4 Ways to Manage the Vibe at a Large Scale Workplace

Cold. Vast. Overwhelming. A description of outer space? Nope. A local big box store or a warehouse setting. Clearly, when it comes to large warehouses or box stores, there are unique challenges to creating a vibe that can combat all those descriptors. But it can be done.

The first step is to use every tool available, including the loudspeakers. Below, find 4 great ways in-store audio can help manage the vibe of a business—no matter how large the space.

      1. Create the perfect playlist for target customers

If a business is customer facing, business owners need to consider how their playlist both reinforces their brand and appeals to their target demographic. No matter how large the building or store, a customized playlist can bring the entire business together and enhance the overall experience. Brick and mortar stores—even those with a large e-commerce presence—must use the in-store experience to their best advantage, leveraging the power of music to create an atmosphere that not only brings customers in, but keeps them coming back.

      2. …and for employees

Not only will it help reinforce the vibe with customers, it can also help to keep staff morale high. For customer facing businesses—such as large box stores or grocery stores—keeping employees happy can make all the difference in the customer experience. For large scale workplaces, like warehouses, a carefully selected playlist can keep employees focused and productive. 91% of retailers surveyed believe music makes both customers and staff happier and 77% of businesses believe that their staff is more productive when music is playing.

Most shoppers have had the not-so-pleasent experience of interacting with a sullen, unhappy employee. While that can happen anywhere, a large scale workplace has the added obstacle of staff members who aren’t frequently interacting with each other or, in more of a warehouse environment, aren’t interacting with customers either. By creating a fully-licensed, custom playlist with upbeat and energizing music, businesses can boost the morale and overall attitude of the staff, no matter how often they are around each other. Ultimately, this can contribute to the level of customer service they are able to provide. Happy employees can be a major contributor to productive, happy workplaces, and ultimately, a happier bottom line.

      3. Create clear, on-demand announcements

At some point in their early lives, most children played with a set of walkie talkies. Not the clearest form of communication, right? Well, in many of today’s larger businesses, employees have headphones, earbuds, or, yes, walkie talkies to help them communicate. And while the technology has improved somewhat, it’s far from perfect, and there is still ample room for error or misinterpretation.

Using overhead announcements can help avoid those miscommunications with clearly worded and specific instructions or details that everyone can audibly hear and react to. This can also be critical when assistance requests or safety instructions can be broadcast on-demand. In addition, custom audio clips can be created in less than 24 hours to make sure that important announcements are broadcasted in a timely manner.

      4. Program the playlist

Different times of day require different music. Whether it’s for the 8pm night shift worker coming on or the 8am customer stopping stopping by on their way to the office, the music—as well as the tone and content of announcements—should be styled for that time of day. That’s exactly what dayparting is—parsing the day into different, benchmarked times and playing certain types of music or content that appeals to different times of the day.

In addition to targeting specific shifts or times of day, with a programmable playlist, businesses can customize the music and announcements for different locations or dates. For example, a larger shipping facility in one part of the country may want different music than another. Or it may have varied safety announcements. Being able to customize and program the playlist can be essential to keeping the vibe.

No matter the size of the workspace, audio can be a huge help in combating the negative vibe that can accompany a larger space. It can help create a warm, welcoming and unified environment for both the customers and the employees—and isn’t that the best possible scenario?

Interested in learning more? Request a demo of Vibenomics today, and learn how you can start creating on-brand music and messaging for your employees and customers.