The Fresh Market Deploys Voice Communication Tech
VoCoVo has expanded into the U.S. market through the rollout of its voice communication technology at The Fresh Market. The specialty grocer has implemented VoCoVo’s lightweight wireless headsets at 44 stores, with the aim of enhancing the customer experience and in-store communication.
The headsets, which have telephony capabilities, enable employees from different store areas to answer, make and transfer external customer calls hands-free to provide overall better speed and quality of service, without having to compromise on current tasks at hand. At any one time, six employees can talk to one another.
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In addition to smart-headset implementation and telephony integration, The Fresh Market has installed VoCoVo’s customizable keypad devices at six checkouts in every one of its stores to enable employees to send pre-recorded messages to all of the headsets. Any employee with a headset can speak to the cashier via the keypad to address the request from anywhere in the store, eliminating time previously spent walking to the front end.
The news follows a successful trial at The Fresh Market’s Greensboro, N.C., store in July 2022, before the technology expanded this year to another 43 stores in the chain. Having not previously relied on any internal voice communication tech, The Fresh Market is now looking to deploy more smart-communication devices from VoCoVo at the rest of its stores in the next few months.
“We’re committed to providing the best experiences for our guests, whenever they visit our store or seek answers to their questions via the phone,” noted Ben Burton, director of retail communications at The Fresh Market. “With VoCoVo’s smart-communication technology and telephony integration, we’ve been able to ensure that calls are answered promptly, leading to faster response times and improved guest satisfaction.”
Added Martyn Jones, chief commercial officer at VoCoVo, which has offices in Oxford, England, and Chicago: “We’re thrilled that The Fresh Market has chosen to enhance its in-store team communications and guest experience with VoCoVo’s technology. We’re glad to see demand and interest from North American retailers who are looking to improve customer service and in-store efficiencies in such a competitive market. Our partnership with The Fresh Market demonstrates our commitment to addressing those needs and represents a significant step forward in our regional growth strategy.”
“Since implementing VoCoVo’s devices, our stores have been able to significantly improve efficiencies,” observed Scott Jones, The Fresh Market’s digital communications manager. “Having integrated VoCoVo’s technology with our phone system, we were instantly able to speed communication, cut out unnecessary walking, and allow our team members to remain focused on more business-critical tasks. More importantly, we are able to respond to guest needs more quickly to ensure that we never knowingly let a guest leave the store less than completely satisfied.”
Based in Greensboro, N.C., The Fresh Market, operating 159 stores in 22 states, is No. 78 on The PG 100, Progressive Grocer’s 2022 list of the top food and consumables retailers in North America.
