Retail Assist celebrated its 25th birthday, a perfect moment to highlight the dedication and insights of our team members who have been with us for over a decade. Their experiences and reflections provide a unique perspective on our journey and the milestones we've achieved together.

From witnessing the early adoption of transformational technologies to navigating the complexities of industry shifts, our team members have been at the forefront of driving change and fostering innovation, keeping customer-centricity at the heart of what we do. Their unwavering commitment has not only helped shape the company's strategic direction but also cultivated a culture of resilience and excellence that continues to inspire new generations of Retail Assist employees.

Here is what some of our team members have to say about their journey with Retail Assist:

Liz Treadaway reflects on her 15-year Retail Assist journey:

What milestones or key achievements stand out to you in the history of Retail Assist?

"Embracing new technology on the IBM iSeries and proving that Merret can easily interface with a new store fulfilment app using APIs. This innovation has transformed the way we develop new projects. Recently, we developed new mapping utilities that allow for flexible third-party interfacing without further development, saving time and money for our customers."

How has Retail Assist changed since you started?

"With a streamlined structure, we've worked smarter to maintain high-quality delivery. This efficiency has been a game-changer since I joined the company."

What advice would you have for new employees?

"We are a hard-working group, and it's our people who make this company strong."

What’s your most memorable moment from over the years at Retail Assist?

"My first project back in 2010 was for Mint Velvet, and we won the 'Project Implementation of the Year' Award. It was a proud moment for me."

Fiona Holmes shares her 20 years of successful journey at Retail Assist:

What milestones or key achievements stand out to you in the history of Retail Assist?

"Acquiring Merret, integrating the businesses, and the customer successes that followed, including partnerships with Mint Velvet, ASOS, Morrisons, Jacques Vert, and Aurora Brands."

How has Retail Assist changed since you started?

"We've grown and invested in technology and processes, but our approach remains the same: to act with integrity and deliver value to our customers."

What advice would you have for new employees?

"Be professional, focus on your work to do the best you can, but also enjoy what you do."

What’s your most memorable moment from over the years at Retail Assist?

"The collective moments with colleagues over the years have become the 'moment'."

Reflecting on 25 Years and Looking Ahead

Over the course of 25 years, Retail Assist's journey has been marked by significant achievements, technological advancements, and a steadfast commitment to quality and customer satisfaction.

Retail Assist has continuously evolved to meet the changing needs of the retail, hospitality and logistics sectors. Today, we proudly support hundreds of customers across all these sectors, supporting over 3,300 sites with our expertise. As we celebrate this milestone, we are excited to continue driving innovation and shape the future of these industries.

At Retail Assist, we've been fortunate to have a great team propelling us forward in delivering innovative Retail ERP solutions and unparalleled managed IT services to our clients. Our team’s dedication and hard work have been the backbone of our 25 years of success. We look forward to many more years of innovation, growth, and collaboration, making a difference for our clients and partners.

Thank you to all our team members, clients, and partners for being a part of our journey. Here's to the next 25 years!

The post Retail Assist’s 25th Anniversary: Insights from Our Long-Standing Team Members appeared first on Retail Assist.

In our latest video, we take you behind the scenes and give you an exclusive insight into the different roles on our IT helpdesk and how they contribute to delivering an excellent service to our range of retail and hospitality customers.

Click here to watch the video on YouTube.

Client Lead Analysts: Subject Matter Experts

At Retail Assist, we pride ourselves on our unique structure across our service desk. Each customer is assigned at least one Client Lead Analyst who serves as a subject matter expert responsible for transferring knowledge across the desk.

Stephen Richardson shares his role as a Client Lead Analyst. He provides knowledge to other analysts and acts as a point of contact for the client. Stephen emphasises the importance of our knowledge base, Agent Assist, which allows analysts to triage and resolve issues at the first line. He takes responsibility for ensuring the knowledge base is up-to-date, ensuring a consistent and seamless service delivery.

Call Analysts: Day-to-Day Incident Management

Our team of Call Analysts are responsible for the day-to-day management of incidents. As the first point of contact for customers, their role involves establishing the issue and using our knowledge base to resolve it. Collaboration is key, and if needed, they can bring in other team members or direct the customer to the right area for a swift resolution. Trade-impacting issues take precedence as they affect our customers' operations.

