Efficiency and ease-of-use were at the top prioritues when TOP-TOY, for just under two years ago, started a mass digitization project for the organization's 307 stores in Scandinavia. With the goal of improving the efficiency, usability and customer experience, a mobile PDA was an indispensable part. The PDA provided mobility to the agents' work. The workers can, no matter where in the store they are, order and reorder items, print shelf labels and make inventory, thereby contributing to qualified customer service.
Three years ago, CIO Kenneth Messerschmidt, introduced an ambitious plan designed to integrate SAP in various business areas, clean up the IT systems and licenses, enhance service and efficiency in stores and at the same time reducing the IT costs by 40%.
- When we launched the ambitious plan three years ago, optimization of service and efficiency in the stores was the starting point. Based on this, we chose to purchase high quality PDA's for all the stores. The purpose of the PDA's was basically to create reorders, make inventory and print shelf labels, but today it is used for much more, says Kenneth Messerschmidt, who is very pleased with the outcome of the purchased PDA's.
After testing a number of PDA's, TOP-TOY chose to purchase the PDA named "PM80" from Delfi Technologies. The Delfi PM80 can scan and work as a mini computer. The PDA looks like an iPhone, just with a built-in barcode scanner and is much more robust.
- The PM80 has all the requested features demanded by the stores; touchscreen, high-speed, barcode scanner, long battery life and has a reasonable purchase price. However, the most important thing is that it plays a crucial role for the individual employee in their work and professional pride, says CIO Kenneth Messerschmidt.
One of the tasks the PM80 is used for is, for example, when the price of a product needs to be updated. The staff simply scans the item, and then a new shelf label is printed. Inventory tasks, which previously was done after hours, can now take place during business hours because it takes half the time and because the system keeps track of current transactions. This means that the staff simply scans in through the count, rather than the manual approach - the same thing happens, for example, ordering and reordering products. In addition, the PDA also boosts the professional pride, as the staff in direct contact with the customer, now can examine for example the arrival of a products in order, if it is sold out.
The PDA was marketed as 'Your new best friend” to TOP-TOY's many staff members. Sune Roed, who has 10 years’ experience as a Store Manager and a year as 'Business Process' responsible at the head office, helped to test the PM80 and has since been in charge of developing and teaching how to use the PM80.
They no longer have to check a single item for the customer at the cashier, it can be done while standing with the customer, says Sune Roed. who has great ambitions on behalf of his store colleagues, to continue making their working day easier by optimizing processes and business procedures.
At first, it was only SAP applications which should be available on the PM80, but after a few months of operation, the store personnel now have access to a range of applications that allows stores to communicate with each other; 'Yammer' (professional facebook ), webmail, sms, etc. The feedback has been positive and the stores 'Best Friend' has become part of the uniform.
When TOP-TOY's choice fell on the PM80, they also wanted 'mobile management', a software solution that could manage all aspects of business mobility, tracking of physical assets, control of applications and content, as well as secure data.
As Delfi Technologies works closely with SOTI, the leading provider of Mobile Device Management, it was natural that TOP-TOY purchased the total PDA solution; both the PM80 and SOTI’s Mobility Management for all BR and Toy "R "Us stores.
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