{"id":197843,"date":"2019-02-26T10:00:53","date_gmt":"2019-02-26T09:00:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pulse.microsoft.com\/?p=197843"},"modified":"2021-01-03T19:09:11","modified_gmt":"2021-01-03T18:09:11","slug":"fa2-helping-store-staff-rise-to-the-challenge-of-creating-world-class-experiences","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pulse.microsoft.com\/en\/transform-en\/retail-en\/fa2-helping-store-staff-rise-to-the-challenge-of-creating-world-class-experiences\/","title":{"rendered":"Helping store staff rise to the challenge of creating world-class experiences"},"content":{"rendered":"

Consumers have more information and choice than ever. That\u2019s why shopping experiences provide an opportunity to differentiate and delight customers \u2013 rather than competing on cost alone.<\/p>\n

The digital shopping revolution has given us access to companies and information that was unimaginable two decades ago \u2013 and it has raised our expectations of bricks-and-mortar retailers in the process.<\/p>\n

79% of customers<\/a> will take their business elsewhere after experiencing poor customer service, while 70% expect their store staff<\/a> to know the items they have in their online shopping cart. A seamless, personalised shopping experience across channels is now an expectation.<\/p>\n

But store staff find themselves struggling to rise to the challenge of delivering best-in-class service without access to the right digital tools. Which may explain why 83% of shoppers<\/a> believe they\u2019re more informed than store associates.<\/p>\n

So how can retailers equip store staff with what they need to succeed, win share of wallet and grow customer lifetime value? Let\u2019s take a look at what some of Microsoft\u2019s retail customers are doing today: from using intelligent bots to wowing customers with mixed reality.<\/p>\n

A consistent, world-class experience<\/h2>\n

Savvy business leaders know that connecting and empowering ‘Firstline Workers’<\/a> \u2013 those employees who are the \u2018face of a company\u2019 and lead customer engagements \u2013 is a key part of creating the intelligent, personalised shopping experience that modern consumers expect.<\/p>\n

Dixons Carphone<\/a> is using intelligent bots to pull up a customer\u2019s \u2018Wishlist\u2019 to identify what they\u2019re looking for. Store staff can then direct them to those products or related upsell products.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re trying to give our customers a consistent, world-class experience across all the channels they use to interact with us,\u201d says Antonia Colin-Jones, Strategic Partnership Program Manager at Dixons Carphone.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, G&J Pepsi Co<\/a>. is using digital technology to create a data-feedback loop between its field and corporate teams. This makes corporate more accountable for providing field teams with support, as well as highlighting insights the entire organisation can tap into.<\/p>\n

Creating the \u2018wow effect\u2019<\/h2>\n

Home retailers like Lowe\u2019s<\/a> are using mixed reality to bring customer designs to life and create an in-store shopping \u2018wow effect\u2019, as well as helping them feel more confident about their customisation plans.<\/p>\n

“This takes the uncertainty out of the home renovation process,\u201d says Kyle Nel, executive director of Lowe\u2019s Innovation Labs. \u201cWith these visual cues, we can focus in to what a customer really wants.\u201d To scale this solution to more locations, store staff will be trained on handling HoloLens units, along with leading mixed-reality experiences.<\/p>\n

While digital transformation looks different at each of these customer organisations, store staff are the common denominator.<\/p>\n

Empower store teams to do their best work<\/h2>\n

Microsoft 365 F1 is a complete, intelligent and secure solution that connects Firstline Workers to the rest of the organisation, empowering them to manage their workday effectively \u2013 from anywhere.<\/p>\n