Service Delivery Leads: Ensuring Smooth Operations

Communication and smooth operations are vital during major incidents. We have an experienced team of Service Delivery Leads responsible for resourcing and skills across the service desk. Their job is to ensure the right people are scheduled at the right times to handle calls and action tickets. Daily team meetings are held to discuss client-related matters, and during major incidents, they ensure there is sufficient phone coverage and the right people available to focus on resolving issues.

To monitor tickets and prioritise workload allocation, our team uses dashboards. These dashboards also help Service Delivery Leads identify common themes in tickets, enabling us to address underlying major issues. Transparency is crucial to us, and the dashboards provide our customers with complete visibility into our operations, offering insights into everything we do.

By leveraging our unique structure and dedicated team of Client Lead Analysts, Call Analysts, Service Delivery Leads, with the help of our knowledge base and dashboards, we are able to deliver a seamless service to our customers. At Retail Assist, we are committed to providing exceptional support and ensuring the success of our clients.

Contact us today to experience the difference our helpdesk can make for your business.

The post Inside Our IT Helpdesk appeared first on Retail Assist.

As we wave goodbye to 2023, it’s always nice to look back on everything that we’ve achieved this year alongside all of the moments that we celebrated as a team. So, buckle up and get ready for a trip down memory lane as we recap the memorable moments of 2023.

January: 2023 Trends

We kicked off the year by setting ourselves up with some trend analysis. Looking at the biggest retail trends that would set the tone for the year, with 82% of businesses planning significant growth with a focus on technology. Our good friends over at Datitude highlighted the importance of omnichannel commerce, supply chain resilience, data-driven strategies and ESG (environmental, social and governance) in our guest blog.

February: We Welcomed Phase Eight and Hobbs

We welcomed two new brands, Hobbs and Phase Eight, part of TFG Brands (London) Ltd. The two premium womenswear brands are now supported with our 1st Line Help Desk service, acting as a single point of contact for 266 stores across the UK.

Alex Priscott, Chief Technology Officer at TFG commented: “Our long-standing relationship with Retail Assist means that they thoroughly understood our support needs, offering a seamless service transition. The biggest challenge was the compressed timeline, we needed the service to be live in time for the Christmas period to minimise disruption to the business at our busiest time. They managed to deliver the service in a tight 5 weeks, which was outstanding.

March: We Made the Retail Systems Shortlist

In March, we made the shortlist for the Retail Systems Awards in the category of Omnichannel Technology Vendor of the Year for our solution, Merret. We later went on to celebrate at the awards dinner in June with our customer Mint Velvet. 

April: Retail Technology Show 2023

We exhibited at this year’s Retail Technology Show at Olympia. Our team spent two days rushed off of their feet catching up with and meeting new partners, customers, and prospects to discuss the latest retail tech trends. We’ll have an even bigger stand at 2024’s Retail Technology Show, so keep your eyes peeled for updates and more information coming soon!

May: Top Five Helpdesk Stats

In May we released our annual benchmarks for our helpdesk, detailing our key statistics from 2022. We’re proud to highlight our headline stats:

• 2,855 sites supported
• 7,870 tills supported
• 23.79s average speed of answer
• 8,334 calls supported each month with only a 2.78% abandon rate
• 96.21% of service level agreements are achieved each month

June: We turned 24!

To mark this special occasion, we gathered in our Nottingham Head Office for lots of cake and a reflection on everything we’ve been up to over the last 24 years, including some early 2000’s throwbacks!

July: We Released Our Merret Pro Video

Successfully managing a retail supply chain can be a daunting task, but with the right tools and software, it becomes a seamless process. Meet Merret Pro, the ultimate retail ERP software solution designed to revolutionise your operations. With a comprehensive range of features and integrations, Merret Pro empowers retailers to meet the demands of modern commerce while ensuring efficiency, accuracy, and profitability.

Watch the video on YouTube

August: We Celebrated 20 Years of Vue Entertainment

We are proud to have been part of the Vue Entertainment support network for more than half of their existence. To celebrate, we joined the Vue team for an early viewing of the new Mission Impossible film and fascinating presentation by Tim Richards, their Founder and CEO.

