COMMUNICATIONS 29
FINDING THE RIGHT COMMUNICATIONS FIT
stores and supply chain operations to their head offi ce. Now, with the evolution of the
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multichannel retailing in response to ubiquitous internet adoption, having the right communications technology in place has also become vitally important to maintaining a consistent customer-facing proposition, whether it is online, over the phone or instore. Tristan Rogers, chief executive of
collaboration platform provider Concrete, said that two key things will become increasingly important in the retail boardroom over the next 12 months: international expansion and IT effectiveness. “The two things go hand in hand, or rather they are mentioned in the same breath through the realisation that traditional on- premise IT offers virtually no support for retailers expanding internationally,” he said. Rogers highlighted how cloud computing and software-as-a service can offer the retail executive off-the-shelf, always on functionality that can be accessed anywhere in the world via a web browser. “Compatible with any and
etailers have become increasingly reliant on communications technology to join their up their
all data feeds, a good cloud environment can connect all markets, all teams and all systems seamlessly and cost effectively,” he explained. “But the most radical thing is that this new
type of ‘consumer grade’ technology can be selected without IT’s help. This realisation is signifi cant and could see budget and power shift from the historically ‘capex’ intensive IT teams to smaller business units.” Tim Walker, Iconnyx managing director, agreed that the transformative power of the internet was the most infl uential trend in retail communications today: “The retail industry has seen the signifi cant potential of the internet to achieve expansion, whether locally or globally, at a fraction of the cost,” he said. “This is enabling retailers to deliver
products through vastly extended supply chains and product-sourcing approaches. A cloud computing strategy that is integrated with existing business plans will have the effect of reducing cost and increasing services to customers wherever they are.” But Walker warned: “When assessing what cloud can do for their businesses, retail leaders need to take into account the ongoing changes in the way retailers interact and transact with their customers; as well as capturing, managing, securing and analysing the vast growth of customer data. With that also comes the acute need for monitoring the performance of web applications and web services or applications, which incur considerable costs and infrastructure when managed in-house.” Angie Reed, Digium product marketing
manager, added that, when implemented correctly, technology could help maintain and improve the customer experience. She said: “By implementing a fl exible VoIP and local area network that is designed for security, reliability and to ultimately improve the customer’s shopping experience, retailers can maintain the competitive edge to protect and maintain their most important asset – their customers.”
JOULES LAUNCHES NEW CUSTOMER MULTIMEDIA CENTRE
Clothing retailer Joules has implemented a major upgrade to improve channels of customer communication. The upgrade is the culmination of a 12-month project working with Lily Systems, which specialises in voice and data communications across internet protocol- based local and wide area networks. The project was completed in June by
working in parallel with existing systems to ensure a smooth transition. Investing in the new system means that Joules can now offer a complete multimedia centre to further enhance its customer service. The system will allow customer service agents
to be contacted by email, chat or voicemail during its opening hours of 8am to 10pm. “Customer service is very important to us so we are delighted to be able to consolidate all customer communication
through a unifi ed platform,” explained Steve Stroud, head of customer services at Joules (pictured third from left, with the other members of the Joules and Lily project team).
“This improved access means that our
customers can now choose how to contact us, and will experience the same prompt professional service regardless of whether it’s day or night.”
The new system is equipped with the ability to be further upgraded and expanded, and already allows agents from different departments and locations to be integrated when required.
JULY/AUGUST 2011 RETAIL TECHNOLOGY
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