Wal Mart Stores : Walmart’s Custom Apps are Enabling a Workplace Refresh

The moment Rissa Pittman walks through the doors of her Walmart supercenter in Rogers, Arkansas, it's her responsibility to choreograph all the moving parts that make up a great shopping experience.

Like all store managers, making sure she has the right people on her team is the biggest part of that success. But ensuring they've got the right tools to do their jobs is a close second.

Walmart recently introduced a suite of custom-built apps for associates to use in-store, allowing them to manage a variety of routine activities directly from a mobile store device. From the moment a product arrives in the back room to the second a customer finds it on the shelf, an ecosystem of data gives associates new visibility that helps them make informed decisions quickly, thus allowing them to take on more ownership of their work.

They're also a huge benefit for customers. With associates equipped to work smarter on the sales floor and behind the scenes, these apps give shoppers the benefit of even faster service and more personalized attention when they go to a store. I visited Rissa and her team to see how they're using these apps to take customer service into the future.

PlanIT
We'll start with Rissa's favorite: the PlanIT App. Basically, it's the information hub that associates use to stay up-to-date on company and store announcements.

'Running a Walmart store takes a lot of skill,' Rissa said, 'and PlanIT gets us organized, prioritized and connected.'

PlanIT helps store managers focus on efficiency. They can use the app to notify department managers of projects that need to be done that day and specific tasks required. The app also empowers all associates to receive information directly from Walmart's home office that was previously provided only to management.

The Receiving App
With the simple scan of a truck ID, the Receiving app tells back room associates exactly which products have just arrived at the store. Not only does this eliminate time previously spent manually reviewing inventory, it also simplifies the planning process required to know which items need to head to the sales floor.

'One of the biggest parts of great customer service is making sure the right merchandise is on the shelf when customers need it,' Rissa said. 'This entire process, and making sure that it's done right, starts in the back room.'

The Downstock App
Once merchandise is on the shelf, associates need to make sure it's available throughout the day for customers to find. You may have seen our Bossa Nova shelf scanner, technology that roams the aisles, automatically gathering data to identify items that are out of stock and where to find them in the store. That information is then directly sent to associates through the Downstock app, eliminating the amount of time spent on mundane tasks and allowing more time to be spent helping customers find what they need.

The Price Change App
Price changing is another time-consuming task that we've addressed, one that sometimes required associates to spend minutes walking back and forth between aisles to locate items. With the Price Change app, information about product price changes are categorized by aisle so that associates receive them in the order they should be made, creating an efficient path through the store. Accurate pricing allows customers to make informed decisions on the products they want, and the Price Change app increases accuracy while drastically minimizing the time associates spend on the task.

The Availability App
The Availability app gives associates insight into how their store is performing over time. It automates information about products that are out of stock and shows the associate specifically what time the out-of-stock occurred. Knowing this lets associates compare the store's performance before and after outs occur and determines the root cause - such as staffing issues, shelf capacity or product availability.

'Our leadership tells us all the time that we should feel empowered to become merchants in our stores,' Rissa said. 'The Availability app helps associates understand their merchandise and their customers better.'

The Claims App
When customers return a product to the store, there are a number of options associates have for handling the merchandise. The Claims app outlines the best options available for a product, in the order they should be considered. More specifically, can the product be sold at a clearance price, can it be donated or does it need to be disposed of? The app removes the guesswork out of managing returned products.

'It makes it simple to stay in line with our health and safety standards,' Rissa said, 'and even helps our store reduce waste because we know exactly which items can and can't be donated to food shelters.'

The Sales App
The Sales app updates a store's sales numbers in real time so that associates know how their designated areas are performing against the previous year, down to specific products. With information about top-selling categories in each department, associates are motivated to track their accomplishments so they can stay competitive with other stores in their market.

A Custom Ecosystem of Data
Sharing more information with associates empowers them to make smarter, quicker decisions in their stores. The end result? People who have the tools to own their work - and more customers who walk away satisfied. For Rissa and other store managers, staying connected throughout the day makes it easier to run a more efficient store.

'These apps are about efficiency and organization. Running a Walmart store takes a lot of skill, but with the apps provided to our associates, we're better connected to everything we need to be.'