September: Client Summit 2023

If you didn’t hear about our Client Summit, where were you!? The Retail Assist Client Summit 2023 brought together industry leaders and experts from the retail technology sector. The summit’s theme, “Doing More with Less: Navigating the Balance of Growth and Efficiency,” aimed to explore innovative strategies and solutions to help businesses thrive in today’s evolving landscape.

October: Service Desk Institute Awards

We were named a finalist for Managed Service Provider of the Year at this years’ Service Desk Institute Awards. We are incredibly honoured to be recognised as a top finalist among a highly competitive field. As part of our entry for the awards, we showcased the vibrant and dynamic culture of our help desk team with a parody music video of Rick Astley’s iconic hit “Never Gonna Give You Up.”

Click here to watch the video on YouTube.

November: itSMF Professional Service Management Awards

We are so proud of our Customer Assurance team for being named a finalist for ‘IT Team of the Year’ at the itSMF Professional Service Management Awards. They have been instrumental in maintaining best practices, continuously improving the customer experience, and going above and beyond the standard service delivery norms. Through proactive assessment of internal processes and incorporating external feedback, the team has identified opportunities for enhancement and achieved increased operational efficiency.

December: Unlocking Success in the Cosmetic Industry with Laser Clinics UK

In December, we released our case study detailing the rapid expansion of Laser Clinics UK. Interested in uncovering the strategies and approaches that contributed to Laser Clinics UK’s success story? Download the full case study to gain valuable insights and learn how Retail Assist’s partnership played a critical role in supporting Laser Clinics UK’s growth strategy.

Thank you!

What a year! Thank you to all our colleagues, customers, suppliers and partners for your support, hard work and collaboration this year.

As we head into 25 years of Retail Assist, we’re so excited for the year ahead and cannot wait to share what we have in the pipeline for what is set to be our biggest year yet.

Merry Christmas and a very Happy New Year from all of the team at Retail Assist!

The post 2023 In Review: Here’s What We Got Up To appeared first on Retail Assist.

Today, we are thrilled to celebrate a significant milestone in the journey of Retail Assist. To mark this special occasion, we gathered in our Nottingham Head Office for lots of cake and a reflection on everything we’ve been up to over the last 24 years, including some early 2000’s throwbacks!

Where might we be in another 24 years?

Looking ahead to the future, if the last quarter of a century is anything to go by, the pace of technological advancements and the shifting dynamics of the retail industry suggest that the next couple of decades will bring significant changes.

With the role of technology becoming even more integral to the retail landscape, retailers will increasingly rely on advanced analytics, artificial intelligence, and automation to personalise customer experiences, optimise supply chains, and drive operational efficiency.

Whilst it's likely checkout free shopping will be part of our everyday, driverless cars commonplace and every tool on the planet will be AI optimised, one thing that is for sure is that Retail Assist will continue to be at the forefront of these advancements, providing innovative solutions and strategic guidance to empower retailers to continue in their digital transformation journey.

Retail Assist will remain a trusted advisor and strategic partner for retailers, helping them navigate the complex world of emerging technologies. Our commitment to understanding the unique needs of the industry and delivering tailored solutions will remain unwavering as we continue to empower retailers to succeed in an ever-changing landscape.

We are grateful for the trust our clients have placed in us over the past 24 years, and our team of exceptional colleagues will continue to provide unparalleled service and support. As we navigate the ever-changing landscape, we remain committed to driving innovation and delivering solutions that empower retailers to succeed in this new era of retail technology.

Happy Birthday Retail Assist!

The post It’s Our Birthday! Looking Back at 24 Years of Retail Assist appeared first on Retail Assist.

On Friday 16^th June, Retail Assist turns 24 years old! As we mark our 24th birthday, we take this opportunity to reflect on our purpose as a company and express our pride in our teams’ accomplishments.

Retail Assist was founded in 1999 with a clear mission: to bridge the gap between the retail industry and technology. We recognised that retailers needed technology solutions tailored to their specific needs, and we set out to become the go-to partner for the retail sector. With a deep understanding of both retail operations and technology, we positioned ourselves to deliver exceptional services and solutions that would empower retailers to thrive in the digital age.

