WHITE PAPER Voice-over-WLAN in Retail: The Power of Converged Solutions Push-to-talk voice services allow workers to reach a product expert or an associate in a specific department to provide a rapid answer to a customer inquiry. 1 WHITE PAPER: The Synchronized Distribution Supply Chain Series: Best Practices in Yard Management There is an enabling technology that retailers can deploy today that will leverage the existing network infrastructure — Voice over WLAN (VoWLAN). This natural addition will help retailers deliver a differentiating experience in the store — an enhanced level of service that will not only help improve customer loyalty and retention, but also help store associates increase the size of the sale. Background is a natural addition that will help retailers deliver a differentiating experience in the store — an Today’s retailers face some of the toughest issues enhanced level of service that will not only help ever experienced in the history of retailing, heavily improve customer loyalty and retention, but also driven by the omnipresence of the Internet. The help store associates increase the size of the Internet has given birth to the global marketplace, sale. VoWLAN-based solutions allow you to layer pushing competition to an all time high. Now, voice onto your existing mobile computing data your competitors include the physical stores in applications, providing your store associates with your backyard — as well as stores, boutiques mobile voice as well as data — all on a single and individual craftspeople all around the world. device. Now, your store associates carry virtually Customer demands and expectations are also at all the functionality required to perform their tasks, an all-time high. In just minutes on the computer, anywhere on site. And these truly mobile workers, customers can have it all – the quality product who are on the move throughout the store all shift they want at the lowest price possible, delivered long, are now easily accessible to managers through right to their door – often overnight. To respond push-to-talk walkie-talkie style communications to heightened pricing pressures, manufacturers and text messaging. And sales associates on the are turning to offshore manufacturing, which does floor can easily call a store manager, a product enable price reductions to the consumer — but also expert or a backroom clerk as needed to best reduces already thinning retailer margins. And finally, serve your customers — without ever leaving since consumers can access the Internet anytime the customer’s side. and anywhere to check product availability and the best pricing — on home computers as well as on And VoWLAN solutions provide real value — for PDAs and cell phones right in your store aisles, they the customer as well as for the retailer. Customers are redefining the shopping process itself to find the experience better service, while retailers are able to right product, when they want it, at the right price. extend the value of existing investments to deploy new functionality to workers. VoWLAN solutions are To address these issues, retailers will need to take extraordinarily cost-effective, enabling retailers to customer service to the next level. When today’s leverage existing network infrastructures to extend consumers enter your store, they are armed with an mobile voice over the wireless LAN without the arsenal of information and very high expectations. drawbacks of cellular services — no monthly service Your customers expect your store associates to fees and no in-building cellular coverage issues. In provide the same split second answers they are able addition, since voice can simply be added to the to obtain on the Internet — and to know more about same mobile devices your workers must carry, your products than they do. They expect to be able you can eliminate the need for disparate voice and to quickly and easily locate and purchase the product data systems, delivering a number of operational IT they want. benefits. With voice and data on the same network, walkie-talkies and overhead paging systems can be There is an enabling technology that retailers can eliminated, workers have fewer devices to carry, the deploy today that will leverage the existing network retailer has fewer devices to purchase, and IT has infrastructure – Voice over WLAN (VoWLAN). VoWLAN fewer devices to deploy and manage. 