Attendant App: Improving staff efficacy and retail store operations

Understanding consumer expectations and motivation to consume
Importance of retail staff
What is the “Attendant App”?
How does the “Attendant App” improve staff efficacy and operational efficiency

Consumers now expect an all-rounded shopping experience: customer service, price, variety, personalization, and flexibility.

In a high inflationary environment, consumers have become highly motivated by price points when purchasing. However, the expectations for a delightful customer and shopping experience remain the most consistent driver in determining customer acquisition and retention.

A great customer experience begins the second a consumer sets foot in the retail store. Every touchpoint of the shoppers’ journey is critical, and retail staff must always be proactive and responsive.

Retail staff have a crucial role to play

Store employees are the brand’s ambassadors as they directly interact with the consumers. The service provided is a reflection of a brand’s values and beliefs. The continued shift to self-serve retail and mobile self-scan means that the responsibility of the store employee will evolve from a transactional relationship (for example, operating a PoS device to register a sale) to an advisor to the customer:

Product recommendations
Removing friction in the shopping experience
Proactive intervention
Profit protection
Last-yard shop floor inventory management

Technology deployed correctly in the hands of employees will drive efficiencies beyond anything experienced in the retail industry today. And provide store employees with unprecedented career growth opportunities.

The Attendant App

Built in the cloud platform, the Attendant App is designed to empower store employees to provide a better customer experience.

The ‘Attendant App’ operates on the Hii (High-Intensity Intelligent) Retail platform and offers the same technical advantages as all other Hii Retail platform apps: no upgrades, continuous enhancements, class-leading performance, scalability, and security. Integration is available through standard and open APIs. The app functions on Android and iOS tablets, granting store employees access to monitor and control the shoppers’ journey in-store.

With reduced wait times, profit protection, and operational compliance as the goals, the app allows remote, real-time monitoring of shopping and purchasing behavior at self-checkout lanes and mobile self-scan (e.g., Scan & Go):

Approve or deny age verification
Proactive notifications of a customer service intervention requirement, e.g., security tag removal at SCO
Automated recommendation to perform a re-scan following a self-service checkout being flagged as suspicious
Notification of suspicious “voids” at operated or self-checkout
Manually trigger a re-scan if any suspicious behavior is detected
And many more

Improving retail store operations and staff efficacy

Today, in most retail operations, store employees must be physically present to monitor or travel from one end of the store to the customer to assist. Impatient customers grow increasingly frustrated while waiting for assistance. With the ‘Attendant App’, retail staff can monitor remotely and be more proactive based on predefined rules, and recommendations for interventions are sent to the store employee through the App.

Engaged store employees focused on delivering an excellent experience proactively to customers while adhering to compliance, and contributing to the protection of the top line. Customers enjoy a friction-free experience without unnecessary manual staff intervention lengthy wait times, and cumbersome corrective action—a win-win delivered using technology that is continuously updated and installed within seconds.