Over the years, our commitment to being "retail ready" has remained at the core of our existence. We have consistently put the business use of technology front and centre, understanding that it is not just about the technology itself, but about how it can drive tangible outcomes for our clients. By employing professionals with a retail background and fostering a culture of collaboration, we have ensured that we speak the language of our clients and understand their unique challenges and goals.

Some of our achievements over the years:

Over the years, the retail industry has undergone significant transformations. New channels to market, expanding trading geographies, and variable opening hours have shaped a new retail landscape. As technology now defines retail operations, retailers must reinvent themselves to remain relevant in the eyes of their customers. In this era of constant change, speed, and flexibility in deploying new technologies are paramount. Retail Assist remains committed to innovation, ensuring that we keep pace with the ever-increasing demands of the sector.

Kevin Greathead, Managing Director at Retail Assist commented:

“As we look back on the last 24 years, we take immense pride in the impact we have made in the retail industry. We have been at the forefront of helping retailers navigate the ever-evolving landscape and stay ahead of the competition. Our ability to adapt and innovate has allowed us to continually deliver value to our clients and build enduring relationships.

“We measure our success not just by the accolades we have received but by the success stories of our clients. We have supported major retailers and hospitality businesses across the globe, enabling them to enhance their operations, streamline processes, and provide exceptional customer experiences.

“Our dedicated team has been the driving force behind our achievements. Their expertise, passion, and unwavering commitment to excellence have propelled us forward. We are immensely proud of everyone at Retail Assist and the collective strength they bring to our company.”

Retail Assist has continuously evolved to meet the changing needs of the retail industry. Our commitment to delivering exceptional services and solutions remains unwavering. Today, we are proud to support major clients not only in the retail sector but also in the hospitality, logistics and local authority sectors. Our services span 11 countries, with over 7,800 tills, 2,375 stores, 275 restaurants, and 205 cinemas benefiting from our expertise.

Here's to 24 years of excellence, and to an exciting future ahead!

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This week we chatted to the Customer Assurance team. Developed just over a year ago, we’ve created a team focused on evolving our managed services provision to meet the future needs of our customers, maintaining best practice, and going above and beyond the standard customer experience.

Proactively assessing what we could do better and how is at the core of the customer assurance team. Through detailed analysis of internal processes and external feedback, the team ensure the lifecycle of helpdesk operations adhere to best practice whilst looking at ways to increase efficiency and address gaps.

Meet the team:

Camila Cotting, Customer Improvement Manager

Fine tuning continuous improvement, Camila is focused on designing and implementing ways to futureproof our helpdesk service, collaborating with the customer and detailed internal insights to support the helpdesk team in exceeding customer expectations.

Francesco DeVivo, Incident Manager

Working closely with Lewis McManamon, our Service Desk Manager, Francesco applies the quality initiatives to management, resolution and fulfilment of all incidents across the desk, ensuring best practice is followed to the letter.

Anna Ramsay, Quality Lead

Having progressed through the helpdesk, Anna has an intricate understanding of our service. Applying her experience, she is able to identify opportunities for improvement across the helpdesk using internal assessments and trend analysis to lead continuous quality improvement.

David Thomas, Quality Coach

Often teaming up with Trisha Sheehan from the Learning and Development team, David provides the desk with regular coaching and training to ensure everyone has the tools to deliver the ultimate customer experience. Reviewing feedback to highlight both barriers and opportunities, David provides the insight to ensure every initiative developed in the customer assurance team is echoed across the desk.

Frances Thomas, Head of Client Services and Customer Assurance

Frances leads the collaboration across our customer focused teams to ensure there is a conduit between Retail Assist and our customers. Managing relationships and delivering service to the highest standard, client services and customer assurance are integral to success.

Managing over 200,000 tickets a year, the team have worked together to normalise our support, enabling the helpdesk to maintain high standards of service through fluctuations such as peak trade. Working together to provide exceptional insight, our service and our customers benefit from continuous development and future proofing, backed by an outstanding customer experience.

