Increasing shared knowledge for associates and improved customer experience

THE BIG PICTURE

Supporting store teams in large format stores

Selco has a proud heritage. Founded in 1895, the company has grown into one of the biggest builder’s merchants in the country. Today it boasts 75 branches, as well as a nationwide network of distribution hubs and on-site delivery services. Selco is trade royalty, and we couldn’t be prouder to call them a partner.

The problem

As a trade retailer, handling customer queries is a huge part of Selco’s work. Colleagues were doing their best, but they were struggling to answer these questions efficiently. Newer colleagues often needed to consult more experienced team members, but the size of Selco’s stores made this difficult. Too often, customers were kept waiting while colleagues went looking for information. This led to long delays in answering queries, and a poor customer experience overall. 

Selco wanted to help colleagues answer questions quickly and confidently. To do this, it needed a communications system that could connect colleagues across large store footprints, removing the need for excessive walking. 

 

So far, so simple, but this was only the beginning. As well as streamlining in-store communication, Selco wanted the ability to share information across its entire store estate. This meant ensuring that urgent reminders and updates from head office could be shared instantly and securely across multiple stores. Selco chose VoCoVo to make this a reality.

We’d encountered similar problems before, so we had a good idea of what to do. By blending two elements of our ecosystem, we were confident that we could deliver an effective solution. Our Headsets would allow colleagues to communicate instantly from anywhere in store, while our Message Cast feature would enable head office to share estate-wide updates.

How VoCoVo helped

Selco was eager to embrace our solution, allocating 30 headsets to each of its 69 branches in 2021. As more branches opened, our solution was incorporated into these as well. At the time of writing, our headsets are working their magic in 75 Selco stores across the UK.

Selco also took advantage of our Messagecast function. This is used regularly to communicate relevant messages direct to headsets, updating colleagues instantly with important information. This can be anything from issues with a credit card provider to urgent health and safety updates. Whatever the problem, Selco can get everyone on the same page with a single message. 

The outcome

By combining these two elements, we have been able to create a solution that is perfectly tailored to Selco’s needs. The new ecosystem has proved invaluable, improving the in-store experience for everyone:

  • Instead of tannoy updates, colleagues receive relevant information straight to their headsets. Message Cast has been tailored by Selco to explain UK-wide problems quickly, ensuring that colleagues receive updates before, during and after a problem is solved.
  • Selco also uses Message Cast to share the latest health and safety best practices, giving them peace of mind that all colleagues are working to the highest safety standards. 
  • Headsets have significantly reduced travel time on the shop floor. With support always just a button-press away, colleagues can answer even the most technical questions without leaving the customer’s side.

 

Selco is a wonderful example of how teams can tailor VoCoVo to their needs. By focusing on the features that suit its way of working, it has improved the customer experience while keeping everyone seamlessly connected.

Snapshot of key findings

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Immediate communication connecting all associates and benefitting customer experience

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Tailored to each teams’ needs

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Sharing of the latest health and safety best practices via Message Cast

“In the trials using the VoCoVo Headsets, colleagues have felt safer, more efficient and better connected to the team, while there is no doubt it has also improved our ability to deliver premium customer service.

Our colleagues wearing the devices are able to easily communicate at the push of a button and the Headsets are lightweight, durable, comfortable to wear and easy to clean.”

Ian Kennedy, Operations Director, Selco Trade Centres Ltd.

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