Almost everything has gone digital now. Your business can’t survive in modern times if it doesn’t innovate and acquire digital skills. Businesses need to understand the importance of digital skills in the workplace. Improving the digital skills of employees will improve productivity, generate cost savings and increase profitability of your business. Here are the ‘must have’ digital skills you can train your team with:

Website Development

This deals with mainly coding. The basic languages that are used for web development include HTML, Bootstrap, PHP and JavaScript. Having a great deal of knowledge in coding can give your team and your business a competitive advantage online. Your website is often the first point of contact for new customers. Having a strong online presence can really help drive consumers to your shop.

Graphic Design

It’s essential to acquire graphic design as a skill. It’s needed in websites, applications, magazines, advertisements and pretty much everything else. Employees should get familiarised with Adobe Photoshop, CorelDraw and a vector graphics illustrator like Adobe Illustrator, to make the most out of their visual content. Whether it’s the design of your website or your shop window display, a good understanding of graphic design will take you a long way.

Online Branding

It’s important for everyone to establish themselves as a brand, no matter how niche your shop may be. And your online image is a huge part of your brand, so it’s no longer just a corporate responsibility. Every person should have their personal web portfolio, LinkedIn account and have a social media presence on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. You never know when you’re going to be Googled, but you should make sure you take command of what consumers will find about you online.

Digital Marketing

This is the marketing of products and services using digital technologies on the internet and any other digital medium. People are spending much more time online than they used to. People use digital devices to check out your shop, before they visit, so training (yourself, or an employee) in digital marketing is important for connecting with current and prospective customers. Employees should be versatile with email, social media and affiliate marketing, display advertising, Online PR and Search Engine Optimization. It’s essential to building and growing your business or brand.

Thanks for reading! We hope this article has been informative.

If you’d like to know more about digital marketing skills, or you just feel like getting in touch, contact us here.

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Managing your team can be a time consuming and demanding process

Not to mention the challenges of scheduling staff in all their different shifts. A newsfeed is now included in Deputy, and this is designed for managers to communicate with their team using posts, attachments, or even request a confirmation that the post was seen. Ultimately, this will save managers with 15 staff, around 30 hours per month. In conclusion managers can focus on more important elements of their business. Whether you use pen and paper, excel or a diary system – the work day can be unpredictable and there may be last minute changes within staff. Edwards Simpkins of Deputy gives his tips and advice on how small business can make day to day team management a much easier and smoother process using their services. Edwards also talked about the challenges of scheduling staff.

“A challenge local businesses have is when staff don’t turn up for shifts”

Finally, Deputy is a powerful staff rota solution. They Allow managers to rota staff, track attendance and export timesheets directly to payroll platforms. From boutique retail stores to national outlets Deputy saves businesses an average of 30 hours a month in staff admin time. Join Save The High Street Movement now: https://savethehighstreet.org/join-the-movement Be part of the Retail Advisory Board: https://savethehighstreet.org/retailer-advisory-board Please leave us a comment if you had any thoughts and don’t forget to like and subscribe our Youtube channel. Video produced by City House Media: http://www.cityhousemedia.com/

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The first point of contact your customers have is your staff

The impression your staff give is crucial to the customer’s experience. Having the right team will make day to day business run smoothly. Therefore this generates more footfall and popularity for your business.

Customers rely on your staff to assist them, so they need to know the ins and outs of everything to do with your business. Andy Logan of Vape Emporium and Rowena Howie of Revival Retro talk to us about what they look for when putting a team together.

Andy Logan is the founder of Vape Emporium. His shop offers premium products and a high quality service that local residents love. It is the UK’s leading electronic cigarette retailer, with vape shops in London at Hampstead and Richmond. Hence, they’ve collected and tested all the best quality vaping supplies you could need, including premium & gourmet e-Liquids, high-powered box mods, and vape pipes.

Rowena Howie is the owner of Revival Retro. Her shop is an award winning independent boutique in central London.The designs are classy, elegant and sophisticated. Having a bricks and mortar shop sets Revival Retro apart. As a result customers will travel far and wide to visit the Boutique. Consequently the in store experience regularly receives 5 star reviews.

