quaildigital-blog

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Queue Systems

There is now less and less tolerance for waiting in line, especially for Generation Z and Millennials. But with just 42% of shoppers having their speed expectations met, it is clear some retailers still have a way to go in providing the optimal experience. A1 delves into the world of queue systems and explores how retailers can provide the optimal in-store service, with the help of Tom Downes, CEO, Quail Digital.

http://flickread.com/edition/html/5b71f813cfc2d#32

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Smyths Toys

As one of the largest providers of children’s toys and entertainment products across Ireland and the UK, Smyths Toys continues to grow year on year. And as they expand into new markets, the retailer has implemented Quail Digital’s wireless headset systems to help create a valuable and efficient service across every store. The integration of this communication tool has not only enabled store associates to work more fluidly, but provided them with a platform to deliver a personalised, fun-filled experience for the customer.

http://www.retailtimes.co.uk/smyths-toys-creates-fun-filled-shopping-experience-with-the-help-of-quail-digital/

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Future of Retail - A1 Retail

Technology is changing consumer expectations. From cashier free stores to interactive changing rooms, the trend of using a smoother shopping experience can now be seen throughout multiple retail stores. However, as Tom Downes, CEO at Quail Digital explains, it is only those retailers who understand the importance of combining these technological solutions with human interaction who will survive.

http://flickread.com/edition/html/5b71f813cfc2d#13

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Easing The Mayo Clinic Expansion With Our Wireless Headset Systems

In a bid to cater to the number of increasingly complex conditions within the US, valued client, the Mayo Clinic has recently announced plans to double its campus size in an $800mn expansion. This funding will allow the Minnesota based medical centre to significantly increase the number of inpatient beds by a third, as well as creating up to 2,000 new clinical roles to better support patients. And while the expansion will significantly enhance their ability to cater for the growing needs of patients, it will undoubtedly have an impact on the level of stress and work pressures felt by those working at the hospital. It is therefore vital that they continue to implement the right tools to ensure every member is efficiently supported to help this expansion run as smoothly as possible.

The Mayo Clinic is continually improving its services, and building on their reputation as a leading hospital in the US. And as part of their dedication to providing the best healthcare service possible, the Mayo Clinic adopted our digital wireless headsets to provide discrete, hands-free wireless audio communication between physicians and the rest of the clinical team. As a clinic that specialises in cardiovascular diseases, the use of this wireless communication system, designed for clinical settings, is key to enabling a safer, more effective workflow during procedures.

As communication in a clinical room is never confined to a single setting, the implementation of headset technology is even more essential for this environment. We are all aware that there are many communication challenges that EP physicians and clinical physicians face on a daily basis in the lab, such as a noisy environment and large teams of staff. By unifying all team members through an interference-free solution, clinicians are able to improve clarity and accuracy between team members whilst also maintaining the required level of privacy.

As Tom Downes, CEO, Quail Digital, adds: “Headsets cut through the background noise of the OR giving the whole clinical team clear accurate communication between them, reducing stress levels and improving wellbeing of all those in the facility. We’re pleased to have a longstanding relationship with Mayo Clinic and look forward to working with them again.”

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Optimising Click and Collect at Peak - Internet Retailing

Click and collect is fast becoming the favoured delivery model for consumers, particularly around peak periods. And with customers expecting a seamless transaction, ideally in less than three minutes, retailers need to ensure the experience for this delivery method is as slick as any other. Tom Downes, CEO, Quail Digital, highlights how speed should always be key in order to deliver the desired service during peak trading.

https://internetretailing.net/magazine-articles/magazine-articles/how-to-optimise-click-and-collect-at-peak 

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Battling the barriers in EP/Cath Labs

One of the key challenges for surgeons is to create a calm, organized environment that will alleviate pressure in the OR and improve staff well-being. This is particularly important in EP and Cath labs, as clinicians must overcome the barriers created by the natural cacophony of an operating room, staff undertaking more than one task at once and operating teams that are spread across multiple rooms.

To combat these restrictions, clear and immediate communication is key, particularly during critical points of a procedure. Adopting headset technology, such as our wireless systems, enables clinicians to perform their role in an assured manner. As Dr Ziv Tsafrir, a Fellow in Minimally Invasive Gynecology at Henry Ford comments, “Using Quail Digital’s wireless headsets during robotic procedures certainly contributed to better patient outcomes by creating a calmer environment for clinicians and staff.”

And as patient demand grows, headsets are an essential companion in a Cath/EP lab setting. A lack of clarity can create stress and blame amongst team members, but with the ability to hear instructions clearly this ambiguity can be avoided. A more attentive, focused team will also be key to reducing stress-levels, resulting in more effective workflows and treatment.

