Seasonal traffic surges, and especially the annual holiday shopping cycle, can seriously test a retailer's ability to keep customers smiling. Though your retail chain may number hundreds of stores, your particular location probably wasn't designed to handle the seasonal stampede: the overwhelming number of transactions, impatient customers standing 10 deep at each register, and uncounted inventory fleeing out the door by the bagsful. Not to mention special promotional pricing and holiday kiosk displays.
So what else is new? That's retailing, right?
Not necessarily, especially with the new wireless revolution sweeping the retail scene.
Enter the New Generation of Wireless Data
Wireless point of sale (POS) technology is here — and here to stay. But before you cut the cord, there are a few things you should examine closely regarding your implementation strategy. Wireless POS technology provides new levels of accessibility and flexibility in retailing. It can actually allow you to put additional temporary registers into action with no strings attached (except maybe AC power).
Imagine rolling out five additional registers on a few minutes notice to accommodate increasing weekend traffic, then rolling them back into the storeroom for the lighter, Monday-morning crowd and revised merchandising. And, how about setting up that center mall court kiosk you've wanted without having to install new phone lines? For the returns rush, right after the holidays, temporary customer service "triage" can be set up in multiple locations within the store. And when the rush is over, you can reclaim the space occupied by the temporary registers and use it for new merchandising.
Sound too good to be true? Well, it could be. The wireless POS systems — from industry frontrunners such as BreezeCom, Telxon, and Symbol — will perform as advertised. But, the way they're installed can really make or break system performance.
Installation Is Everything (Or Is It?)
Many installers of wireless POS equipment rely almost entirely on the skill of the field technician to unpack, configure, program, and test the new POS system. This method leaves your store — and its total communications network — open to a myriad of potential pitfalls. Technicians who have probably come from a distant base for a rationed period of time will probably descend upon your location like an invading army. If your store is in operation while it taps into your network (risky during business hours), and if the installation isn't "textbook" in its execution, you could be in for a big network headache. Some doomsday scenarios are as follows:
- What if the OEM equipment fails out of the box? If it has shipped direct from the factory, it hasn't yet been field-tested.
- What if the wrong parts are sent, or if they are incompatible with your host system? No one has yet set-up, configured, and tested the system in-concert with your host system.
- What if the installer has little or no experience setting up a retail in-store wireless system? Since you intend to push the limits of the mobility benefits of the system, your entire store will have to be mapped and coverage must be established throughout every square foot.
- What about familiarity with your floor plan? Will installation day be the first time your installer has been exposed to your floor plan and communications strategy?
Employing Data "Staging" For Stellar Performance
As an alternative to raw field deployment, the practice of data staging is taking root in at least one retail communications specialty shop. The staging concept employs a hub facility, usually operated by the vendor of in-store telecom/POS implementation services. At CrossCom National, we refer to it as our "Technology Deployment Center." It's where we receive the equipment ordered from the manufacturers, configure each system per individual store specs, then program and test the equipment before it is deployed in the field.
The staging process can save money and aggravation at the store level and earn countless satisfaction points with store customers as they whiz through checkout.
The obvious advantages to system staging are:
- The system (wireless or otherwise) has already been examined for correct/missing components before it lands at the store.
- It has been preprogrammed and preconfigured as much as possible at the staging center before shipment to the store location.
- It has been tested for operational performance and compatibility with the store network prior to store launch.
Most of the time, staging facilities are available to chain retailers that establish encompassing relationships with their communications vendors. For example, one in which all in-store telecommunications network activities may be single-sourced. For this reason, the vendor will likely be familiar with the store layout and chain-specific communications strategy. This background provides a tremendous advantage in time efficiency and accuracy, which speeds the overall process and results in a less costly installation.
System maintenance is a long-term, and a decidedly local, concern after the initial installation. The ideal implementation partner, of course, would have a national network of local installers that don't seem to disappear after the initial installation. The key here is the combination of national field service coverage with locally-based service. There are few national networks of locally-based field service groups to be found, but they do exist — most often either controlled or owned by the vendor.
The Bottom Line: Wireless POS Works
The long and the short of it all is an affirmative for wireless POS. It provides unprecedented flexibility and accessibility for retailers year round. Think of all the applications: kiosks, temporary registers, special promotions, charity events, flea markets, return desks… only the imagination limits the potential.
The only caveat: make sure your wireless POS systems appear in staging before they debut in your stores.
Greg Miller, vice president and chief operating officer, CrossCom National, Inc.
