Working with Tesco’s innovative new brand.
They decided to mark the occasion with the launch of a new brand, to honour its founder – Jack Cohen. The new store, branded ‘Jack’s’ would move into more cost-efficient space, whilst remaining part of the Tesco family. Jack’s stores would sell a smaller range of products – offering the best possible value.
This provided the Tesco shopper with a budget alternative whilst maintaining quality and provided an opportunity to mark the company’s centenary.
Customer expectations are rising, as the market becomes more challenging and competitive on price. All retailers must look at cost, business efficiency and customer service. Tesco wisely decided to make Jack’s launch a priority project.
VoCoVo was already working with Tesco and our good existing relationship meant that Tesco approached us, confident we could meet the deadline set.
Jack’s stores would offer a discounted product range, giving shoppers the best possible price. As the range of products would be more limited, the use of Jack’s colleagues in stores would be a different model to Tesco UK. In store, Jack’s colleagues would need sophisticated communications systems to enable them to cover a wide range of roles. VoCoVo wanted to make this possible.
With this in mind, Tesco approached VoCoVo, already a trusted supplier of headsets to Tesco UK, to ensure that in-store communication in Jack’s stores would deliver efficiency, smooth communication and make the launch a success.
Quick effective communication on price-checking, warehouse operation, checkout needs.
Avoids customer frustration with instant opening of new checkouts. Easy for staff to respond, with just a few clicks of a button and a PA announcement.
Teams with VoCoVo feel safer and more supported by having their colleagues on-hand at the touch of a button.
VoCoVo began by outlining the requirement with Tesco and working on a prototype system to deliver the checkout PA announcement functionality. This was tested in Tesco’s headquarters, at Welwyn Garden City. The system worked well and went down ‘exceptionally well’ with colleagues.
The period from this initial consultation to the delivery of the system into stores lasted just nine months. By working closely with the team at Tesco, we were able to meet the project’s deadlines and deliver a solution that perfectly fit their needs. Our existing relationship with the client meant that we were able to roll out the system across two stores immediately.
Because timescales were short, this also meant we were able to keep to a specific deadline. When the first two stores opened in Chatteris and Immingham, both the headset and ‘call forward’ system were in place. Following this, we rolled out to the remaining six stores.
The feedback Tesco staff received from Jack’s colleagues in-store was overwhelmingly positive, particularly around the use of the headset. Colleagues described it as ‘fantastic’ and were so pleased with the headsets in Chatteris and Immingham that we doubled the standard number held in store from six to 12.
The product worked well, delivering quicker communication than any alternatives. The instant functionality enabled colleagues’ to respond quickly to customer and in-store demands. The headsets and ‘call forward’ system quickly became an integral part of colleague’s working life, making daily jobs easier, more efficient and driving effective customer service.
“This system worked fantastically at our Jack’s stores. The headsets and ‘call forward’ system helped our staff to work flexibly, respond to the needs of customers and their colleagues, and helped the launch of our new stores run smoothly. It was integral to the business model of our stores, and we’d thoroughly recommend VoCoVo for running an efficient operation.”
Andy Newbould | Tesco
