By Rachael Pritz
The past two pool seasons have emphasized the importance of having mobile software solutions to thrive in today’s business environment. With resources stretched thin, business software should be accessible on any mobile device to support staff and provide better customer service. Mobile technology solutions are now abundant and those specifically designed for the pool and spa industry will undoubtedly make this coming season less stressful. Mobile solutions can help with every aspect of a business–from retail and service to billing, accounting, and even water testing.
Mobile functionality
Maximizing the use of mobile functionality is helping businesses survive today’s labour shortages. Luckily, mobile applications have taken over, and now everyone uses them in their daily lives, making technology easier and accessible for users. A business should be capitalizing on the power of mobile apps to alleviate the stress of labour shortages, while improving a customer’s experience with their company. Many mobile apps are available through business software packages or as stand-alone tools.
It is important to think specifically about how these apps can help a business which is experiencing labour shortages. The questions to ask are: How will mobile technology help a business’s retail store? How will mobile apps help the service and lab technicians who do water testing? And what role will it play in the accounting and billing department? There are specific benefits mobile technology can offer to each department, by providing immediate access to information, saving time, allowing quick transactions, and completing tasks more efficiently. Once a business owner adds up all the time saved and the support apps provide to existing staff, they might find themselves seeking out this technology to quickly install it on all their staff’s phones. The following are some examples of specific ways in which mobile technology can help each department in a business.
A place in retail
When a retail store starts getting busy and lines start forming, everyone feels stressed. This is where mobile apps can really help, as everyone has their smartphone on them wherever they go. Businesses can provide better and faster service with a “line buster” feature for customers on the store’s mobile app. This feature allows staff to look up the inventory in real-time and get instant access to customer history and profiles from any location. Staff can use a tablet, integrated magnetic strip reader, or even a pocket barcode scanner to complete sales transactions, process credit cards, and email receipts from anywhere in the retail store operation. Consumers are beginning to expect mobile shopping, as a result, these mobile apps can help increase customer service levels and close more sales.
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