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Combatting communication problems in Community Healthcare Clinics

With an estimated 33 million people visiting Community Healthcare Clinics each year, these organizations are an essential part of the healthcare system. While they are investing vital time into delivering a focused range of services to the local community, without the right basic communication tools in place staff productivity will suffer, hindering their ability to make the most out of their resources.

From diagnostics to preventive treatment, clinical procedures and rehabilitation, delivering a diverse set of services can create a stressful environment if the team, from receptionist to clinicians, are wasting valuable time trying, without success, to speak to one another to seek answers to questions, locate the right individual and better manage the flow of patients through the appointments and procedures process.  

Giving a lightweight headset to all members at reception and in the clinics will enable the team to reduce unnecessary delays, improve workflow and offer a much improved patient experience. Instead of relying on telephones that go unanswered, with wireless headsets staff are able to collaborate easily with discrete, immediate communication. Additionally, the ability to hear everything clearly, at all times, will facilitate a more tranquil environment, improve clinical operational efficiency, and reduce staff stress levels and thus their well-being.

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Woodie’s case study coverage

Providing friendly and knowledgeable staff, short wait times and good communication is absolutely critical for retailers, especially for those trading in the hardware sector. With this in mind, Ireland’s market leading DIY and home retailer, Woodie’s, has invested in Quail Digital’s wireless headset system to ensure a proficient and reliable service is covered across the entire store. From improving staff welfare to deterring shoplifters, the adoption of this tool has enabled Woodie’s to emphasise the personal, friendly and forward-thinking service they promise. Visit A1 Retail, Retail Technology and Plumbing Trade to find out more.

https://www.a1retailmagazine.com/latest-news/woodies-invests-in-quail-digital-to-improve-efficiency-and-productivity-in-store/

http://www.retailtechnology.co.uk/news/6758/case-study:-woodies-partners-for-better-comms/

https://www.plumbingtrademagazine.co.uk/blog/Headset

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The Future of the Supermarket - International Supermarket News

As more consumers are choosing to order their products online, grocery retailers are taking vital steps towards creating an interactive, intuitive and immersive service in-store. But how can these retailers ensure they’re giving a responsive service that rivals the one online, whilst still running the lean operation needed to stay competitive? Tom Downes, CEO, Quail Digital, explains all over on International Supermarket News.

http://www.internationalsupermarketnews.com/the-future-of-the-supermarket/

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Retail Success Lies in The Foundations - Modern Retail

The in-store experience continues to evolve as retailers introduce new features, services and technologies to innovate the customer experience. But as recent figures reveal, retail is a struggling arena, therefore it is vital that these brands get the foundations right before trying to expand their in-store technologies. As Tom Downes, CEO at Quail Digital explains, not all customers want a virtual, connected and digital service in store, some just want a friendly, efficient process that starts with the store associate being able to fulfil their needs.

  https://modernretail.co.uk/retail-success-lies-in-the-foundations/ 

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Connecting the in-store staff at Woodie’s

As one of the leading destinations in the DIY, Home and Garden sector, Woodie’s has invested in  the Quail Digital Pro7  headset system to improve communication and deliver better service levels throughout the entire shop floor.

With Pro7 wireless headsets Woodies’ are providing every staff member with the tools they need to work effectively in an increasingly complex store environment. By deploying a connected store model, the hardware retailer has  empowered its in-store staff to check customer enquiries with each other, and enables managers to reallocate team members to specific areas where needed. As Gavin Lambkin, IT Director, comments: “In the past, if a product failed to scan at the till because the barcode was damaged, a store associate would have to leave their post to go and find a replacement product. With the wireless headsets it’s very easy to just remotely ask a team member to get the price of the product - this quality of support and speed of resolution is fundamental.”

In stores of all sizes, Woodie’s have benefited from using this system during peak periods. Staff now have the resource to contact a category expert from anywhere in the store to ensure accurate information is given to the customer as quickly as possible. This way the amount of time store associates spend walking across the shop floor giving them more face-to-face time with the customer. It is through this immediate communication that store associates are able to keep up with customer needs and provide a better, more innovative experience for the shopper.

The system has had a positive impact on the reduction in thefts too. Headsets are a useful visual deterrent.

Gavin Lambkin, IT Director at Woodie’s, said: “Connecting the team through headsets has allowed us to offer a more personalised, friendly and forward-thinking service. We believe our personal touches differentiate us from our competition, and it is clear that these headsets have helped to emphasise these touchpoints, supporting our goal of continuous improvement”.

Tom Downes, CEO, Quail Digital adds: “Woodie’s are an innovative retailer who recognise the value of great customer service. We’re very glad to have been able to work with Woodie’s on this very worthwhile initiative”.

