Competitive pressure from disruptors and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic pose unprecedented challenges for retailers. In this environment, streamlining collaboration and unified communication is imperative. Higher volumes of online shopping, for example, require keeping customers informed of when an item will be shipped to their home. Collaboration is also key to enhancing the in-store experience by allowing sales staff to quickly check inventories to determine an item’s availability. Then there’s the basic task of managing employees and maintaining profitability. Consider that the retail industry’s turnover rate is about 60 percent among hourly employees, and that the cost of replacing a $10/hour worker can exceed $3K. Because retail teams are often dispersed and working different schedules, keeping workers engaged and connected can be particularly difficult, resulting in even higher turnover rates. Team collaboration is also complicated by employees in different locations using disparate platforms, devices and applications.

"Level the competitive playing field, optimize operations and support new ways of engaging with customers."

• Secure communication, mobility and collaboration tools in a single platform.
• Functionality based on Cisco’s state-of-the-art UCaaS technology.
• Deliver cost-effective uniform services to all locations.
• Simple web self-management. No hardware, no racks, no complexity.
• Basic or advanced mobile functions to support remote agents.
• Consistency across devices, media and locations and integration with existing infrastructure.
• Cloud backbone enhances business continuity and availability.
• Enhanced mobile functionality promotes collaboration among remote workers.
• Consistent cost structure and visibility across all communications services.
• Group users into multiple hunt groups to aid customer service.
• Reduce Total Cost of Ownership (TCO).
• Migrate from Capex to Opex model without large infrastructure investment.
• Pay as you grow model allows expansion in numbers of users and functionalities.
• Increase productivity by facilitating work in remote locations.

"The UCaaS market is expected to reach 24.3 billion by 2026."