Traditional Store Support Operations
Reactive best describes the maintenance and IT support for most retail companies. Those teams wait for a store call that highlights a problem and the need for a quick response. In most cases, something else very important happened; a customer was inconvenienced enough to complain. The support person responsible for fixing the issue heads to the site or starts troubleshooting as soon as possible, pushing for a quick resolution.
There are problems with reactive support. The two most important are: creating a lousy customer experience and low staff efficiency. Retailers and restaurants work very hard to make sure buyers want to come back. Poor service, self-service kiosks out of order, an ATM that doesn’t work, etc., could easily drive business elsewhere. Staff efficiency is also critical; in this case, the challenges extend beyond maintenance and IT. In-store teams should focus on creating a better customer experience rather than calming an angry customer or responding to other complaints. Efficiency also significantly impacts growth plans and profitability, as more employees are needed to support current operations or new sites.