1 WHITE PAPER: Voice-over-WLAN in Retail: The Power of Converged Solutions Adding voice to your mobile data computing applications • A telephony server to coordinate the voice enables true enterprise mobility — now you can connections and delivery of voice features, provide a single multi-function device that offers the preferably based on the Session Initiation tools your workers need to conduct on-the-spot Protocol (SIP) standard. While proprietary business. In addition to placing and receiving calls, systems do exist, systems based on open data options can allow workers to: scan a bar code standards offer the most in flexibility, and swipe a magnetic stripe on a credit or customer interoperability and extensibility. loyalty card; read an RFID tag; capture images and more. Your employees are empowered to answer • The PCI-compliant WLAN infrastructure, which customer questions, identify and cross-sell appropriate enables the secure extension of wireless voice items and even complete the sale — right on the and data services throughout your facility. store floor. Your employees enjoy a richer ‘toolbox’ of ‘in-hand’ capabilities that enable the delivery of • A management solution to simplify the day-to-day better customer service, the closing of more sales support of the mobile devices, the software and more opportunity to increase the size of a sale. installed on the mobile devices and the wireless LAN infrastructure; ensure the security of voice You’ve empowered your workers with mobile data and data while in transit over the WLAN; and access to remove the tether to the desktop computer. ensure quality of service to eliminate dropped VoWLAN completes your mobility solutions by calls and more. removing the tether to the desk phone and other separate voice systems with mobile voice. The A full complement of voice service options sales associates and sales managers on your retail floor are among some of the most valuable workers Broad voice functionality allows you to extend the today. You count on these workers to remain on type of voice services that can best benefit your the retail floor, providing red carpet service to your retail operation: customers. With VoWLAN solutions…they can. • Peer-to-Peer: ‘Person-to-person’ calls that do What is VoWLAN? not pass through your PBX. • Push-to-Talk (PTT): Walkie-talkie style services VoWLAN is digitized (or packetized) voice conveyed that allow a call to an individual, a select over an IP network (VoIP) and distributed over a workgroup (such as all employees in the wireless local area network (WLAN). VoWLAN-based sporting goods department or all workers in solutions allow you to extend voice as well as data the back room) or to all employees. over the wireless LAN, thereby improving and accelerating the return on investment (ROI) for mobile • Basic Feature Telephony: The ability to extend data infrastructure. Since the WLAN is the backbone the desk phone extension to a voice-enabled instead of the cellular network, in-building coverage mobile computer, but with a limited feature issues typically associated with cellular service are set (such as hold and call waiting). The eliminated, as are the monthly subscription costs advantage of basic feature telephony is its per user. And since WLAN is wholly owned by the extensive compatibility with a very broad enterprise, retailers enjoy complete control over the range of PBXs. network to help ensure a consistent high quality and dependable voice connection. • Full Feature Telephony: The ability to offer complete emulation of the desk phone on a There are four major technical aspects of a VoWLAN mobile voice and data device, complete solution: with full PBX functionality — from 4-digit extension dialing to call transfer and call • Voice-capable mobile computers for integration forward, voicemail, and cost-saving features of voice and data services on a single device. such as least-cost routing. 2 WHITE PAPER: Voice-over-WLAN in Retail: The Power of Converged Solutions VoWLAN: SIP example The SIP standard protocol offers highly flexible and interoperable solutions. SIP Endpoints WLAN Infrastructure Telecom Infrastructure Access Point PSTN Wireless Switch Traditional PBX Ethernet Switch SIP Gateway Management • Voice Services • Device • WLAN Generic Generic Access Point Deskphone Deskphone The above schematic illustrates the architecture of a typical VoWLAN-enabled solution. VoWLAN use cases in the for a cleanup in aisle nine. With the ability to receive inbound calls, managers never have to leave the retail environment sales floor to locate a phone to answer a page. In large stores with expansive environments, managers The following use cases illustrate the value of voice are now always accessible to employees as well as in the retail environment, and where and how it customers, without reducing manager productivity. can be deployed to maximize efficiency, customer In addition, tasks can be issued to specific people or service levels, customer satisfaction, customer to a workgroup such as the collection of shopping retention and sales. carts in the parking area, the need to restock a specific item or shelf or the need to add checkers to reduce Mobile manager long lines at the register. And since workers can acknowledge receipt and completion of tasks, general With VoWLAN-based solutions, store managers can task management is more efficient — managers remain out on the sales floor where they are most know when workers are available for another task. effective, yet still keep the tools required to conduct business literally in hand. Mobile voice push-to-talk In addition to voice, data capabilities enable managers allows managers to reach workgroups or all workers to respond to urgent email, monitor real-time sales at the press of a single button.