Business Transformation Study
Express Stop
DTiQ Business Transformation Case Study
Our Management team is relatively small and as a result we tend to wear many hats. The DTiQ system is proving to be important for several team members in different ways.
Why Surveillance?
Surveillance is critical for our operation. In comparison to restaurants where multiple employees are working at any given time, convenience stores tend to have fewer people on duty at a time – as few as one person at certain times. That means that management may not always be around; monitoring the store and fuel islands is challenging.
“Our ability to view individual transactions is critical, and POS integration is a key part of this process.”
Our ability to view individual transactions is critical, and POS integration is a key part of this process. From a Loss Prevention standpoint, DTiQ allows us to monitor vendor, employee and customer activity – what is going in and out of the backdoor? What was delivered? Did an employee receive product? Was trash taken out? Were boxes flattened before being thrown away or removed by vendors? We also monitor for any safety hazards to help ensure that we are minimizing threats to customers or employees.
The exterior cameras are also crucial – we need to know what’s going on at the fuel islands, including customer accidents, damage to company equipment, customer/ employee interactions, fuel spills, etc. The video helps us to quickly view incidents, document how they occurred, and aid in determining next steps.
DTiQ also assists Management with video that verifies our employees are checking appropriate identification for age-restricted sales: alcohol and tobacco.
DTiQ System Utilization
Our stores are spread across the 4 corners of Arizona so we manage an entire multi-unit operation more or less remotely!
As a result, perhaps even more than other businesses, surveillance is vital for us as it provides the opportunity to check in without having Management physically present.
We use the Live View portion of the MyDTT™ portal daily to dial into all our stores and get a good idea of what’s happening across all areas of our operation. With the MyDTT™ portal, we find the Case Management software useful because of the need to review and document store-level incidents. In the past, if an incident occurred someone needed to go to the location and burn footage from a local DVR. DTiQ does the work collecting the data and we simply review the video of each incident.
Also, we monitor and act on information from our SmartAudit™ reports directly. The audits are shared with supervisors who will address any operational concerns with store employees. It’s a two-way process for us – we look for coaching opportunities as well as chances to compliment appropriate behaviors. Both serve an important purpose. The reports are a check list for making sure that standard operating procedure is being followed.
Employees are certainly aware that we have a system in place and they recognize that our management team acts on information provided by the system.
DTiQ in Real Life Situations
In several actual incidents since installation of the upgraded DTiQ systems, the systems have provided important details and clarifications (customer incidents, an employee accident, and an armed robbery), helping the company to rapidly and accurately determine appropriate courses of action. In an emergency, DTiQ provides immediate and critical documentation. Additionally, DTiQ can provide objective reports with their Forensic Investigations.
It’s clear that the system will greatly assist us in our handling of employee coaching/counseling, customer incidents, loss prevention and control, safety and related areas. DTiQ is providing us with timely and useful data on what we are doing at our stores and how we are interacting with customers. All the features you’d expect to see from a sophisticated surveillance and loss prevention service are provided by DTiQ.
Conclusion
We have been using the new DTiQ system for only a few months, and are still learning its capabilities and determining how to best utilize its attributes and features. That said, we recognize that the new DTiQ systems are a powerful tool in helping us to better manage our operations, and are a wise investment.
About Express Stop
Express Stop AZ, LLC is headquartered in Mesa, AZ and leases and operates 19 Express Stop locations in Arizona – primarily in non-metropolitan areas and along the freeways/ highways. Express Stop markets fuel products through branded locations (Shell, Chevron and Union 76) as well as through independent locations (Express Fuel). The company is locally owned, and Express Stop stores have been serving Arizona for more than twenty years – with an emphasis on outstanding customer service and facility cleanliness. For contact information please visit us at www.expressstopaz.com.
