“Collaboration” is today’s hottest business buzzword. From the C-suite to front-line sales, we’re all talking about how we can get better results through better collaboration. And why not? As the old saying goes, two heads are better than one, so why not three or four or ten?
I know what you’re thinking: how does collaboration apply to retail’s challenging landscape? Employee turnover is high, loyalty is low, and it feels like you’re constantly training new staff or dealing with lost sales due to poor customer service. It’s hard enough to coordinate your staffing schedules, let alone get together for some quality brainstorm sessions.
It’s the worst. I get it.
But there’s a better way. With the right technology, you can transform your employee experience into a truly collaborative affair.
- Face-to-face goes a long way. You can’t always be there. With expansion and multi-location store networks, it’s hard to get in the quality time you need with new and long-time employees. But with solutions like Cisco WebEx, you can easily get your entire team together for some quality face time over video.
- Simplified training. Have new staff starting? No problem. Oh, they’re spread across your network of stores? Even easier. With Cisco collaboration solutions, you can set up group training sessions complete with video connections and live chat so each employee gets the same experience. Plus, you can record each session so your staff can go back and review anything they might’ve missed.
- Share knowledge. One of the biggest complaints retailers face is that the on-floor staff seem to know less about the products they’re selling than the customers. Cisco Spark connects your staff across a cloud-based network, so they can instantly chat with each other and your product experts to get customers the answers they need to buy confidently.
- Instant access to experts. Take the pressure off your new staff by setting up Cisco’s Virtual Expert solution. By integrating it into your in-store interactive signage, POS, or employee devices, your customers have access to real-time video chat with product experts who can help them find just what they need.
- Real-time inventory. Another major complaint retailers face? Being out of stock of an item when the customer needs it most. With Cisco’s collaboration solutions, your employees can connect across your network of stores to track down the desired item quickly so your customers always leave happy.
And that’s just the beginning. To learn more collaboration solutions for retail, visit the collaboration website and check out the Day in the Life of a Retail Associate infographic to see collaboration solutions in action.
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