Front-line retail associates, transport and logistics workers, and healthcare professionals have been lauded for their services these past six months. And the way things are going, society will continue to rely on these teams of heroes to get through the pandemic’s ongoing effects.
To carry out their valuable jobs in situations where public health protocols reduce close physical contact, heroes like these can’t get by on commitment and hard work alone. To address the situation, UCC tools are increasingly being deployed to empower these heroes with additional superpowers that enable their organisations to be more efficient and productive, and to provide their end customers with outstanding experiences.
Outdoor
We’re all buying more online, which means more door-drop deliveries and more upstream pressure on supply chain logistics. For some time, delivery drivers have been accompanied by ruggedised handheld devices with barcode scanning and signature collection capabilities. As well as automating paper-based verification processes, these tools use applications that collect data that customers can access in real-time to track their orders.
What’s changed more recently is how UCC is allowing these devices to become an extended part of the corporate phone system, enabling drivers with seamless voice and messaging capabilities that optimise communications with internal colleagues and customers alike. Vulnerable people ‘shielding’ at home, for example, are reassured by speaking with their delivery driver, advising on any last-minute changes to delivery instructions, or helping the driver navigate to their door.
Not all transport and logistics workers are delivery drivers, of course. Many work in warehouses organising stock and arranging shipments. In this respect, they have much in common with in-store retail workers, with the crucial difference being that retail workers engage face-to-face with customers.
In-Store
COVID-19 has compromised everything about face-to-face consumer experiences. But, despite restrictions and the availability of online alternatives for making purchases, shoppers are still seeking out the expertise typically only found inside retail stores, making in-person visits to get a better feel for a product, or otherwise dropping by to ask questions or discuss issues.
That’s why the people in retail are heroes – they are there when people need them. Undoubtedly, the most valuable asset in any retail environment is the store associates’ knowledge. By equipping each associate with a UCC-enabled endpoint that replaces isolated ‘phones on poles’ and personal 2-way radios, this knowledge becomes a shared resource, directly benefiting the customer experience.
UCC’s ability to integrate with enterprise applications, support team-working with any colleague at any time, and enable rapid access to shared knowledge can now be mobilised onto any smart device. On a practical level, this allows better communications that overcome social distancing barriers -- preventing internal ‘huddles’ of information transfer and allowing associates to show their screens to customers from a safe distance.
Speaking of COVID-19 public safety protocols, another virtue of UCC is applying compliance assurance across the business consistently. By equipping all field workers with the same tools and enabling direct interface with corporate resources and systems, best practices can be implemented and sustained. Localised issues – such as reports of customers breaking protocols – can be alerted and dealt with more quickly and discreetly.
Empowering associates to share their knowledge is excellent news for customers and employers, but even better is enabling colleagues to extract knowledge from each other, i.e., via a curated collaboration space made possible by UCC. Knowledge sharing multiplies the problem-solving capabilities each associate has at their fingertips, enabling them to learn faster and become net contributors to the overall sum of knowledge.
