Top Trends for Front Line Worker Productivity

As companies around the world grapple with rebuilding their businesses after the pandemic, forward-thinking companies are already testing new technologies and processes that protect the safety of front line workers to drive sustained productivity. Therefore, it is important for companies to not only ensure employee safety but also enhance customer satisfaction. Here are some top trends that companies are exploring to increase front line worker productivity, speed, and effectiveness via technology and refreshed business operations.

Revolutionizing Delivery Authentication

The common practice of providing a signature on the delivery driver’s mobile device to obtain a certified package is no longer ideal in today’s world given the ease in which germs can spread. One new solution companies are rolling out to protect both the front line worker handling the package delivery and the recipient involves barcode scanning to avoid direct contact. With this trending approach, the delivery driver scans the barcode on the package and then hands it to the recipient. The package recipient can then use his or her own mobile device with camera functionality to authorize and certify that he or she has in fact received the package while eliminating any contamination from handling a shared mobile device.

Reinventing the Role of Brick and Mortar Spaces

Retailers specifically are looking at creative new approaches for reutilizing brick and mortar square footage in productive ways given that current consumer shopping habits are gravitating toward e-commerce, resulting in a decrease of in-store traffic. Click-and-collect and “buy online, pick-up in store” (BOPIS) are becoming the preferred shopping methods, with 55% of consumers requesting more retailers to offer mobile ordering options, according to Zebra’s APAC Shopper Study. Meanwhile, some retailers are shifting toward “dark stores” – determining that they are better suited to meet customer demand by closing the store to the public and instead of converting the space into a mini-distribution centre to fulfil e-commerce orders.

The digital payment landscape is changing in India, with more than one-third of the population having used one or more e-wallet services from local providers1. According to the Mobile Association of India, the number of Internet users in India is already over 500 million in 20202, thereby making online shopping platforms accessible to roughly 41% of the population. Additionally, the changes in consumers’ shopping behaviour due to the pandemic has paved the way for a business model built around dark stores that can fulfil customer needs for online shopping which offers fast delivery and is more cost-effective.

By adjusting their supply chain to address the growing demand, this retail strategy allows inventory and workflow to be organized in a manner that keeps employees safe and consumers satisfied while addressing critical needs at every step of the process. Other retailers are opting to increase the footprint of “back-of-store” while remaining open to the public, allowing for additional items that are traditionally only sold online to be stocked in-store, driving increased inventory levels that better support in-store customers, fulfilling e-commerce and rapidly growing “buy online, pick-up in store” demand.

Prioritizing Contactless Checkout

Some consumers still prefer in-store shopping, while others prefer to order online and pick up curbside. According to Zebra’s APAC Shopper Study, 89% of surveyed shoppers agree that self-checkout improves their shopping experience. Consumers expect limited engagement and interaction with employees, which provides a definitive health benefit for front line workers as well. The need to adopt social distancing measures has caused retailers to consider ways to limit touchpoints and customer engagements around the checkout process. Meanwhile, empowering associates with technology to quickly provide customers with service, or answers to questions helps keep employees and customers safe.

Enabling Safety with Mobility

While mobile technology for the front line worker is now a mainstay for most businesses, the pandemic has highlighted that there is an opportunity for even more value. According to Zebra’s APAC Shopper Study, the adoption of mobile point of sale (mPOS) solutions is expected to hit 98% by 2026, up from 76% today. The same trend is also observed for handheld mobile computers with scanners as retail associate device usage is expected to reach 96% by 2026, up from the current 75%. Noticeably, mobile devices are enabling the pickup process in retail stores that are needed as shoppers shift from in-store purchases to online shopping and curbside pickup. Retailers that leverage mobility can also ensure the curbside experience is seamless by providing alerts to associates on arrival, leading to the instant handoff of merchandise.

Additionally, mobility is providing retailers with a way to meter customers, creating a safer shopping environment and providing associates with a communications tool that helps ensure they can move safely through the store. Mobile solutions also enable associates to receive real-time communications and information about product availability or the company’s latest health procedures. In addition to retail stores, warehouse workers are safer because of mobile solutions that offer proximity sensing and contact tracing.

Transportation and logistics companies, field service providers, retailers, and other businesses with warehouse environments can benefit from implementing various new safety precautions and shifts in distribution and manufacturing operations like those mentioned above to keep the front line workforce as productive as possible.