HORIZONSTELEWARE
23
RETAIL COMMUNICATIONS IN 2010
Steve Haworth, TeleWare chief executive, explains to Retail Technology how modern
communications technology can help retailers overcome cost, effi ciency and customer
service challenges in the coming year
“
R
etailers need technology to help capability or extra functionality, particularly
increase the profi tability of their for people whose responsibilities mean they
organisations on today’s reducing tend to be more mobile, where the biggest
margins,” said Haworth, who is chief cost can be the handsets. Retailers today
executive of TeleWare, a leading supplier of typically run a fi xed-line PBX [private branch
intelligent communications solutions featuring exchange] system, which maybe connects
voicemail to email, interactive voice response to their tills, with maybe something bolted
(IVR) solutions and fi xed and mobile on like a DECT [digital enhanced cordless
communications. telecommunications] or walkie-talkie-like PMR
“At the same time, they just want to [private mobile radio] system for coverage
be retailers, and don’t want to have to between sites or in the warehouse.”
manage multiple legacy systems, bolt-ons, But the TeleWare chief said the downside
ever-changing proprietary handsets and of such mixed, legacy systems was change.
break-fi x times. We offer retailers one single “Retailers are forever refi tting their stores,
solution, with the mobile or wireless element, with traditional wired telephony systems,
that includes all the handling capabilities which incurs signifi cant cost in re-wiring.
you’d expect from any high-end networked
telephony system.” appear to offer similar productivity gains, Mobile technology comes of age
With communications becoming more however these solutions are designed for With something like DECT, even moving
and more central to retail operations, offi ces, not retail environments. A retailer can shelves can affect coverage by changing the
multichannel and international growth be left with poor or no signal in the back of radio confi guration of the environment. So
increasingly demands that retailers stay in shop or warehouse. This can have important we’ve taken our intelligent Private Mobile
closer contact with customers and employees implications for health and safety mandates, Network (PMN) technology and packaged it
alike, through always-on and connected not to mention operational effi ciency. And for the retail market.”
systems. there’s also a gap in the market, serving TeleWare customers include over 23% of
Haworth told Retail Technology the smaller, multi-site retailers, who have similar the FTSE 100 and approaching 21% of the
“changing face of the High Street” is one needs. top 1000 blue-chip national and multinational
of the most important challenges facing companies. It counts Co-op, Habitat, Hygicare,
retailers. Improving processes, establishing Marks & Spencer, Renault Retail Group and
better customer satisfaction, creating cross- Sainsbury’s among its retail customers.
selling opportunities, improving quality of He explained: “The fact that our services
information available to individuals and
The fact that our services
are built on open standards means retailers
departments, and improving visibility and
are built on open standards
can run the cheapest £10 handset to
performance would be vital for growth during specialised rugged mobile devices, which also
2010 and beyond.
means retailers can run
saves on handset costs and battery power,

the cheapest £10 handset
when compared to a Wi-Fi enabled handset
Disparate legacy systems cost
to specialised rugged
for instance, using our low-powered GSM
adds up network. It’s not only large retailers, which the
A recent study conducted by Forrester
mobile devices…using
larger network vendors bend over backwards
Consulting, on behalf of telecommunications
our low-powered GSM
for, who can benefi t from this kind of
and network sourcing specialists, Hudson &
network.
technology though. Often, retailers need less
Yorke found large enterprises globally are sophisticated, but more robust, resilient and
losing £12 billion annually through failures in reliable communications services, and this is
the sourcing and governance of their telecom “We recognise that many retailers are where TeleWare, with its deep technical and
services. With more effi cient systems and already experiencing the benefi ts of IP retail sector knowledge comes in.”
contracts, it suggested larger retailers could [internet protocol] based networks, but this
potentially save 20% on each contract spend. tends to only be at the head offi ce or isolated
Haworth observed: “Larger telecoms sites. And this IP-based connectivity doesn’t
and network providers have services that always add essential additional network
JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2010 RETAIL TECHNOLOGY
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