Boots empowers employees to help boost sales
The UK pharmacy and healthcare chain, Boots, has contracted IBM to develop an in-store employee portal to help store managers and staff deliver better customer service - which in turn is expected to help increase sales.
Accessible through check-outs and PDAs (personal digital assistants), the portal's purpose is to provide Boots store managers and staff with on-demand access to training materials and personalised advice to help them complete their work more efficiently. The initiative is part of Boots' strategy to simplify internal processes, giving staff more time to serve customers.
The portal aims to provide a foundation for simpler delivery of a range of information and applications, allowing stores to be run more efficiently and profitably. Materials available include advice on serving customers, managing constant stock availability, and driving sales plans.
Central to the project will be input from key Boots store staff who are being consulted about the types of information they need on a daily basis to serve customers more efficiently. Work on the portal is already underway and trials scheduled for August 2004 in 21 of the chain's stores. "The solution IBM is providing us with will improve customer service and drive revenue by empowering our staff," commented Brad Poulson, director of store systems for Boots.
For additional information: · Visit IBM at http://www.ibm.com · Visit Boots at http://www.boots.com