Yes, You CAN Buy Time and Reduce Helpdesk Tickets With Instant-on, Non-streaming Video
Relieve IT Pain Points and Bandwidth Headaches While Creating a More Self-sufficient Workforce
The need for more store bandwidth seems to escalate daily, with several competing priorities to deliver a variety of platforms, many of which are mission critical. Among your challenges as a store technology leader are providing flawless POS, mobile internet and VOIP – and now rapid fire, video- and mobile-based associate training and communications for each location, regardless of available store bandwidth.
Until now it’s been through you and your peers to push content out to all stores – instantly and simultaneously. Panicked co- workers overwhelm you with requests to get content out ASAP; they don’t understand why it’s so easy to view a video on their phones but the same can’t be true for training and communicating with on-floor associates.
But you know that delivering uninterrupted, high-quality video and large multimedia files to multiple devices, including mobile, within each store’s network creates tremendous strain on store bandwidth. Add engaging, branded content; skill-building tools; real-time hierarchical field reporting… and Ouch!
Even retailers with higher store bandwidth often reserve it for mission-critical activities such as credit card transactions and customer access. So when required training videos keep buffering, aggravated users in the field inundate your Helpdesk with complaints. And as demand for seamless bandwidth grows – it continues to double globally every 18 months – upgrading it, especially in a decentralized company, significantly increases operating costs.
Feeling any of these pain points? Want to minimize Helpdesk calls
- and “buy time” – by providing non-streaming video and creating a more self-sufficient workforce? If so, read
NETWORK IMPERATIVES
With more digital features required to enrich your stores’ experiences, you need to embrace the following network imperatives, according to Chain Store Age1. All of these essentials are addressed by INCITE.
Simple. Simplifying infrastructures can make network maintenance easier and reduce costs. A simple environment with fewer devices and less maintenance is the best solution to ensure the network can be easily managed and updated regularly as new and enhanced technologies are introduced.
Fast. Delivering high-performance applications is critical as retailers transform their stores to compete in today’s market environment, and sluggish apps and systems are unacceptable. A seamless bandwidth and faster connectivity within today’s distributed enterprise are a necessity, especially as demand for bandwidth continues to double globally every 18 months.
Agile. Improved IT agility and efficiency through automated and agile service provisioning and reduced complexity are necessary. Centralized provisioning of enhanced connectivity options for each application, customized by store, optimizes traffic flow across all network connections to ensure a good application experience for users in the store. Central provisioning also reduces the management of in-store network equipment and functions at the store, and significantly increases the speed of provisioning new sites.
Reliable. Delivering an enhanced store shopping experience to meet elevated customer expectations requires a wide range of technical resources, including cloud-based applications, real-time data, the ability to leverage mobile devices, and other mission-critical network capabilities. Dependence on the network and its available bandwidth will only increase in the near future as more data is migrated to the cloud. Thus, the retail industry needs a reliable network that can help guarantee a constantly available network.
Secure. While the attention of IT resources and business owners are occupied with the challenge of executing initiatives to drive store transformations, extra focus on security is imperative as the implementation of each touch point increases the threat of security breaches. With the move of many applications out of the physical store and into the cloud, the security of the network is more critical. In the store of the future, the store won’t house the technology, the network will.
Mobile-first Private Broadcast Network
A new mobile technology – INCITE, the industry’s first Mobile Associate Communications Platform (mACP) – is the powerful new remedy for IT pain points. Already it has delivered more than 1 million programs and 5 million modules to associates in 22 countries.
INCITE is a sophisticated, highly branded, mobile- first private broadcast network with instant-on, non- streaming video; a self-publishing interface; granular targeting; real-time metrics; field accessibility; instant, internal global broadcasting from an iPad or desktop; and a simple dashboard interface.
The patented app-based INCITE technology offsets many communications issues now filtering through retail IT departments. For you, this offset means fewer tickets generated and more time to be proactive.
