30 COMMUNICATIONS
CLINTON CARDS MOBILISE INVENTORY MANAGEMENT
C
lintons Cards has deployed a wireless network based on the Aruba Mobile Virtual Enterprise
(MOVE) architecture to ease and speed its stores’ time-to-market and drive inventory control processes.
The greetings cards retailer has deployed
the Aruba virtual branch networking (VBN) system across 810 locations has outfi tted its headquarters with an Aruba wireless network as well. It is using the VBN’s compact remote access points (RAPs) to handle wide area network (WAN) access, internet protocol security (IPSec) tunnelling, fi rewall policy enforcement, and other functions that have traditionally required expensive appliances and costly WAN links. Chris Hill, head of IT engineering at Clinton
Cards, told Retail Technology now that the new communications infrastructure is in place the “possibilities are endless”.
where a single access point connects a Psion handheld scanner back to a local server. The server then uploads stock data back to the corporate headquarters over an ADSL line. Head offi ce hosts two Aruba 3000 series controllers in a master-local confi guration. Hill said the VBN delivers “excellent”
Moving away from a manual to an automated stock management system has allowed the company to reduce excess stock in its stores, ensure tighter control of stocking and reduce the amount of time taken in stock checking. The deployment of a wireless network at each of its remote stores supporting the stock management system has given Clinton Cards improved visibility into its business. Clinton Cards deployed products from the Aruba VBN portfolio in each location,
coverage, even at 2.4Ghz, with the signal penetrating several fl oors even in the larger stores. Also, should the WAN fail, the VBN also provides automatic WPA2-PSK backup, which assures business continuity. “Regional, divisional and area managers can use laptops and smartphones to connect to head offi ce systems, which has knock-on productivity benefi ts,” he added. While inventory control is the current
driver, Hill said in the future Clinton Cards’ new mobile network could serve as the basis for a number of new services, from voice over IP for additional cost savings to instore web kiosks to increase customer engagement.
NEW MAGASIN DU NORD COMMS BOOSTS SERVICE LEVELS
Danish department store retailer Magasin du Nord is delivering improved customer service using a new Alcatel-Lucent communications system.
The retailer had became increasingly
concerned about the hosted Ericsson switchboards and the outsourced operators it was using; these were expensive to run and maintain, and staff had diffi culties directing enquiries to the correct personnel. “These issues were generating several complaints every day,” according to Flemming Løvgreen, Magasin du Nord IT and technical manager. “In addition to seeking a new switchboard solution, we decided to recruit three new staff with appropriate customer service skills and introduce interactive voice response (IVR) technology to deal with more routine enquiries.” As the company already had a 100MB fi bre local area network (LAN) connecting
RETAIL TECHNOLOGY JULY/AUGUST 2011
the sites for data traffi c, Magasin du Nord’s strategy involved deploying new switchboard technology (replacing the outsourced switchboard operation), gradually replacing analogue phones with mobile devices and eliminating its dependency on expensive leased and trunk lines.
The company reasoned that a consolidated approach would combine the organisation’s voice and data requirements, generating a fully integrated, unifi ed communications environment by implementing an Alcatel-Lucent OmniPCX Enterprise Communication Server, a scalable software communications platform that supports multimedia call processing capabilities for both Alcatel-Lucent and third-party phones.
The mobile extensions offered by the system helped Magasin du Nord deploy
several hundred TeliaSonera mobile phones for instore and back-offi ce use. To satisfy the IVR requirement, the OmniPCX Enterprise Communications Server was confi gured to incorporate the Alcatel-Lucent OmniTouch Contact Centre Premium Edition. “Taking into account the leased and
trunk line savings, a 50% fall in maintenance and support costs, as well as a potential 90% reduction in power consumption, we are confi dent that TCO [total cost of ownership] will decrease by 45% and expect a return on investment within three years.
“The Alcatel-Lucent solution has helped
us achieve our primary goal; enhancing customer service levels. Complaints are virtually non-existent and customers frequently call to congratulate us about our excellent service, positively reinforcing our brand,” Løvgreen concluded.
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