Mass Texting for Large Retail and Big Box Store Staff Recruitment and Management

In times of uncertainty, effective communication with your employees is more important than ever. That goes double for big box stores and other retailers with a higher-than-average number of employees. Whether you need to inform your staff about shift changes, store closings, or important news that may impact store safety, store managers and coordinators need to be able to get the message out fast.

Emails may sit unattended in inboxes and phone calls may go straight to voicemail. Text messages, on the other hand, are fast, reliable, and effective:

• 98% of consumers read all of their incoming text messages
• 90% of all messages are responded to within 30 minutes
• 70% of messages are read within 5 minutes of being delivered

With such effective engagement it’s no surprise more and more retailers are adding text to their communications plans.

Using Text to Improve Big Box Staff Management

Imagine this scenario: a storm hits your city and cuts out the power to one of your biggest stores. The sun isn't up yet, but you have to close for the day. In a situation like this, employee safety is a priority. How do you let your employees know so they don’t travel through hazardous road conditions to get to an empty store?

With a text you can quickly and easily send out a mass message to your entire staff safe in the knowledge that they’ll see it before they leave home. Shift coordinators can segment contacts by department – such as “STOCK” or “GARDENING” – or by availability to send targeted messages, or find someone to fill in at the last minute or during a rush. And just like with text marketing, you can offer incentives for employees willing to take on extra shifts in the form of MMS coupons.

Using Text to Streamline Bog Box Employee Recruitment

A large staff, like those found at bog box retailers, can mean lots of employee turnover and a busy human resources department hustling to fill vacancies. With text communication you can create a Keyword that potential employees can opt in to for the latest job openings. You can also schedule interview reminders and follow up with text-to-vote surveys to keep potential employees engaged.

For many big box retailers, when a crisis hits, demand rises. That means higher store traffic with strict protocols that requires extra hands. When you need to hire more personnel quickly, you can’t rely on outdated communication methods. Mass texting gets your message in front of more eyes at a faster rate than email, and the conversion proves that it’s an effective tool for any company trying to manage a large staff in a changing world.

- Stewart Jester