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Extending Channels adds Revenue for Fast Food Restaurants

While the majority of retailers are struggling to achieve a successful transition to an omni-channel business model, for food retailers – especially those in the fast food sector – the addition of new channels is providing a compelling opportunity to leverage existing investment and drive significant incremental value. But adding customers adds complexity - Tom Downes, CEO, Quail Digital, outlines the importance of excellent communication to enable the seamless extension of the fast food business model.

Releasing Value

In most quick service outlets, the constraint on customer orders is not the kitchen, it is the speed with which staff can process and fulfil those orders. Adding kiosks and click and collect options as well as table service to existing tills and drive thru lanes provides a fantastic opportunity to optimise the value of the kitchen investment – and meet consumers’ fast evolving patterns of behaviour at the same time.

Providing kiosks as an alternative to queuing at the counter offers an obvious win – especially if the experience is intuitive and interactive. It speeds up the process for customers and enables the restaurant to potentially double the number of orders taken without adding front of house staff. Extending that model with table service meets the needs of a different customer group – typically those who would prefer not to wait in a queue with their children. By adding app-based ordering - both for click and collect and popular delivery services such as Deliveroo and Uber Eats – to the well-established drive thru lanes, a restaurant is tapping into to the preferences of the next generation.

While the opportunity is significant, adding channels to any business model creates new challenges. And for the Quick Service industry the biggest challenge will be to ensure consistency – consistency of both service and food quality for the growing customer numbers.

Open Channel

Communication between staff will underpin the success of this multi-channel approach. And quick service restaurants already have a great model: the way drive thru lanes operate has been perfectly honed over decades, from the headset-based communication between order taker and kitchen runner, to the well managed customer expectation regarding ‘order to delivery’ timescale.

By extending this communication model to encompass all channels, restaurants can ensure that essential consistency of experience. To achieve this shift, restaurants will need to move beyond the traditional headset system to one that supports up to four channels. This approach will enable the restaurant to separate the activities of different channels, allowing staff on click and collect, for example, to operate on one channel, while table service operates on another, and drive thru another. A manager will be able to move between channels to reallocate staff as required; gearing up for the peak midday demand for table service or the evening spike in app-based ordering.

This inherent flexibility plus speed of response will be key: adding channels means adding customers – and effectively managing that increased customer flow through both the car park and the restaurant is essential. Any glitch in fulfilling click and collect orders, due to dropped orders or changing customer demands, and the car park will begin to back up, affecting those heading for both drive thru and into the restaurant.  

Adding channels provides a very significant opportunity to extend customer numbers and revenue without expanding space; but it also adds complexity. Seamless communication between staff will be vital to ensure the delivery of a consistent customer experience across every channel, every time.

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QUAIL DIGITAL PUTS NEW CUSTOMER COLLECTION TOOL ON DISPLAY AT RETAIL BUSINESS TECHNOLOGY EXPO

We will be exhibiting at this year’s Retail Business Technology Expo in Olympia, London from 2nd - 3rd May 2018 on Stand E198.

With 60% of shoppers admitting to walking out of a store in the past year due to poor customer service, one of the key challenges for retailers is to provide a quick and efficient experience that meets the demands of the consumer. We will be showcasing our Pro7 Headset System, designed to improve team productivity in retail, hospitality and business. The wireless headsets empower staff to give customers a better in-store experience, solving queries, seeking assistance, locating stock and finding experts, quickly. Operating on a high-quality frequency band to avoid interference from other devices found in the retail environment these hands-free, lightweight digital headsets can be integrated with checkout keypads, POS systems, customer help-points and passive alarm systems to ensure that all members of staff are continually communicating throughout the day. The immediate and shared communication delivered by the Pro7 system ensures the store team can locate and hand-over pre-ordered items to customers in the quickest time possible. Eliminating long queues, this system drives efficiency and speed, enhancing the in-store customer experience.

At RBTE, we will also be exhibiting a new quick, intuitive way for consumers to pick up their online orders when they arrive in store. The Collectec Customer Collection Module (CCM) enables shoppers to send an alert right to the warehouse the moment they arrive at the premises, revolutionising the click and collect process. The CCM picks up the customer’s QR code reference, name and parcel details from an email alert, posting them on the warehouse collection screen and simultaneously sending a ‘customer arrived’ audio message into the Pro7 headsets prompting staff to go to the storage area, identify and pick the item, and then take to it to the collection point. With the opportunity to select a preferable pick-up point, this system is an immediate and reliable method of delivery that can be tailored to support the needs of each individual customer.

Tom Downes, CEO, Quail Digital, comments: “In-store customer experience is of utmost important to us. The new Collectec system provides a great tool for retailers to advance their click and collect abilities, supporting the increasingly dynamic store environment. Our tools not only satisfy shopper demands but help nurture a better working environment for every staff members.”

Going to RBTE? Join Quail Digital at stand E198.