Persuasive, Non-streaming Video
Most retail associates expect engagement in everything they do, and video is the magnet that holds their attention. Video is consistent, visual, engaging — and says much more than a string of words. Video isn’t a trend but the core of how retailers can show the beauty of their products and services, strengthen customer engagements and send targeted or universal internal messages. There’s power in video, but only when delivered uninterrupted, without hiccups.
With INCITE, HD video content is downloaded in the background; it resides in and is retrieved from the device’s memory, with no streaming, so users experience no exacerbating loads or hiccups- just instant-on and persuasive education and communications.
Regardless of bandwidth capacity, the INCITE technology always makes mission-critical transactions the priority: It works with what’s available, alleviating any throbbing bandwidth headaches.
There’s power in video, but only when delivered uninterrupted, without hiccups.
The Power to Publish - Without IT Assistance
Many retailers, whether in specialty or restaurants, create content for some or all associates and/or field managers, often several times a week. Now they can do it without IT’s help, freeing you and your team for other directives.
The INCITE app’s drag-and-drop Publisher tool allows authorized users – from the field level to corporate administrators – to instantly publish custom content to the recipients they choose. Users can disseminate videos as well as PDFs, JPGs and HTML5 files directly to associates’ iPads – then monitor detailed metrics. Individuals can access what they “need to know now” to be successful.
Fast, consistent,non-streaming video significantly reduces contact with your IT Helpdesk.
Without IT assistance, for example, a user can broadcast the VP of Stores discussing new initiatives or competitive factors that can impact store results, and provide it to all or a geographical set of stores in just minutes, with full tracking of who received it and who opened it, and even quiz for understanding! Or send a slide presentation, on-boarding updates, executive messages, visuals of new floor sets and other content to parts of or the entire chain, with the option of timing the launch.
All without calling the IT department.
Real-time Results Allow Immediate Action
Does your current store system tally results at the end of the day only…or week? Timeliness is key when acting on retail data today. And you get it with easy-to-access, real-time data. Whether individual associate results or an instant update on training that impacts a KPI, the INCITE platform collects and reveals actual real-time data, with no delay, as it happens. Field management, whether district, regional or corporate, can access that data via the proprietary INCITE website then drive performance, without going through your VPN – or you.
PCI Compliance Means No Dedicated Training Devices
What a hassle to maintain dedicated associate training iPads or PCs, in every store, for systems that aren’t PCI compliant. Relax! Save time, cost and complexity: Untether any iPads closed to other functions. Add them to on-floor mobile inventory, because enterprise-grade INCITE is PCI and SOC compliant – and third party penetration tested annually.
Run PCI-compliant INCITE on any device in your store, whether mobile or traditional POS, or back office PC. Finally all devices can be employed for a variety of purposes. Now don’t you feel better?
Take the Chill Pill
Ahh, what a relief it is. INCITE a day keeps the stress away.
INCITE provides the frontline with ongoing, day-to- day updates, offensive skill-building and strategies required today. Key areas of communication include product knowledge, new up-selling and cross- selling opportunities, problem-solving techniques, professional and management development, the latest corporate announcements and other communications. Management can view real-time metrics including the receipt of communications and progress of programs including question-level detail from quizzes taken at the end of each module.
INCITE provides the frontline with ongoing, day-to- day updates, offensive skill-building and strategies required today. Key areas of communication include product knowledge, new up-selling and cross- selling opportunities, problem-solving techniques, professional and management development, the latest corporate announcements and other communications. Management can view real-time metrics including the receipt of communications and progress of programs including question-level detail from quizzes taken at the end of each module.
Multimedia Plus provides ongoing implementation support throughout the duration of our partnerships, including a dedicated client success team, administrative guides and customized video tutorials. In addition, our Tier 3 technical support will cure whatever ails you.
Want to relieve pain points and bandwidth headaches by creating a more self-sufficient workforce? Contact Multimedia Plus at (212) 982-3229853 or info@multimediaplus.com.