The retail industry, a dynamic and challenging landscape, is marked by a shortage of employees, soaring customer service expectations, and fierce competition. However, within these challenges lies an opportunity for transformation.
Unified Communications (UC) emerges as a beacon of hope, offering tools and solutions that could reinvigorate the industry. In this blog post we will explore the many benefits of UC and how it can be the solution that retailers desperately need.
Empower teams to meet sky high customer expectations
Omnichannel experience
Our society is one that is always connected, with technological tools available at every turn, fueling the expectation for a similar experience in retail. The modern consumer demands an omnichannel shopping experience with constant responsiveness and availability, whether in-store, online, or even on social media. A study conducted by Microsoft found that a staggering 83% of consumers expect this level of integration.
You can help retail teams to meet these expectations with an omnichannel-integrated contact center solution. Open the lines of communication so that consumers can initiate contact via their preferred channel of communication, making it easier to reach and sell to them. Customer service agents can use omnichannel to access and view all customer communications in one streamlined interface that makes it faster to reply.
Furthermore, contact center administrators can utilize omnichannel data to study the customer journey and buying habits. These insights help retailers provide a more targeted approach to selling.
Personalized customer service
What better way to exceed customer expectations than to provide personalized service that shows how valuable the customer is to business. UC tools like CRM integration and omnichannel enable retail employees to deliver exceptional service by giving them instant access to information about the customer and their past communications.
Offer a solution that will compile and organize customer information so that team members can quickly pull up information and interact with the customer on a personal level based on their purchases and history.
Support organizations that are lacking employees
Collaboration tools
The shortage of retail staff is a well-known challenge. UC collaboration tools bridge the gap by bringing team members together, regardless of their physical location. Video calling, screen sharing, and instant messaging are just a few examples of tools that connect teams regardless of location. This enables supervisors to manage more employees in more locations. This could mean asking supervisors to support more employees from the back of a huge store or even from a central location supporting multiple stores. Whatever the scenario, fewer employees can get more done with these collaboration tools.
Mobile flexibility
Instant messaging on a handheld device gives employees instant access to colleagues and supervisors so they can get answers to questions or any other kind of support at the time and place it is needed. Imagine this: a team member is on the floor of a large retail store with a customer asking if a product is in stock. Without walking away, the employee could use gloCOM GO to quickly ask about inventory in the backroom or even at other locations.
By providing UC tools, you enable fewer employees to achieve more, enhancing productivity, customer satisfaction, and lowering employee burnout.
Make a difference in employee burnout
Comprehensive communication
A Unified Communications solution can transform into a lifeline for employees dealing with customer interactions on the frontline. By giving retail employees access to a comprehensive communication suite on a mobile device, you empower them to handle their work efficiently and with support, decreasing the risk of burnout.
Contact Center features
By offering contact center tools in your package to retailers, you can revolutionize their inbound call handling. Features like whisper and barge allow supervisors to intervene and offer support when needed, ensuring that employees feel supported and valued.
Help retailers to streamline their operations
Inventory and order tracking
Unified Communications does not stop at customer interactions; it extends to streamlining inventory and order tracking. Integrating these critical databases into the communication system helps retailers to stay ahead of stock levels and respond more quickly to changes in demand. Streamlined communication between departments translates to quicker customer responses.
Being able to find information about purchases and orders quickly empowers team members to answer customers in a store without walking away from them.
Cost reductions
In an industry grappling with numerous challenges, cost reduction will be a breath of fresh air. Unified Communications consolidates communication tools into a single, efficient platform, reducing the costs associated with managing multiple systems. This not only streamlines operations, but also contributes to the bottom line.
What do you think?
Your Unified Communications solution could be the catalyst for retail transformation. By addressing the challenges faced by the retail industry right now, you could help improve the customer and employee experience to position retailers for ongoing success in a competitive market.
We’re here for any questions you may have. Get in touch!
CONTACT US