Best Buy IdeaX

[#1]

It has been bandied about that some of the sales associates should have iPads to make their life and job easier.  

For someone that works out on the floor of a high technology business I find it unbelievable that this has not happened.

It is not like this is new technology.  

If sales associates were carrying and USING iPads in the course of their workday it would make life a lot easier, more enjoyable and also drive sales of an already hot product.  Maybe Apple could be recruited to make this easier.

My primary focus is the PCHO area but this idea applies to all departments.  Talk about going green.  Paper forms would be virtually eliminated.  It is now time for management and the IT department to get fully onboard.

The advantages of the Best Buy Credit Card, all of the solutions and accessories available to our customers (that drive profits) could be displayed and integrated into our system.  Forms could be filled out with the customers so that they could be loaded when the sales were rung up.  Customer’s data could be accessed to speed up transactions, Reward Card Membership and other information utilized.  Sales associates could key in links and use scanned employee ID cards to eliminate a lot of drudgery at the register of inputting that information and passwords.  Customers would be more likely to answer in the affirmative when queried about the advantages of Geek Squad options.  Fairly simple apps could be developed for the Best Buy environment.  

The purpose of this post is to solicit others ideas of specific ways iPads could be utilized.

The amount of raw talent in the employee pool could easily be enlisted to make this and many other wonderful things happen.

Post up.  This needs to happen.  The only question that remains is when.  

Best Buy is supposed to be a leader in our industry.  Let's start acting the part.

[#2]

This would work hand in hand with the sales appointments for quicker service idea and more customers would have the knowledge that Best Buy employees are doing all they can to provide the individual attention they need instead of just a discount big box experience.

[#3]

This isn't the first time I have heard this idea, and to me it sounds like an interesting proposition. I would like to not only hear what other employees think about this, but also what our customers would think about our associates using tablets to assist them with their purchases. Would we need to provide our associates an iPad, or would an Android tablet work?

[#4]

Others are taking it a step further:

http://news.cnet.com/8301-17938_105-57350987-1/lebron-james-stocks-store-with-45-ipads/?part=rss&sub...

LeBron James stocks store with 45 iPads

If for instance in Best Buy the staff had iPads, the RSS feed for inventory could be checked immediately for customers instead of having to go to an available terminal to log in, enter search and then determine if item was in stock and return to the customer to report results.  

This is only one easy application that could be developed to make the customer experience better.

[#5]

I honestly felt that anything that gets between the customer and the associate is a bad idea. I hated the dossier's as it was one more thing to juggle around and set down so that I could work one on one and face to face with my customer, not juggle an ipad too and stare at it. Took away from that honest interaction best buy was shooting for. 

[#6]

The news has recently been beating up on customer service and knowledge.  I have first hand experience with that issue.  Why not use your products to help serve.  You can use tablets for the floor sales staff.  A program can be made that they can use a key word, find the location in the store , other similar products, and data on the product so the sales person can refer back to the many features.

Each product can be quickly found and other products can be upsold to enhance.  You also show the customer possibilities with quick videos at your finger tips.

[#7]

As a high technology company, it seems logical to integrate products sold with workers duties and responsibilities.  I see filling out a Pdf form on an iPad as a much better solution than filling out forms that are always transitioning, get lost or sit in some accordion file for months.  Less paper would be wasted.  Customer information needed would automatically populate Best Buy databases  from the app.

It would be much easier to sell additional services, rewards cards, and other solutions for the customers.

Nobody seems to be doing anything with all the forms that are required to be filled out now.  If they are it requires manual entry of information that would be instantly available digitally.

[#8]

I would love to see some of the technology that is available for purchase at Best Buy become more integral to the shopping experience.  In particular, using tablets in departments to aid customers in making informed purchase decisions.  

For instance, if a customer is looking for a camera, but doesn't know exactly what they need, they could take a short quiz on the tablet.  The application would ask questions such as: Will you be taking action shots?  Does your camera need to be weather resistant?  Do you want video as well?  What’s your price range?

After answering some questions and entering preferences, the software could recommend products that fit the customer’s needs, along with a description of each product.

Having self-service stations available would help take the strain off employees and allow customers to help themselves when it gets busy in the store.

[#9]

egavelek16 gets it.

In the PCHO department worksheets are required to be completed on all PC, Mac and Tablet customers.  This task would be so much simpler and more productive if interactive apps were available on iPads or even Android Tablets.  Not only would online forms completion be simpler but tablets would simplify the process and make it an educational experience for customers.  Register time could be reduced and sales associates could be doing what they need to do – assisting customers. Relevant specs for inventory could be easily searched and shown to customers as required.  Different purchase choices could be compared right from the Best Buy website to assist customers in making the correct purchase and relevant solutions and accessories.  Best Buy brand identification would be buoyed as available options are investigated.

Almost every thing Associates have to do to effectively do their jobs could be covered from punching in and out to checking inventory or even email.  Trips to the cash register stations could be virtually eliminated.  It is so embarrassing to have to go to the cash register to check inventory while the customer waits for a report to see if an item is in stock or not.  This information could be available on the iPad while the sales associate continues to interact with the customer building a relationship.  

Queries and results of searches then could populate databases for analysis by management. 

[#10]

At our store, we have recently begun utilizing the work sheets in all sections for all customers. This ensures that the customer's experience isn't just a grab and go with associates directing traffic but rather a true consultation to make sure we are getting the best solutions for them. The perk of using tablets for this process is not only ease of information, but it also let's us showcase our products. It is disappointing to have so many tools at our disposal but not ever using them. Not to mention that the ability to check RSS for exact availability and the ability to research should the customer have questions we can't answer. I have only recently come back to retail after a long career in public safety. The fact that BBY knows that there are issues with both perception and ability is deeply concerning. I know the abilities of both our company and personnel are second to none but the fact that we still use general principles that are archaic shows that we are choosing not to tackle the thing that hold us back.

[#11]

The worksheets are honestly a hassle, it would be much easier and convinient to have a tablet instead of a clipboard. I can't tell you how many times I misplace my clipboard or even forget about it at times while I'm on the computer looking up products/inventory/prices for my customer. If I had a tablet in my hands, for one I wouldn't even think about losing it, it would be practically glued to my hands, and for two, I wouldn't have to set down my clipboard to go to a computer because all the information I would ever need would be at my finger tips. Desktops are becoming more and more obselete in homes, and there's a reason for that. People are always on the go, they don't want to go to a stationary object and be stuck there. If we had tablets in our hands, we could compare products and check and see if we have something as we're standing right in front of it. I think overall it would be a good move in the right direction. I constantly find myself getting on my phone to check www.bestbuy.com if a customer says that they found an item cheaper on there, only because a register is nowhere close to me or because someone was already on it. I personally believe filling out the experience worksheets on the tablet will get customers much more involved, because they'll be interested in the device as well as what you're doing on it. If this is done the right way, I truly believe it would give Best Buy a whole different outlook, and steer them in the right direction. It would most definitely set us apart from all of the other retailers, and it might even cause a domino effect.