be sure to calculate the total cost before comparing. Also, please note that usage fee calculation methods vary depending on the product, such as store-based or connection-based.
Check the actual usability after carrying out a trial
Many products offer free trials for a limited period of time. After all, it is difficult to judge the convenience of a product without actually using it, so please actively try out the products listed to see how they actually feel.
Additionally, if you run a trial, you can transfer the information managed there to regular use, so if you like the product, you can consider continuing to use it.
Attend introductory seminars held by each vendor
As you are reading this article, I think many people primarily use the Internet to gather information about store management tools and multi-store management tools. When using the Internet as an information source, it is easy to gather basic information about products, but there is also information that cannot be grasped, such as specific success stories and implementation processes for each product.
If you would like to proceed with product consideration based on such information, please try participating in the introductory seminars held by each vendor.
The important things when selecting a product are “information gathering” and “information organization.” In order to choose the appropriate store management tool or multi-store management tool for your company from among the many products available, we hope that you will refer to the points introduced here when selecting a product.
