Florida-based retailer CITY Furniture needed to find a better way to communicate with its nearly 2,500 sales associates spread out over half a million square feet of showroom space, and traditional communication methods weren’t getting it done.
Employees would have to leave customers on the showroom floor to go search for answers or additional resources to help serve customers.
To address this issue, CITY Furniture piloted a new solution at select locations that utilized a combination of iPads, the Zello instant voice messaging app and wireless push-to-talk buttons from Pryme.
This system allowed employees to instantly connect with other team members and other stores to query product availability and more.
After a successful launch, the iPads with the Zello app and Pryme PTT Super Mini Buttons were deployed in every CITY Furniture location, allowing employees to immediately search for answers and connect to other team members and stores, as well as keeping customers engaged throughout the sales process.
This allows for more seamless communication between the 40 to 60 sales associates on the floor at any given time, says Rich Quarantello, the company’s managing director of retail operations.
“With the addition of these advanced technologies, we’re able to communicate seamlessly in real time inter-store or between showrooms, with a single staff member or the whole team at once, which provides chain-wide awareness instead of being siloed,” he said.
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Each associate wears a Bluetooth earpiece and carries an iPad bag with the wireless button Velcroed to the handle or to a belt loop, leaving hands free to perform multiple tasks at once.
With a touch of Pryme’s PTT button, sales staff can quickly activate Zello and respond to messages or access the iPad’s suite of technology without breaking stride.
“Better communication creates an environment of trust and enhances customer satisfaction,” adds Quarantello, “Because furniture is the third largest purchase in a lifetime, trust is key to building customer loyalty.”
CITY’s communications solution also helped incentivize performance and train new associates. The company uses Zello to celebrate sales contest winners live with the whole company, and new hires can use the tool to message managers without breaking the sales cycle.
Zello and Pryme can also be used for critical communications during an emergency and can help shave vital seconds off response time.
CITY Furniture has experienced higher employee engagement and lower turnover thanks to this integration, and looks forward to optimizing their partnership with Zello and Pryme in the future.
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