Inside Tehnomanija’s pandemic-proof communication strategy
The COVID-19 pandemic has shaken the global retail industry with workplace shut-downs, staffing issues, employee sick days and product shortages. While trying to pivot their business strategies to fill the gaps, retailers around the world have had to get creative when it comes to keeping their workforces connected and ready to perform.
Tehnomanija, a leading consumer electronics, retail and e-commerce chain based in Serbia, were focused on getting their associates ready for whatever was coming next. And that meant finding the right e-learning platform to maintain employee engagement, while also helping their people stay safe.
“Our retail stores are located throughout Serbia, so it was very difficult for us to organise any kind of education for our employees in stores,” says Jelena Danilovic, HR Manager at Tehnomanija. “When the pandemic started, we didn’t want to endanger the health of our employees. That’s the first reason we considered an e-learning platform for store employees.”
Close the gap in communication
The current health crisis has only emphasised just how disconnected many people leaders are from the needs of their teams. In fact, according to a 2021 report by Axonify and Arlington Research, almost 45% of employees on the ground were planning to leave their current jobs—citing a lack of appreciation from HQ and their peers.
While the solution isn’t one-size-fits-all, aligning programs with the needs, interests and motivations of your people is a great place to start. One-third of the same surveyed employees said clear and timely communication from management would have a high impact on their ability to do their best work. That’s why Tehnomanija decided to invest in Axonify in 2021 and opt for a better way to close the communication gap with their workforce, proving to their employees that getting them the information they need to make the right decisions is a priority.
“Axonify definitely made our work easier. Communication-wise, having everyone’s attention is just a click away. That was not a thing before Axonify, in our company,” reports Macura. “The main benefit is the chance for us to be the creators of the whole learning process in our company, detecting the needs of our employees and being able to respond to them.”
Associates at Tehnomanija now have the resources they need to deliver the best service to their customers, knowing they have an open line of communication with management to help where they need it.
“All the employees in our stores are available to us, so we can send them important messages and information, and they can quickly solve issues.”
Weather the next storm more confidently
Surviving the rocky waters of the retail frontline—navigating furloughs, layoffs and health concerns—is no easy task. But with a personalised communication strategy that suits their workforce’s unique needs, even new Axonify customers like Tehnomanija have been able to succeed.
“I felt we did the right thing by implementing Axonify in our company. Our employees started giving us feedback and saying that they see the purpose of using an application like this,” boasts Macura. “They can now finally link the theoretical and practical part of the work and rely on a mobile application to give them the information they need, or help them to do better at their work.”