Encouraging expansion: staff or software?

If your construction industry retail business is successfully run, you may find yourself in a position to expand your company and pursue new retail opportunities. Business growth is the shared dream of the majority of builders’ merchants, hardware stores and construction industry suppliers alike, but actively pursuing expansion can prove difficult in the real world. The way we see it, you can either bring in new staff to help fuel business growth, or invest in EPoS retail management software instead. So, which approach will best allow your company to expand in future? We’ve looked at three important practical factors in an attempt to find out.

Implementation
Staff

Bringing in new staff can take time, so if you’re looking to expand your company through the application of additional manpower, you could be in for a lengthy wait. First you’ll need to recruit your new employees, which involves advertising for their services and interviewing prospective candidates before making your decision. Once you’ve hired your new staff you’ll subsequently need to train them, and it could take many months before they’re truly up to speed and ready to move your company forwards. Even then, there’s no guarantee that your new hires will work out in the long run.

Software

While your EPoS retail management software won’t be ready to use overnight, you’ll find it’s far quicker to implement than a new hire. While your software system will need to be installed, ‘go live’ and transfer any data across from a pre-existing system, the whole process shouldn’t take more than a matter of days. Naturally, your staff will need to be trained in order to familiarise themselves with your new software, but the user-friendly nature of most EPoS systems means that your tech-savvy employees will be comfortable with their new processes before you know it.

Cost-effectiveness
Staff

Making new hires can be expensive, and many construction industry retailers and builders’ merchants will find that there are hidden costs to bringing in new staff. Recruitment takes time and costs money, while the annual salary of a new member of staff could cost your business anything from £12,000 to £30,000 per annum – depending on seniority. Should your new hires fail to work out then that’s potentially a lot of money wasted...

Software

EPoS retail management software isn’t going to come for free, but when compared with the long-term costs of hiring new staff this is by far the more cost-effective option. While one software solution available for a single lump sum or a monthly finance scheme can be enough to help your business expand, it may take several expensive new hires to have the equivalent effect. In the long run, EPoS software will always work out cheaper.

Longevity
Staff

Ideally, your new hires will stay with your company and help the business to reach new heights long into the future. The right employees will be dedicated to your company and become crucial business assets for years to come, but not all of your new hires will be in it for the long haul. People will often get restless in their jobs and look for pastures new after a year, or even less – not long after hiring the staff to help your business grow, you could find yourself back to where you started...

Software

One of the main advantages of retail management software is that it is permanent. Once you’ve found a software solution that works for you, it should work and grow with your business for years to come – unlike a human employee, it won’t get itchy feet and up sticks down the line. Our EPoS management systems are regularly updated in order to keep pace with technological developments and industry requirements, so you’ll find that your new software is a partner you can rely on as your business grows and develops.

There will naturally come a time when your growing business expands beyond the point where your existing staff can cope with the increased levels of trade, at which point it will become necessary to recruit once more. If you’re looking for a fast and cost-effective means of implementing business growth while setting up your company for the future, however, look no further than our range of EPoS retail management software solutions.