Recognising walkie-talkies’ limitations, Iceland sought a lasting solution to boost productivity, collaboration, and safety, laying the groundwork for its connected store vision.
Effective communication is key to any retail store’s success. When Iceland sought to enhance its operational efficiency and colleague safety, they turned to VoCoVo to form a dream in-store tech partnership.
Here’s a look at how the collaboration between VoCoVo and Iceland resulted in the successful deployment of the Series 5 Pro Headset, connecting teams and operations across nearly 1,000 stores.
Founded in Shropshire in 1970, Iceland swiftly became a household name with its emphasis on affordable frozen food. By 1978, the supermarket chain had grown to 28 stores. Today, boasting over 970 stores across the UK, including 150 Food Warehouse megastores, Iceland continues to impress shoppers with its wide selection of high-quality, delicious frozen foods sourced from around the globe, all at unbeatable prices.
In 2022, Iceland was recognised as the UK’s best online supermarket in a survey by Which?. It was also the only supermarket to be named in The Sunday Times’ Best Places to Work in 2024, showcasing its commitment to excellence both in customer service and workplace culture.
Crucial to Iceland’s current and future growth plans, the supermarket recognised the need to enhance the productivity, collaboration and safety of its store colleagues. It identified three distinct challenges, all of which were putting colleagues under strain and impacting customer experience:
Iceland had previously deployed walkie-talkies across some stores, however, they weren’t widely used and lacked popularity among colleagues. More importantly, they wouldn’t provide the longevity the supermarket needed or the foundation for its fully connected store programme in the future.
In response to the need for a durable, scalable, easy-to-use solution that would enhance colleague safety, boost efficiency within smaller teams, and facilitate seamless communication across departments, Iceland, following a trial of several options, turned to VoCoVo.
Crafted in direct response to feedback from retailers, VoCoVo’s Series 5 Pro Headset (https://s5pro.vocovo.com/) delivered the exact functionalities and benefits Iceland had asked for.
The investment in VoCoVo headsets is a real step forward in improving the efficiency, communication and safety of our store colleagues, which are all paramount to our current and future plans.
The trial of the Series 5 Pro Headsets in select stores was a resounding success. So much so that it paved the way for a comprehensive and timely rollout across all Iceland stores, facilitated by the longstanding partnership between Iceland and Barron McCann for hardware maintenance and installation services. With a targeted approach aimed at enhancing efficiency before the Christmas change freeze, immediate priority was given to high stock-loss stores, resulting in the completion of nearly 100 stores by mid-December.
Following this initial phase, a concerted effort culminated in the deployment of the Series 5 Pro Headsets across the entire estate by the end of March, marking a significant milestone in Iceland’s journey towards enhanced operational excellence and colleague communication.
Since the deployment of VoCoVo headsets, Iceland has witnessed a remarkable transformation in its store dynamics. Staff feedback echoed sentiments of increased safety, enhanced service delivery, and streamlined operations. The headsets facilitated prompt assistance among colleagues, reducing response times and elevating customer service standards. Here are more benefits experienced by Iceland since the implementation:
VoCoVo’s headsets act as a deterrent to crime and save time. They speed up customer service as colleagues can quickly ask somebody in the back area if we’ve got a product available. Our colleagues absolutely love them and our heads of stores say they aid coaching as well.
For Iceland, the partnership with VoCoVo is the foundation for its connected store programme and the introduction of the Series 5 Pro Headset is just the start of the journey for the UK’s beloved supermarket.
As the two companies continue to collaborate closely, Iceland is considering further enhancing its operational capabilities through the integration of new APIs to form the foundation of its connected store.
On our store floors and beyond, we’re committed to improving our customers’ experience when shopping with us. Our partnership with VoCoVo will directly support this commitment and we’re excited to grow the solution. This will include specific APIs that will integrate with our in-store technology and notification systems, enabling us to quickly update our store colleagues on certain business activities that are happening.
