Robots elevate customer experience by helping their teammates

The world of retail is highly competitive, customer satisfaction is crucial for businesses to thrive. Companies strive to provide quick responses and efficient services to their customers. However, one often overlooked aspect of customer satisfaction lies in ensuring the happiness and well-being of the associates serving those customers. This is where AI-powered robots can make a significant difference As the pandemic highlighted, grocery associates are essential members of stores and society, helping serve customers that so heavily rely on them. However, associates often find themselves burdened with time-consuming and mundane tasks that take them away from being customer facing. These tasks are necessary, but offer little opportunity for associates to help sell to customers and provide customer service, which is where many associates experience personal growth and job satisfaction. Consequently, associates can easily become demotivated, leading to a decline in their overall performance,which waterfalls the experience of shoppers. The retail industry experiences the highest turnover rate of any sector in the United States. According to a McKinsey report the “quit rate” is outpacing the overall US quit rate by more than 70%. The report also found the top reasons for quitting a job in retail include the lack of career development and the lack of meaningful work. A survey of 1000 frontline workers by Waitwhile found that nearly three-quarters of retail workers report being bored at work. Imagine if associates could redirect their efforts towards building relationships with customers, understanding their needs, and delivering personalized experiences. This would create happier associates who are passionate about their work and eager to go the extra mile to ensure customer satisfaction.

“When employees find their work to be meaningful, their performance improves by 33%, they are 75% more committed to their organization, and are 49% less likely to leave.”

- McKinsey and Company, Making work meaningful from the C-suite to the frontline. A conclusion from the Waitwhile findings agrees that “retailers should seek out ways to increase employee face time with customers by automating – or bringing efficiency to – more solitary duties.” AI-powered robots can excel in helping with repetitive, time-consuming tasks across various areas, like taking inventory. Inventory management is a critical aspect of any retail operation. Traditionally, multiple employees spend hours manually scanning shelves to monitor stock levels and identify issues with on-shelf availability. This labor-intensive process not only takes associates away from other tasks, but it also often leads to inaccuracies and product availability issues. Shelf-scanning robots, equipped with advanced sensors and computer vision capabilities, efficiently navigate store aisles and scan shelves. They provide accurate, up-to-date information about out-of-stock products, misplaced items and more. With this data, stores can promptly restock shelves, minimizing customer frustration caused by the unavailability of desired items. By automating these tasks, associates can spend less time on manual inventory management and more time engaging with customers, offering personalized recommendations, and enhancing the overall shopping experience. Integrating robots into the workforce does not mean replacing humans. Instead, it empowers them to focus on tasks that require human creativity, empathy, and problem-solving skills. Associates possess unique qualities that robots cannot replicate, such as emotional intelligence and the ability to connect with customers. By leveraging the best capabilities of people and robots, businesses can harness the best of both worlds—the efficiency of automation and the human touch that builds lasting customer relationships. In turn, this creates an environment where associates are motivated, fulfilled, and empowered to deliver exceptional customer experiences. It's a win-win situation that leads to happier associates and, ultimately, happier customers.