Customers expect more from retailers these days. So, why just meet their expectations when you can hit them out of the park with our cloud-based service solutions?

Faster, seamless digital experiences are good news for demanding customers. And satisfied customers, of course, are good news for your business.

8 business-breaking challenges facing the modern retailer 

1. Digitally-savvy shoppers expect more than ever before
Customers have become used to seamless digital experiences in everything they do – and that’s what they now demand from retailers. So, whether they’re in-store or online, they expect you to know what’s in their basket, what personalised offers they’ve received and whether the item they want is in stock or not.

2. Customers are moving with the times. What about you?
It’s not just about meeting the new customer expectations. Integrating online and in-store customer experiences, support and communications channels will make you more efficient. Your rivals are on the march and, if you aren’t too, you’re going to get left behind.

3. These days, you have to think of your staff as customers too
Right now, there aren’t enough employees to go round. To attract and retain the best people who can deliver the best customer experiences, you need to deliver better staff experiences. That means investing in technologies that make it easier for your people to do a better job.

4. Sleep is a luxury you can’t afford
Shopping on a Sunday night when all the shops are shut? That’s normal these days. You need to be ready to process enquiries through the night, across every channel and always with up-to-the minute information. Welcome to the world of 24/7!

5. If your retail business isn’t agile, it’s fragile
Moving with the times isn’t just a one-off. Responding to recent changes is hard enough but you also need to be able to respond to the next one and the one after that. New disruptions and opportunities are only just round the corner and you need a flexible digital infrastructure and agile business communications to take whatever comes next in your stride.

6. Identifying opportunities in this unpredictable world
You need access to real-time, actionable data and insight so you can make better decisions, faster. With visibility across all retail interactions, you can manage the business better and quickly identify new trends or issues.

7. All this, and you still need to keep costs to a minimum
You can’t just throw money at these problems if you want your business to be competitive. You need to be able to modernise in a cost-effective way, futureproofing your business and making it scalable so growth doesn’t present fresh challenges.

8. And, of course, not forgetting compliance
As if life’s not tough enough already, retailers must keep data secure and compliant with GDPR and local legislation. Or pay the consequences (usually in the form of a hefty fine).

What do retailers need to meet those challenges head-on? (Apart from a good crash helmet!)

We’ve talked about keeping up with changes that have happened, but retailers need to be prepared for all the changes still to come.

According to EHI Retail Institute³, for example, AI will soon be the norm in retail with chatbots and voice assistants, helping personalise the customer experience and support Customer Relationship Management (CRM) systems.

70% of shoppers in the EU already shop online¹

The Covid-19 pandemic has accelerated the technology adoption by 5 years for both customers and businesses. Get with the programme or get left behind.

The way people work, live and shop has changed forever. Over 70% of internet users shop online in the EU - and the boundaries between digital and the traditional brick-and-mortar retail are rapidly disappearing.

Advanced cloud-based business communications let you seamlessly integrate every channel so the right people (customers, staff or suppliers) get the right information at the right time.

Other retailers are choosing the cloud for:

• Telephony
• Integrating business systems
• Video conferencing
• Omnichannel customer service and support

Improving efficiency and cost-efficiency

To keep your competitive edge, you can’t just keep on with ‘business as usual’. You’re under huge pressure to deliver new business capabilities faster. It is proving so crucial for retail modernisation that the European Unified Communications & telephony market for retail businesses is expected to grow by 26% CAGR until 2026⁴.

Cloud-based communications platforms combine a single phone number and inbox with intuitive communication tools so there’s no danger of missing important calls and messages.
Cloud-based solutions can also make it easy (and cost-effective) for you to expand or shrink your systems to match the fortunes of the business.

Power shifting from brands to customers

The ever more demanding customer is now in charge. They’re better informed and have a powerful new voice through social media and online reviews which are influencing product trends.

To keep a competitive edge retailers needs to be able to deliver new communication capabilities and quickly – talking to their customer on whatever platform they use.

70% of retailers already use data-driven marketing and personalisation²

Join the retail revolution with NFON

Now you know the way things are going, it’s time to speak to NFON to learn more about how their cloud communication platform can futureproof your business.

Why NFON?
It’s now or never. The pressure’s on to build the technology capabilities that enable you to provide the best customer experience and increase brand value.

✔️Customer-centric approach
NFON enables retailers to have smooth communication with customers. By integrating with CRM platforms, your agents always know who they’re talking to with all customer details and past interactions at their fingertips. How refreshing is that (for customer and agent)? Better still, with IVR solutions, you can resolve customers issues faster. Bam!

✔️Launch a new breed of super-agents
By combining voice, video, data, and applications, modern Business Communications can free up 30-45 minutes per week per agent. They enable retailers to provide a rich platform by providing a seamless link between in-store and online customer experiences, while reducing costs and enabling flexible expansions across the enterprise. (You can save a whopping 50% with cloud telephony compared with your traditional PBX system.)

✔️More efficiency, less cost
Moving to the cloud allows organisations to move their communication expenditures from capital expenditure (CapEx) to an operational expenditure (OpEx). Stripping away the jargon, that means you know where you are with bills and there’s less need for hardware maintenance and expensive upgrades.

✔️Embrace flexibility and scalability
Cloud technology empowers retailers to grow and take their businesses to new heights, modernising the workspace into the digital era and connecting branches and head office.

✔️Security and privacy
Safeguarding customer data is now a top priority for retailers There’s no room for data breaches, such as the leak of customer credit card information.

If you'd like to know more, get in touch on 020 3740 6740 or drop us an email at hello-uk@nfon.com

1https://www.insuranceeurope.eu/priorities/26/digitalisation
² https://www.oliverwyman.com/content/dam/oliver-wyman/v2/publications/2021/jul/European-Banking-Outlook-2021.pdf
³ https://ec.europa.eu/info/publications/200924-digital-finance-proposals_en
⁴ https://www.ebf.eu/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/EBF_043537-Banking-in-Europe-EBF-Facts-and-Figures-2020.pdf
⁵ Cloud-based customer service solutions for the digital age
⁶ www.uctoday.com/unified-communications/ucaas/frost-sullivan-names-nfon-ag-in-top-10-most-innovative-ucaas-companies