Like many other businesses in the past few years, distributors face increasing challenges in attracting and retaining top-tier talent. In fact, distributors currently have a shallower pool of qualified workers to talent-hunt in than many other sectors.

The good news is solutions are emerging to solve these very problems. Distributors are discovering how cutting-edge technologies, including Artificial Intelligence (AI) and sales enablement tools, can drastically improve the way they recruit, train, and retain employees.  

Employees are 230% more engaged and 85% more likely to stay in a job 3+ years if they have the right technology tools. - Qualtrics

Distribution and Outdated Tech 

So why are workers frustrated with outdated technology? Well, not only are newer technologies much faster, simpler, easier to use, quicker to update, more flexible, and more versatile, but they also often take on the most mundane of rote tasks for the worker.  

Much new software will contain automations and/or AI which reduce the amount of tedious manual work that an employee needs to do. A common example for distributors would be a sales representative needing to do data entry in multiple spreadsheets and applications, needing to manually keep all those updated, and reference many of them for their sales calls.

With modern technology, many kinds of data entry can be automatically recorded, and even accessed for reference in a single consolidated location. This can save hours of time for these sales reps, allowing them to focus on making sales (and commissions). 

1 in 6 Gen Z and Millennial employees have quit a job because their employer did not provide the proper technology for them to do their job. - Zapier 

Sales Enablement Tools: Streamlining Work

Sales enablement tools powered by AI provide sales teams with insights, content, and the automations that streamline their daily tasks, allowing them to focus on building customer relationships and closing deals.

For more, read our white paper Sales Enablement: The Key to Distribution Success 

Talent Retention 

While the satisfaction of new hires is important, particularly as distributors rush to fill important roles, existing talent is just as important. Losing talent, and the subsequent need to keep replacing them, can make hiring an endless battle.  

So how can you increase retention? First, show employees you care about their satisfaction and happiness, and support a healthy work-life balance.

87% of HR leaders say employee retention strategies should be a top priority. - UKG

Remote Work and Flexibility

It perhaps goes without saying that companies which embrace remote and hybrid work, rather than asking all employees to come back into the office, will have a wider pool of talent to hire from. In fact, 98% of workers want to work remotely, at least some of the time (Buffer), while 65% want to work entirely remotely (FlexJobs). 

What employees want and need has changed, just as the world and the economy has changed, and businesses need to be accommodating and understanding to the real people with very different lives that work for them, rather than hoping that the workforce will change for them instead. It should not be a burden to help workers thrive, especially when solutions are so simple. 

88% say the meaning of success has changed for them since the pandemic, with work-life balance, mental health, and workplace flexibility now top priorities. - Oracle

In an industry where talent is the lifeblood of success, distributors must acknowledge the power of technology to attract and retain top talent.

For more detail on this topic, download our free white paper here.