Tropical Smoothie Café is working to streamline its customer service and operating system at store locations by adopting a mobile management system that cuts down on paper waste and saves employees time.

Store locations will be equipped with two iPads that have a small label printer for employees to complete various management tasks such as classifying perishable items and dates, finishing check lists, training management and scheduling. The new system removes the necessity of paper documents for employees, saving trees and money as well as time.

“The Jolt application allows our franchise owners and managers to manage labor, food safety, train crew members, and track operations in their café,” said Joe Sowerby, operations support manager at Tropical Smoothie Café.

Mobile managing
Employees of local Tropical Smoothie Café stores will now be able to download the smartphone application on their mobile devices or leverage the on-location iPads to manage their schedules and training. The management system is rolling out to participating locations after seeing positive results in limited testing markets.

The stores will no longer be printing unnecessary documents and schedules, and will instead control locations via the mobile app. The iPads on location are only equipped with a small label maker, which allows employees to label products for inventory to track its safety for health code violations.

The mobile app will be equipped with employees’ work schedules, so they will be able to check without being at the store’s location. The iPads and app also feature a check in, which users can use to complete closing and shift end tasks.

New employees will now be able to learn through a training program on the iPads, which also allows management to track how well they are doing. The new system, named Jolt, has already proven to save 30 hours a month for employees at its test markets and offers the ability to save thousands of trees every year.

Management moves mobile
Accessories retailer Fossil similarly forged a more personal and streamlined in-store experience with a mobile point-of-sale system that employees can access on a variety of devices (see more).

McDonald’s UK also rolled out a new sales tactic that enticed consumers to visit its stores and take advantage of new Samsung Galaxy tablets that enable users to browse the Internet, play games or interact on social media networks (see more).

“[Jolt] includes gamification that inspires crew members to want to complete tasks in the café. Notifications ensure that the café is running well even when management is not on site,” Mr. Sowerby said. “It’s a tool that ensures the café is running smoothly.”