This is a long-awaited decision in the retail trade. If we want to call employees employees and not employees, we need to provide them with the tools, including the latest technology. In my research on employee satisfaction, beyond fair compensation, the attribute that employees wanted was “to feel like they were in things.” Now the ability to meet this need is in their hands. As part of the five-year agreement, Walmart selected the full range of Microsoft cloud solutions, including Microsoft Azure and Microsoft 365, for enterprise-wide deployment to support standardization across the company`s entire brand family. Engineers from Walmart and Microsoft will work together on the evaluation, development, and support phases of the transition of hundreds of existing applications to cloud-native architectures. For example, to develop and improve the online experience, a significant portion of the walmart.com and samsclub.com will be migrated to Azure, whose cloud-based payment will allow Walmart to grow as customer demand increases and access more global markets than ever before. “As retail continues to evolve – and rapidly – it`s more important than ever to equip our employees with the tools and technology they need to succeed,” Walmart said. “It makes work easier and more enjoyable, and it keeps us focused where we need it most – a great in-store, pickup and delivery experience for our customers. “Walmart is a revolutionary retailer committed to empowering its employees and providing its customers with the best experience wherever they are,” said Satya Nadella, CEO of Microsoft, based in Redmond, Washington. “The world`s largest companies are working in our cloud, and I`m excited to be working with Walmart to accelerate their digital transformation with Microsoft Azure and Microsoft 365.” Earlier this year, Walmart announced pay raises for nearly a third of its 1.6 million U.S.
employees. In February, hourly rates for digital and store workers rose from $13 to $19, depending on location and market. It`s about empowering employees and it will be a big win for Walmart and its employees. 2021 will be remembered as the year of a turning point – when retail employees became valuable members of the team, as opposed to an available minimum wage workforce (average turnover rate of 60%). Some people missed this point in last week`s discussion about Best Buy`s employee empowerment plan because the discussion questions didn`t mention the more important goals. No one can overlook this point on Walmart`s employee empowerment plan. It`s huge. It`s extremely important to empower employees to use the right technology, and I`m impressed that Walmart takes employees` technology tools seriously. According to a study on retail acreage, 72% of hourly retail employees are more likely to stay at a retailer if they have the right technology and resources. Tools that help employees find products or determine if there is additional inventory in the back room will benefit Walmart employees. Empowering and empowering store employees with the right technology and skills is critical to delivering an exceptional customer experience. The modern digitally focused customer is sometimes 10 times ahead of store employees.
Without the access, transparency, and tools to track the customer, store employees need to be empowered and Walmart`s investments will pay off absolutely. Since store employees are an essential part of the retail “last mile,” investing in education, technology, skills, and incentives is imperative for store employees to succeed in this new digital shopping environment. I`ve seen this news in a few places and it`s interesting to note that the headlines have always been talking about “free phones” instead of touting the amazing digital tools Walmart just provided. Walmart employees are now activated on a whole new level. It is smart, efficient and transparent. It`s great that employees are getting the dividend from a free phone, but the big news here is a digitization of the workforce on a scale we`ve never seen before. Often, companies focus on providing their customers with a great digital experience while letting their employees deal with the green screens of the 70s. This leads to the Sunday night/Monday morning syndrome, where employees have the same exceptional digital experience in their personal lives that companies offer their customers, only to then switch to a green screen terminal experience the next morning. The sentence itself was written in 2010 and it is surprising to see that it is still so relevant.
The Walmart Associate app is more “it`s time” than “breakthrough.” It is crucial to give employees tools to provide them with better customer service. This is certainly a step in the right direction. Walmart Inc. is partnering strategically with Microsoft Corp. to drive the mega-retailer`s digital transformation, empower its employees globally, and make shopping faster and easier for millions of shoppers around the world. Through this partnership, Microsoft has become Walmart`s preferred and strategic cloud provider, enabling it to leverage Microsoft`s full suite of cloud solutions. I`ve hung out in the backrooms of hundreds of Walmarts over the years, seeing many highly avant-garde/state-of-the-art programs go through their respective life cycles. Many fall into the water, while many remain for the long term; All of them contribute to the development of how retail works, both for Walmart itself and for those studying the giant.
This development seems gradual and a little expected, but I will refrain from being too careful, because moving from “multi-thousand-dollar rugged devices” to consumer phones to run employees` applications is a big step that I`m sure hasn`t been taken lightly, and if the problems are resolved, this will certainly bring benefits in terms of cost and flexibility. I`m a fan of this decision because I think it will increase the pace of innovation of the tools that come with it to provide customers with a better overall experience. As there is geofencing, the phone is controlled by MDM software. This could raise concerns about personal violations. I doubt this will happen because the cost of violations would dwarf the gains from increased morale and productivity. This is an impressive commitment to employee engagement. I believe this will pay off with better employee retention and customer service. Congratulations to Walmart for this investment.
. Interestingly, Walmart gives nearly three-quarters of a million phones to its employees. This is a great advantage for employees and a great opportunity for Samsung. You didn`t have to give away the phone. They could have simply deployed the app to their employees. This benefit could have a number of benefits, including employee retention, training opportunities (over the phone), helping employees find out about working days and hours (especially when they move), and more. Like West, Arrieta said the lines between personal and business data are often blurred. .