STORES Magazine - March 2009 - (Page 41)

complex telecommunications products. ReadyNow got under way September 2, and automated appointments began a week later at all 1,200 of Sprint’s company-owned stores. The story is much the same in stores operated by preferred Sprint dealers. All 700 locations launched ReadyNow in early November, and 325 of them began offering automated appointments at about the same time. In the past, Sprint employees concentrated on selling headsets and plans, sending customers on their way following a transaction that lasted an average of 20 minutes, Dixon says. Virtually no one ever made an appointment. Using ReadyNow, an employee may spend an extra three minutes helping a customer transfer contacts from an old phone to a new one, or up to half an hour with customers who want help setting up e-mail or using Sprint TV, manipulating navigation services and mastering text-messaging. The goal of bringing as many locations online as quickly as possible is part of the drive for a more consumer-friendly atmosphere that Daniel R. Hesse mandated after becoming CEO of Sprint in 2007. The changes began early last year when the company introduced Red Carpet Service, a cultural shift toward service instead of sales. As part of the initiative, Sprint gave store employees more authority and access to call-center tools to handle customer relations. Image boost Customer surveys show that all of these measures have boosted the company’s image, Dixon says. The number of customers categorizing themselves as being “extremely satisfied” rose from 80 percent in early 2008 to 90 percent this year. “We are really moving the needle in the stores, which is what we hoped,” Dixon says. These and other improvements have also helped Sprint raise its results 50 percent between August and February in a J.D. Power customer satisfaction study. (Sprint remains in last place among the five wireless companies, but Dixon WWW.STORES.ORG characterizes the improvements as “major strides” and says she is “thrilled” with the progress.) Most appointment makers are returning customers coming in for some manner of service or instruction, and the system helps “smooth” the workday by spreading store traffic more evenly than if it were left solely to chance, Dixon says. It also provides a point of differentiation in this category, she says, because none of Sprint’s competitors is using anything similar. StORES Ed McKinley is a Chicago-based writer and editor. Two-Way Radios Save Time & Money Retailers across America use Kenwood ProTalk® compact walkie-talkie radios for simple and effective communications. Put ProTalk® radios to work today for your entire team. • Efficient and simple communications for managers, front end customer service, back end inventory, individual departments, sales floor personnel and security. • Minimize communications expense – no expensive monthly bills. • Inventory checks are as easy as using the “push to talk” button. • Ready to use right out of the box and only 5.5 oz. for Retailers TWO YEAR WARRANTY CALL TODAY and ask about the Retail Special Offer 1-800-950-5005 STORES / MARCH 2009 41 www.kenwoodusa.com/protalkinfo http://www.kenwoodusa.com/protalkinfo http://www.kenwoodusa.com/protalkinfo http://WWW.STORES.ORG

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of STORES Magazine - March 2009

STORES Magazine - March 2009 Contents Executive Editor's Page President's Page Movers and Spenders What Shoppers Think Take Your Laundry Online 10 Things You May Have Missed Numbers Worth Counting Full Price/Markdown Retail People Luxury for Less Q & A CONCEPT2WATCH Checkout Management Online Entrepreneurs Sustainability POS Online Strategy Online Scheduling SaaS Online Marketing Merchandise Security PCI Compliance LPinformation Supplier Directory Exception Reporting Industry Perspective Theft Research LOEB Retail Letter ARTS Update Point of View NRF News Retail Crossword Retail Industry Calendar End Cap

STORES Magazine - March 2009

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