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Long Beach Medical Center Converts Cath Labs

Valued client, Long Beach Medical Center, recently received an anonymous donation of $1.5 million to help renovate four of its catheterisation labs. The grant funding will allow the Californian based hospital to convert its labs into a hybrid imaging suite, which combines the diagnostic capabilities of a cath lab with the technology of an operating room. This advanced technology will greatly enhance their ability for interventions on children, unlocking further possibilities for new surgical operations.

While Long Beach Medical Center are investing vital time into improving their cath labs, if they were to have insufficient communication in the operating rooms then staff productivity would suffer, hindering their ability to make the most out of these advanced surgical spaces.

Learning how to work alongside these new technologies and keeping up with the demands of the ever-advancing surgical environment, combined with the natural cacophony of a typical working environment can create a stressful clinical condition for surgeons. To combat this stress, clear and unambiguous communication between team members is key. Long Beach Medical Center has worked closely with Quail Digital to overcome communication barriers, resulting in safer, more effective workflows and treatment. The wireless headset systems, which are operated on high digital frequencies and encrypted to avoid interference from other devices or emissions in the OR, enables multidisciplinary teams to collaborate hands-free in the interventional OR.

Wireless headset technology has become an essential companion for the surgeons who practice at Long Beach Medical Center. By eliminating frantic and confused communication between the multidisciplinary team and reducing the noise level in the operating rooms, patient anxiety is naturally reduced, creating a calmer, stress-free environment for clinicians and staff. Tom Downes, CEO, Quail Digital, comments, “Headsets cut through the background distraction of the OR so that physicians can communicate efficiently with the rest of the team, improving both the doctor and the patient experience. We’re very pleased to be working with Long Beach Medical Center’.

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Click and Collect More Popular than Ever, but Survey Suggests There’s Still Room for Improvement

Working with Sapio Research we recently conducted a survey of over 2000 consumers around the UK, revealing the click and collect expectations of consumers across four key retail sectors - fashion, homeware and electronics and grocery.

According to the survey’s findings click and collect is a very popular option for many, with 24% of consumers purchasing groceries via click and collect at least weekly, this is almost a 20% increase on the fashion, homeware and electronics sectors. And with a 25% percent growth on last year, it would appear grocery shoppers are turning to click and collect for a more convenient, faster shopping experience.

When it came to the appeal of click and collect, convenience and not having to wait for delivery were the two key benefits across every sector. Yet despite this consumer favour towards click and collect, the stats also show that consumers agree there is a need to improve wait times in-store and communication with staff. The feedback highlighted that retailers in the fashion and homeware sector need to improve on their customer wait times, with an average of 42% of consumers saying that they were disappointed with the speed of collection when it comes to click and collect. Homeware and electrical shoppers are faced with the longest wait, waiting for an average time of nearly 7 minutes, while clothing and fashion consumers are having to wait 6.5 minutes.

Customers identified that their in-store experience could be improved by friendlier, better informed staff and less waiting time. 41% said that they felt overall customer experience could be improved if staff were provided with headsets to assist them to deliver better service levels, more than believed smartphones or tablets would improve the level of service they’d receive.  

Tom Downes, CEO, Quail Digital, comments, “The report has shown click and collect is more popular than ever, and growing in every segment. The challenge for retailers is to deliver the service efficiently in a way that meets customer expectation. The survey shows that a 3 minute wait from arrival to pick up might be viewed as the right sort of target to beat, whether in-store or in drive thru.”

He concludes, “Click and collect across the retail environment clearly shows no signs of slowing and it is those retailers that embrace it, invest in its potential and deliver a service that rivals its competitors that will thrive well into the future.”

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Delivering an efficient Click and Collect service

Click and Collect has become one of the fastest growing retail market segments in the UK, and it is pivotal for retailers to ensure they are providing the best possible experience for their customers. A recent survey conducted by Quail Digital has revealed that 42% of consumers are disappointed with the waiting times of Click and Collect. This suggests that more needs to be done to improve the experience to keep ahead. Tom Downes, CEO, explains how retailers can deliver a Click and Collect service efficiently in-store and ‘kerb-side’, in a way that meets customer expectations.

https://engagecustomer.com/half-consumers-walked-store-click-collect-frustrations/

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A sound investment: improved audio in the OR

MedTech Engine 

The inherent complexities of EP and cath lab settings alone present significant communications challenges. However, these are exacerbated by the natural cacophony of a typical working environment. The chatter of workmates, the hum of the air conditioning and the relentless drone of essential technology. Tom Downes, CEO, Quail Digital, discusses with MedTech Engine why clear and discrete audio communication between physicians and clinical staff is vital to improve patient outcomes. https://medtechengine.com/article/communication-in-the-or/