Walmart Helps Associates Succeed at Work While Elevating Customer Service and Safety
BENTONVILLE, AR - For anyone who’s ever said, “Hey, Alexa,” they know the power of voice technology. Walmart too has leapt into these technological possibilities with its “Ask Sam” program. Developed in 2019 and rolled out across Walmart’s Sam’s Club banner, Ask Sam is now being made available to 5,000 Walmart stores nationwide.
Ask Sam is meant to speed the process and efficiency with which employees locate products on the sales floor. Now, the app now has the ability to tackle other issues affecting employees, such as emergency management and procedures around COVID-19.
“The team conducts a manual review of the questions asked, looking for patterns and trends—such as recurring questions or top-searched items—to continuously update the app and adjust operations in the store,” stated Meng Chee, EVP and Chief Product Officer, in a blog post from earlier this week.
Some of the new alerts included in the update include:
- Stay inside the facility alert - This alert is used when an emergency is near the associate’s store, and advises associates to use lockdown procedures, moving associates and customers to a secure area
- Exit facility alert - This alert is used when there is an emergency in an associate’s store, and instructs associates to implement evacuation procedures, getting associates and customers out of harm’s way
- All clear - This alert is used when an associate’s store is safe and ready for normal operation and informs associates that they can resume activities in the store and report to shifts as normal
“We are constantly engaging associates for feedback—in fact, it’s where some of our best ideas and innovations have come from,” Chee said. “Maintaining a customer-centric mindset and willingness to experiment will allow us to continuously improve and innovate the products, services, and solutions we offer associates, and in turn, the value we provide for customers.”
Walmart has not yet announced if this service will be available for shoppers, but knowing Walmart, I can imagine it’s in talks—if not already in the works. Keep reading AndNowUKnow as we continue to cover the latest in retail.
