From Email Marketing To Amscreens' Face Detectors: How Can Retailers Use Unified Communications To Drive Sales This Winter?

With the advances in technology that have taken place in recent times, businesses need to adapt in order to meet consumer demands and increase the customer experience - especially so in the retail business where competition is fierce. By making use of unified communications, retailers can take advantage of lots of ways to enhance the consumer experience whilst stream lining their operations and reducing costs. Read on to find out how this is possible.
What is unified communications?
Unified communications is the bringing together of an organisation's networking and communications resources, to create a single infrastructure. This could include phone, voicemail, email, instant messaging, server-based applications and video conferencing.
The consequence of unified communications is that users across different sites will become part of one single network, no matter where they are based. In a retail environment, this could help to enhance the consumer experience, speed processes up, increase sales, enhance brand credentials, make cost savings and personalise the shopping experience.
In theory, it sounds like the perfect solution to stay one step ahead of the competition. But, in reality, research suggests that over 60% of retailers lack understanding of what unified communications is all about. However, many businesses plan to put some form of unified communications in place over the next two to three years in an effort to take advantage of this technology.
Instant communications
Unified communications can be used in retail for instant, real-time messaging with its customers. So, if someone orders something online, they will get an instant email message to confirm the order or give further details about other products of interest. As mobile shopping gains momentum, unified communications will enable the process to move smoothly with text messages to confirm orders, etc.
Being able to communicate with customers in an instant can also help to clarify information and sort out any problems or issues, in as swift a manner as possible.
Unified communications can be used to route calls automatically to different stores or outlets. All messages should be easily accessible from a single point, regardless of the type, such as voice message, social media or chat, etc.
This improved technology will enable conferencing and collaboration between different retail sites and mobile workers. With unified communications, rich presence management means you can see the status of others on-screen, for example, so you'd instantly know if they were in a meeting or available.
Personalised service
Retailers can use unified communications to give customers multiple options to decide where and how to buy items, as well as giving them a personalised service. So, if one person wants to place an order via their mobile phone or request information from your social media accounts, unified communications allows the organisation to do this.
The technology is increasingly being used in an intuitive manner, so that it can recognise a customer's buying history and information that will help to enhance the personal shopping experience. For instance, retail giant Tesco are rolling out face detectors to screen advertising. Other stores may consider giving a customer information about a product via their phone as they walk past it. Mobile phones could be used to show consumers an interactive map of the retail store to guide them around it, or different departments, for instance.
Unified communications can also be used to instantly check stock, speed up problem solving, communicate effectively with staff on the road or other members of staff who are working remotely.
This post was written by business writer Crispin Jones for Maintel – experts in business continuity and contact centre services.