A national electronics retail chain that sells home theater solutions to consumers was interested in an Assisted Selling tool that would help both new and experienced team members design and quote complete home theater systems. They also wanted the tool to calculate labor for installation and create wiring diagrams to guide that installation.
Two major challenges always present themselves in a retail selling situation. First, many of the team members are young or inexperienced and turnover is high, so training is critical. An Assisted Selling tool could be an important adjunct to training. Second, the flow of new products can make keeping up with the features and options available difficult. An Assisted Selling tool can address this by ensuring that all team members are utilizing the most recent information available.
Another challenge presents itself when a retailer also provides installation. In many retail stores, labor calculations are typically done manually, and projects are quoted as a ‘fixed bid’. This means that overlooked activities or underestimated costs translate into lost profits.
Apprentice Systems created a custom application that allows the sales person to drag and drop generic components onto a floor plan. As the item is dropped a dialog box appears showing all the items in the SKU database that meet the selection criteria.
As items are dropped onto the floor plan, the item is created as a component on a synchronized wiring schematic. The wiring component contains all the inputs and outputs associated with the selected piece of equipment. When cables are dragged and dropped onto this wiring schematic, another dialog box appears showing the cables that meet the wiring requirements. Then the cable can be connected to the proper pieces of equipment. Visual cues are given to ensure that the proper cables are connected to the proper connectors.
Every item appearing on the floor plan and schematic views is automatically added to the bill or materials, or shopping list. Any associated labor is also automatically calculated and added to the list.
The Home Theater Apprentice, in this case, was modified to meet the exact requirements of the retail chain. Other versions of this Apprentice have been created for other customers, including versions that contain expert selection rules, compatibility checks, floor planning based on acoustical requirements and interactive 3D walkthroughs. The result is not an ‘out-of-the-box’ application that contains a predefined set of functionality but a customized application that does just what you want – no more and no less. This customized version can be built in a matter of weeks, utilizing your database, your design rules – your expertise.
