Today’s shoppers are seeking seamless experiences, driven by the convenience they have come to expect not only in the digital world but also in-store. In today’s fast-paced retail environment, system downtime at checkout is no longer just an inconvenience — it’s a direct hit to a retailer’s bottom line.
Specialty retailers and grocers must be equipped with the right tools and technology to mitigate security risks and manage multi-vendor solutions to quickly resolve issues, ensuring efficient and effective day-to-day operations.
By implementing proactive measures for system maintenance, retailers can ensure that they have the right equipment, personnel and technology to keep their business running smoothly. Choosing the right vendor is imperative to helping retailers overcome common challenges.
The ability to address vendor complexity
Technological innovation has transformed retail, but the speed at which it’s developed means many stores rely on a complex web of solutions, making it extremely difficult for store associates to get fast help from the right vendor when they need it. Toshiba’s Wall-to-Wall Maintenance Services solves that problem by providing one number to call, linking retailers to Toshiba-badged technicians who can quickly fix any system from any vendor. The comprehensive Wall-to-Wall Services ensure all equipment, regardless of vendor, remains operational.
“Toshiba’s approach means that we provide flexible installation and maintenance services that adapt to the needs of our customers,” says AI Bennah, Director of Services Portfolio & Innovation at Toshiba. “In fact, over 70% of the systems and solutions that we install and maintain are non-Toshiba solutions, while offering the same service levels as we do on Toshiba gear.”
Predictive capabilities
Look for a vendor that can help you not just react to problems but also monitor systems to predict future issues and fix them before they happen. Toshiba’s Proactive Availability Services (PAS) offers real-time insights into the health of both hardware and software, using machine learning and AI to predict and notify retailers of problems that can be fixed remotely or by the company’s technicians.
PAS focuses on early issue detection and predictive insights. By identifying potential problems before they escalate, system downtime is minimized. This means less time is wasted by store associates trying to deal with systems issues and more time spent on what really matters – helping customers.
Remote help desk support
Keeping systems up and running with the support retailers need is critical to keeping their business operating smoothly and empowering store associates to stay focused on the customer. Toshiba’s PAS proactively monitors issues remotely and independently raises tickets to the help desk, eliminating the need for associate involvement and leading to faster solutions and better customer service.
“With our proactive monitoring, we can see and report issues for the store associate,” Bennah explains. “We are seeing upwards of 17% of incidents are opened automatically and this number will continue to grow.”
Support future growth
Find a vendor that can help you introduce systems to support future growth, not just manage your current technology stack. Toshiba’s expertise can help retailers scale their current systems, incorporate new solutions, and predict and manage challenges during the pilot phase. “PAS provides the insights needed to be able to see new events that have never happened before or even increases in events that may be related to software defects. The goal is to find the defects as close to creation as possible and not let the defect impact the chain, which can be very costly to operations,” Bennah explains.
Conclusion
Toshiba’s Maintenance Services organization is committed to enhancing business operations to minimize system downtime. Together, PAS and Wall-to-Wall Services form a holistic approach to system reliability, reducing disruptions and maximizing uptime.
By partnering with technology experts like Toshiba, retailers can be assured that the performance of their store systems is optimized. This gives customers the convenience they expect and associates the time to add a human touch to the experience.