Avaya Introduces New Customer Service Solutions for Retailers at 2009 National Retail Federation Event

Avaya In-Store Connect keeps retail employees connected for superior customer service; Avaya Video Assist lets store customers communicate via video with off-site experts

NATIONAL RETAIL FEDERATION CONFERENCE AND EXPO, NEW YORK CITY - Avaya, Inc. will introduce and demonstrate new customer service solutions for retailers at this week’s 2009 National Retail Federation (NRF) Annual Convention and Expo. The solutions – Avaya In-Store Connect and Avaya Video Assist – will showcase the innovative ways contact center and unified communications technologies are used to improve customer service experiences and employee productivity in any store environment.

Avaya is the global leader in unified communications (UC) and contact center markets. The company recently made investments to expand its professional services practice to deliver customized solutions for the retail industry, developed by experts with hands-on experience in the retail market. Avaya’s portfolio of retail solutions will be available for demonstrations at the NRF show in Avaya booth #765.

The new Avaya In-Store Connect solution provides enhanced voice- and text-based communications customized for workers in “in-store” environments. The solution is comprised of technologies from Avaya, Motorola and Indyme Solutions. It includes Avaya’s Communication Manager IP telephony solution, phones and custom applications; Motorola’s CA50 VoIP-enabled wireless scanner; and Indyme’s paging, escalation and reporting technologies.

Avaya In-Store Connect provides retailers a more efficient way for its retail associates to collaborate and address customer needs. Through a combination of IP phones in various locations (i.e., fitting rooms, check-out registers) and mobile devices used by workers, retail employees can communicate quickly via text messages and phone calls. Workers on-the-move in a store can use the Motorola CA50 to send or receive important text messages customized to a store’s needs. This eliminates the need for workers to use headsets, walkie-talkies, separate Wi-Fi phones and pagers in the store – reducing the costs associated with deploying and managing multiple communications devices for employees. It also reduces overhead paging and excess chatter among workers, creating a more pleasant store environment for customers.

Avaya In-Store Connect can be designed for any retail environment. For example, dressing room attendants in an apparel store can use custom menu options on their CA50 to request help for a customer who needs a different size or color item. In a grocery store, customized device buttons let workers exchange messages such as “Clean Up” in a specific aisle or “Price Check.”

Other features help ensure effective employee collaboration during high-traffic times. If a store cashier is overwhelmed by many shoppers at the checkout line, he can press a button on his station’s IP desk phone to send a message to on-site co-workers for assistance. An alerted co-worker then walks over and acknowledges he has arrived by cancelling the alert. If the request does not get cancelled within a set amount of time, Indyme’s technology will escalate the request to a store manager.

All of these interactions can be compiled in a report, which a supervisor uses to receive data on how well customers are served, as well as information on in-store traffic trends. This helps retailers determine future staffing needs for certain times of the day.

Avaya Video Solutions Enable Fast Customer Connections to Product Experts
Avaya Video Assist is an in-store, IP video-based customer service solution that can connect customers to off-site experts using video conferencing, and helps customers get technical assistance on a specific product. This is handy if an off-site specialist is required to deliver more in-depth product information or support than an on-site retail associate can deliver, or if in-store staff is not available to help a customer.

This solution builds upon prior Avaya innovations in video kiosk technology to enhance customer experiences. Customers visiting a store simply go to the Video Assist kiosk, place their product in a cradle in front of the camera, and then communicate via 2-way video with a live agent. The agent can also push instructions, video clips, photos or diagrams to the customer for reading and printing – and even send a store map to direct a customer to a product’s location. Promotional information can be relayed during or after the interaction, based on the product discussed.

The solution is made possible using an Avaya Communication Manager platform and IP Softphone application, along with contact center applications including Avaya Call Center and Call Management System. At this year’s NRF show, Avaya will be showing how similar capabilities can be used in a video kiosk developed by HP Labs, which demonstrates the expanded service options possible in a retail kiosk solution.

“In these challenging economic times, the retailers who will succeed are those who can differentiate themselves by delivering a unique and positive customer experience, and do so in a cost-effective way,” said Greg Billings, vice president, Avaya Global Professional Services. “Working with valued partners, Avaya is using its strengths in unified communications and contact centers to deliver new, innovative ways for retailers to help ensure their in-store customers always have access to the right experts, and can get fast, informed answers to their questions.”

The 98th annual National Retail Federation Annual Convention and Expo is held at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in New York, NY from January 11–14, 2009. Avaya will be located in Booth #765. Indyme Solutions (www.indyme.com) and Motorola (www.motorola.com) will be showcasing solutions in Avaya’s booth as well.