Salamander Austria uses SEAK’s Performance Management in its 36 Salamander and 30 Delka stores.
We talked to Klaus Magele, the Salamander Austria manager, and sales manager Albert Setzger.
What distinguishes the system from other IT solutions for business analysis?
Klaus Magele: No software I know provides such a large number of indicators and their relationships within a single system. The clarity is also in a class of its own. And everything is available on PC, tablet or smartphone – it doesn’t get any faster.
How often do you work with the TPM?
Magele: Every day. The TPM offers managers a quick, up-to-date overview. It is used even more at the regional management level. Regional managers can compare themselves with each other down to individual employees when they visit a store.
Which key figures do you primarily care about?
Magele: After sales, the conversion rate is the most important indicator for me. In addition, items and sales per customer, as well as hourly output are of course also highly relevant.
How are stores and employees compared?
Albert Setzger: We mainly focus on comparing the evaluations of indicator performances at different company levels with overall company performance.
What consequences does weak indicator performance have for the store or employee concerned?
Setzger: The figures from the TPM are crucial information for discussions with employees or the store manager. But we cannot jump to conclusions. Differences in location characteristics, store concepts and where the employees are working within the store must also be taken into account. Salamander has both small, specialised shops and flagship stores, so the conditions are not the same everywhere. But at store level, hourly output is the ultimate indicator.
How have the key performance indicators developed since the system was introduced?
Magele: During the first year, of which we are now reaching the end, we focused on the persuasiveness and the simplicity of the system. Ultimately, it’s about representing key indicators in a graphical format, so that they are highly visible and easy to understand.
A sentence about the user-friendliness of the TPM.
Magele: Very clean, not overloaded. KKeeping it simple enough for anyone to understand.
Since it is accessed through a web browser, the TPM can be used on a PC, notebook or tablet regardless of the user’s location. What role does that play in day to day business?
Setzger: An important role, because it makes discussions held at the stores much easier. You don’t always have to be in front of a PC. The modern and mobile implementation of the software was an important reason for us to invest in this system.
About Salamander Austria
Salamander Austria Ges. M.b.H. is part of the German ara Shoes AG (Langenfeld). It stands for fashionable shoes, bags and accessories in the upscale segment. The company, founded in 1885, has its roots in Kornwestheim, Baden-Württemberg. Today it controls 36 Austrian Salamander stores from Vienna, as well as its activities in Hungary, the Czech Republic and Slovakia. They also operate 30 Delka shoe stores, which, like Salamander Austria, have been part of the ara group since 2009. A total of around 650 employees work in Austria.
We would like to thank Klaus Magele and Albert Setzger for the interview. The interview was conducted by retail journalist Bruno Reiferscheid.
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Photos © Salamander Austria