Join Save The High Street Movement now: https://savethehighstreet.org/join-the-movement

Be part of the Retail Advisory Board: https://savethehighstreet.org/retailer-advisory-board

Please leave us a comment if you had any thoughts and don’t forget to like and subscribe our Youtube channel.

Video produced by City House Media: http://www.cityhousemedia.com/

The post Hiring Staff: What to Look for first appeared on Savethehighstreet.org.

Pop-ups can live and die by the quality and attitude of the people staffing them, so finding the best people to showcase and sell your product is worth dedicating your attention to. There are a great deal of people available for temporary jobs around the UK and while this means you have lots to choose from, it can also make it harder to find the right fit to staff your pop-up.

We called on the experts from online job seeker marketplaces Catapult and Flexy to get the low down on the best ways to find candidates, how to know what you’re looking for, and most importantly, how to train them up to make sure they show your product at its very best.

Let’s start at the beginning, what should I include in the job description?

Catapult: “We ask for basic information such as location, what your business does and the job title of the person you’re looking for. This gives candidates an overview of what is required to carry out the job role.”

Flexy: “Also, think about your brand values, and make sure they are reflected in the tone of your job description. The workers you hire will be representing your brand, so it’s important they identify with its principles from the very beginning.”

Where are good places to look to source staff for my shop?

Catapult: “Usually employers look for temporary staff in the following ways:

Friends and family. Reaching out to your close network is perhaps the most obvious place to start searching!

Your previous employees. It might be that some of your previous employees have expressed that they are interested in one-off shifts.

Staffing agencies. These companies can take a long time and be expensive to use, so they tend to be not as well suited for short-term projects.”

How do I know what a good applicant looks like?

Flexy: “When you’ve (hopefully!) received lots of applicants, you’ll need some criteria to narrow down the candidates. In terms of hiring temporary staff, attitude is the most important factor, so ask yourself:

Is the candidate switched on, eager, enthusiastic and motivated?

Does the candidate fit with your brand image and values? Do they grasp your offering and understand the benefits it entails?

If you have time, it’s a good idea to contact at least one reference to ensure the candidate did a good job previously.”

What’s the average hourly rate for retail staff?

Flexy: “This is a hot topic in the media currently, as many businesses are being called out in the press for under-paying staff.”

“Legally the minimum wage is £7.20 for over 25’s, £6.70 for 21-25’s, and £5.30 for those under 20. However, in order to entice the crème de la crème of temporary staff in your field, you need to pay fairly.

“We took the decision to only allow jobs to be posted on our platform at, or above, the London Living wage, which is £9.40 (or £8.25 outside of London) – we consistently get feedback from users about how brilliant our workers are. Paying reasonably will not only attract a higher calibre of applicant but will also help keep workers motivated and improve their reliability.”

And finally, how can I ensure they know my product well enough to sell?

Flexy: “No matter how much instruction you provide, no member of staff will know your product better than you do. Here are a few ways you can help them on their way though:

A crash course on outlining the key benefits of your product with a demo or sample can really help temporary staff get to grips with your offering quickly.

You should equip staff with enough knowledge to talk about the features and benefits effortlessly, but also provide them with a process to seamlessly refer a very inquisitive customer over to you (or another more experienced member of the team).

Remember, there’s no shame in not having all the answers; just as long as they know where to find them with confidence.”

Before you hire anyone, remember you must check they are legally able to work in the UK (a £10,000 fine can be imposed if they aren’t). To check the legal work status you need to physically see and take a photo of their EU passport or UK work visa (details can be found here).

Catapult is an online marketplace where you can find and select local staff based on their experience, their video, and star ratings from other employers. For more information visit www.joincatapult.com.

Flexy is a digital marketplace where you can find and book brilliant temporary workers by the hour, day, week or month. All workers are vetted, rated and checked to work in the UK, so you can book your temporary dream-team in minutes. For more information visit www.home.weareflexy.com

Source: Appear Here Blog – http://ow.ly/Dxvm30ckgu9

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