Customer case: Cykloteket

Martin Andersson, purchasing manager for Cykloteket, shares his experience:

"One challenge in retail is how to reach all staff. They are split between different stores, and work varying hours. Some work evenings and weekends, others only on certain days of the week, while relatively few work full-time on fixed schedules."

He goes on to explain how Evercate has facilitated the transfer of knowledge:

"We use Evercate for onboarding and to keep all employees up to date with the latest products and trends in a quick and easy way. Developments in the field are so fast today, so it's invaluable to be able to reach everyone at the same time."

Customers who come into Cyklotekets stores or online shops expect a first-class service and a solid knowledge of the staff. They may want help sorting out which bike is best for them or what is needed to keep their children safe on their first bike. It's not enough to point out the right rack or suggest that they choose one they think looks good.

"New shop assistants receive their training before they even start, which means they are more knowledgeable, comfortable and confident in their new job on their first day on site. It's also fair in a completely different way. Everyone gets the same opportunity, regardless of how their schedules are or whether they just work extra hours here and there," says Martin Andersson.

Cykloteket has a weekly meeting in its shops. Before they started using Evercate, more and more of the time at these meetings was spent on reaching out with information about new products, which meant that the weekly meeting was no longer being used for what it was intended for - to raise issues and create participation. It also proved not to be a very effective channel for information.

"Before, if there were 15 people working in a shop, we could never get everyone together for a joint briefing because of schedules, no matter how much we wanted to. Before, we could reach maybe 5-7 employees at a time when we were on site and had a briefing. Today, instead, we can easily reach out to everyone, as everyone can take in the information when it suits them," says Martin Andersson and continues:

"It allows you to focus your time in the shop on other things. Getting together at weekly meetings is very valuable as it allows us to raise important issues. But now we can focus on creating a dialogue and greater involvement when we meet instead of it being sausage stuffing about new products and promotions. This creates a better opportunity for success, both for employees and for the organisation as a whole."

When we talk to Martin, it's hard not to hear how his passion for Cykloteket shines through. The relationship with the employees is like that of a family, cordial and warm with a touch of teasing. He concludes by telling us how Evercate has helped them on an organisational level.

"It's grateful to be able to see in black and white how it is received and implemented throughout the organisation. Both for the store managers at their level and for us centrally. It makes it easier to identify what we're doing that's delivering the results we're looking for and where we can do even better as an organisation," he says, adding:

"I also like the automation of reminders for those who don't finish on time. Freedom under responsibility is certainly a good thing, but we could all do with a gentle nudge now and again to get us over the threshold."