Frontline Workers Are Not On Their Phones. That's Their Work Device.
Your official PSA
I know, there was no warning. No ad. No commercial. No public service announcement. No one told you that frontline associates were using handheld devices that looked like phones to do their work.
But they are.
And they’re tired of you accusing them of playing on their phones and not working.
I don’t know how many, but soooooo many companies now equip everyone on the sales floor with a mobile device. It’s super helpful. You can check inventory, order stuff online, and even ring people up. Features differ from store to store, but the benefits are massive.
It saves customers time. You don’t have to trudge up to the cash wrap, stand in line, and re-explain what you want to order to the cashier.
It streamlines work for frontline employees.
No more running back and forth from the back computer to the front register. Then scrounging to find the RF gun. Ugh. Nope. These handheld devices take care of all that.
But here’s the thing.
Customers don’t know about it, so employees get scolded all day for “being on their phones.” That’s annoying, people.
So, this is it. This is your official announcement.
Frontline workers use handheld devices to do their work. Yes, they look like phones. Yes, some are phones. No, that doesn't mean that employees are screwing around and not working.
No, you don’t know better than they do. Also - don’t scold someone at their customer-facing job. That’s unbecoming of you.
Be patient. Be inquisitive. Be curious.
Thank you for coming to my Ted Talk.
Kit Campoy is an accomplished retail expert and author. She leverages her two decades of leadership experience to inform and inspire.
Well stated! Maybe your article could be handed out whenever a worker is confronted with this rudeness?
Kit I was thinking exactly this the other day! Well said. It's rapidly becoming such a lazy and entirely unfair criticism.