Retail Use Case

Deploying enterprise-grade devices that are purposefully designed to drive productivity and associate efficiency is crucial for retailers serious about gaining and retaining loyal customers. Enterprise mobility devices can fill the gaps where consumer devices simply can’t. Often, form-fit enterprise mobility devices offer more security, allow greater customization and have a longer lifecycle than consumer devices – helping lower the total cost of ownership and increase top-line revenues.
When such devices are paired with in-depth analytics software, retailers can leverage their deployed devices as gateways into critical customer and workflow insights. Software solutions that analyze data gathered by devices and turn that data into actionable insights goes a long way for retailers wanting to squeeze the most out of their workforces and deployed solutions. Furthermore, when devices go missing or suffer from application issues or if intermittent WiFi network coverage in stores cause device disconnects, store associate productivity can be greatly hindered. Purposeful software can help retailers address those challenges before they impact downstream productivity.

The Situation

Recently, a large retailer with over 2,000 stores throughout North America was experiencing a variety of challenges with its mobile computing devices. The retailer was using a consumer-based mobility solution for its retail operations such as scanning, item lookup, unified commerce, and mobile payment operations. Using a multi-vendor solution – the retailer reported its devices were highly prone to breakages and unreliable. Additionally, the retailer was challenged with mobile application and network connectivity issues and abnormal device reboots, and these challenges were beginning to impact employees’ ability to remain productive throughout their shift.
Due to a lack of remote IT support for devices, the retailer’s IT team was more reactive in solving issues, and its overall resolution times for solving problems were increasing.

The Honeywell Solution

The retailer approached Honeywell solution experts to see if there was a way to help remedy the challenges it was facing across its enterprise. After identifying the main pain points the retailer faced, Honeywell solutions experts offered a comprehensive, end-to-end solution to help improve customer and worker experiences.
To replace the unreliable consumer mobility devices, the retailer selected the Honeywell CT40 XP handheld computer – just one of the many mobility devices in Honeywell’s retail portfolio. Built on Honeywell’s Mobility Edge platform, the CT40 XP is a smart versatile enterprise mobile solution with a rugged design that enhances productivity, offers long device lifecycle and enhanced device security. Integrated with Honeywell’s latest FlexRange imager, the CT40 XP can capture barcodes from within a few centimeters to the retail top shelf up to 10 meters (32.8 feet). The CT40 XP is a durable system – able to withstand repeated drops and tumbles without impacting device performance. Incorporating the powerful Qualcomm processor, it is easily upgradeable to future Android iterations through 2030 and complies with Android Enterprise Recommended Requirements.
Wanting to maximize the effectiveness of its new mobility solution, the retailer opted to enhance its new device fleet with Honeywell Operational Intelligence. Honeywell Operational Intelligence is a software offering that goes beyond simply providing data. It takes it one step further by analyzing that data and converting it to actionable insights - even those you didn’t know were there. Through predictive analytics and converting data into actionable insights, Operational Intelligence allowed the retailer to optimize its workflows and enhance productivity throughout its stores. In addition to providing data-driven insights, Honeywell Operational Intelligence enables automation that helps manage workflows and minimize disruptions in real-time. The retailer’s IT teams were empowered to remotely resolve common issues with its deployed devices. They were able to achieve a real-time view on issues happening in the field, like mobile application malfunctions and abnormal device reboots, and deploy a proactive fix to keep the devices working. Operational Intelligence also gave the retailer insights into its network access point issues, allowing it to quickly identify and address WiFi “dead spots” instead of spending days to weeks troubleshooting.

Since deployment of this comprehensive Honeywell solution, the retailer has been able to improve customer service operations in-store and achieve heightened associate productivity and efficiency. It has reported a decrease in operating costs associated with replacing damaged or aging consumer mobile devices and an increase in its top-line revenues since focusing their attention on providing excellent in-store experiences for their customers. Additionally, the retailer reported reduced time spent on certain operations, in one case by 93%, improving their speed of service and reducing the amount of time customers waited in queues.

Quick Facts

- CT40 XP Mobile Computer is a smart versatile enterprise mobile solution with rugged design with flexible scanning and upgradeability

- Honeywell Operational Intelligence is a Software offering that goes beyond simply providing data. It takes data one step further by analyzing it and converting it to actionable insights.

Customer Results

- Improved device life cycle and device support

- Reduced customer wait times in queues - improved speed of service in some cases by 93%