The old-fashioned idea of in-person shopping is going through a renaissance, and retailers rely on new ideas to keep it that way. According to the National Retail Federation, nearly 50 million consumers (31 percent) were expected to shop exclusively in-store during the 2024 holiday season. As the industry reflected on this season, that trend was born out of an interest in “a return to in-person shopping experiences.” To capitalize on this, brick-and-mortar stores are exploring ways to keep consumers in-store while delivering a positive experience that keeps them coming back.
That’s where interactive remote support technology can be utilized. As technology continues to reshape the way consumers shop, it’s crucial to find a balance between the efficiency of automation and the personalization of the human touch.
The Rise of Self-Checkout and Its Challenges
One approach to improving in-store shopping is the use of self-checkout terminals. Once a novelty, these are now a mainstay. The promise of self-checkout is clear to understand – they are meant to be easy to use and seemingly quicker than human cashiers while reducing the number of employees required to process customers.
However, technical challenges continue to plague self-checkout systems. Overly sensitive weight checks, payment glitches, and “unexpected item in bagging area” errors turn simple transactions into a technological obstacle, especially during peak seasons when stores are already bursting at the seams. Despite the economic advantages experienced by retailers, for consumers, self-checkout can quickly upend an otherwise positive shopping experience.
Innovation via Remote (Human) Support
It’s difficult to rationalize savings when it can lead to customer frustration. However, there are newer solutions like AgentNow, which combines the automation of self-checkout with human support.
Imagine a customer struggling with a stubborn barcode. Instead of waiting for local staff to assist, they can click “Need Assistance?” button on the self-checkout screen to be immediately connected with a live agent to troubleshoot the problem.
These remote human agents can assist customers remotely to help resolve the issue, and alert in-person staff if further repairs are needed. Customers have options to determine how they want to communicate for support help. Engaging in face-to-face live video conversations allows the customer uninterrupted assistance. By offering flexible communication options, the retailer ensures that every customer can receive help in their way.
Retailers understand that consumers no longer have the patience for long lines or feeling lost at the self-checkout. As such, they can no longer ignore the opportunity of integrating engagement solutions for efficient customer service. Today, solutions like AgentNow provide a personalized touch, offering immediate assistance and resolving issues in real-time.
Integrating various support options ensures customers receive help promptly, even during high-traffic periods, making self-checkout smoother and less frustrating. Combining automation and human intervention lowers operational costs and ensures customer empathy is central to these new technologies, creating a positive shopping experience and fostering customer loyalty.
Prioritizing customer needs and investing in technologies that enhance the shopping journey is paramount for businesses seeking to thrive in today’s competitive market.
Retail’s Future: A Balance of Efficiency and Empathy
Innovation that unifies self-checkout with remote human agents is just the tip of the iceberg. In the future, we expect to see more sophisticated on-demand applications transforming the retail landscape. From personalized product recommendations to predictive analytics that anticipate customer needs, the possibilities are endless as technology is used to improve customer experience.
However, even with all the technological advancements, human sales agents are still an essential part of the equation. Their ability to connect with customers through preferred channels and to personalize support and guidance is key. Human sales agents can offer more effective support, guiding customers toward solutions and fostering stronger brand loyalty. With technology like AgentNow, remote sales agents can be situated anywhere across the retail business’ network, signing in from another store location during downtimes or from a contact center. They can even offer support while working from home. This flexibility will help retailers manage peaks and keep costs contained, while ensuring customers can access human support.
As more contact centers embrace AI solutions, remote sales agents can optimize efficiency and personalization with AI-powered tools, like real-time agent guidance. This agent assistant can offer suggested responses, templates, and knowledge articles that will eliminate the need for agents to search for answers while ensuring they are providing accurate, informative, and fast customer support. AI agent assistance can also include automation of sentiment, intent, conversation summaries, and transcriptions, further promoting productivity and efficient experiences.
By embracing new engagement solutions, retailers can ensure that self-checkout kiosks serve their customers, not frustrate them. On-demand service through voice, chat, and video will play an increasingly important role in ensuring that self-checkout remains a convenient and enjoyable experience for customers while delivering on the competitive edge it provides participating retailers. In a world where customer experience reigns supreme, investing in smart, human-centric solutions is not just an option – it’s a necessity.
The author, Rob McDougall is CEO at Upstream Works.