Want to know more? Find out why TFG Brands (London) Ltd chose to extend Retail Assist’s support to brands Phase Eight and Hobbs.

The post Meet the Team! Get to Know Customer Assurance appeared first on Retail Assist.

2022 was the year we were allowed to leave our homes! Lionel Messi won his first World Cup, a record breaking 40 degrees heatwave hit the UK, we didn’t come last in Eurovision and the Lionesses brought it home.

So as we all start to wind down for Christmas, it gives us a chance to reflect on the year we’ve also had and a few of our own headlines.

January: East Midlands Leadership Awards Finalists

Three of our colleagues were shortlisted for the East Midlands Leadership Awards, hosted by TheBusinessDesk.com.

• Samantha Wilde was a finalist for ‘Young Leader’
• Tony Sherwin was a finalist for ‘Professional Services Leader’
• Roland Kendall was a finalist for ‘Transformational Leader’

Sam, Tony and Roland made the shortlist thanks to their ability to make real difference, bring positive change and inspire those around them.

February: We welcomed Lewis to the Help Desk team

Lewis McManamon joined the Help Desk as Service Delivery Manager in December. After giving him a few weeks to settle in, we sat down for a chat with him to find out more about him and his role. Now part of the furniture, Lewis has grown the team, introducing Camila Cotting and Francesco DeVivo to the Customer Assurance team.

March: International Women’s Day

Celebrating the social, political and economic achievements of women, this year’s theme was #BreakTheBias as we all continue to consider how we as individuals, organisations and communities can raise awareness against bias, take action for equality and celebrate women’s achievements.

Only 27% of female students say they would consider a career in technology, compared to 61% of males, and only 3% say it is their first choice. So, on International Women’s Day 2022 we spoke to Jan and Liz, two brilliant women in technology roles at Retail Assist, to find out how they got into tech and their advice for anyone considering a career in technology.

April: Friday Shoutouts

In an effort to celebrate the small wins as well as the big ones, we launched Friday Shoutouts. A forum for showing appreciation for hard work, effort, progression or achievements in the Retail Assist team shared across the whole company every Friday; here are some of our highlights:

• Silvia Edosomwan received a shoutout from Elsa Darkwah: She is always coming to work with determination and willingness to do things! She is very motivated and resilient.
• Marek Pich received a shoutout from Andy McQueen: For going the extra mile and attending site over the weekend for a P1 issue, helping to put a workaround in place, and then playing a big part of resolving the issue. Great work, thank you!
• Karen Gregory received a shoutout from Kieran Bowden: Karen has been parachuted into a significant number of new projects and onboarding work over the past few weeks thanks to new business coming our way. These deliverables are not always fully formed, but Karen does an incredible job of giving them shape, pulling together the troops and always delivering. Thank you so much for steering these so well and making sure we deliver a quality product. Much appreciated!
• Sherralyn Freely received a shoutout from Gareth Thorley: Sherralyn has been working extremely hard, learning and absorbing so much information and creating procedures, whilst still looking after support calls. Awesome work!!!

May: Paperchase upgraded their infrastructure to allow for growth

Earlier in the year, Paperchase worked with Retail Assist to deliver future capacity for growth by undertaking a full upgrade of the infrastructure and operating system that underpins its omnichannel supply chain solution, Merret, which is also provided by us.

Paperchase commented: “As a result of the upgrade we now have minimal downtime, and much quicker overnight schedules. It has removed many of our time-consuming administrative tasks, clearing disk space. The new system has surpassed our expectations in terms of speed and availability. It has given us a brilliant foundation on which to proceed and focus on our future growth and development as a business”.

June: Round Table: Retail and hospitality have new opportunities to grasp

Experts from across the region joined us at The Magic Garden in Nottingham to discuss the way forward for the retail sector in terms of how to balance technology and provide a seamless customer experience.

Kieran Bowden, chief commercial officer of Retail Assist, said: “The retail and hospitality sector was hit harder than most, but now buyer and consumer behaviours have changed. Through this change however, there are new market opportunities to take”.

Read more about how city centres adapt to new working practices and changing consumer habits here.

July: We met George, our new Client Account Manager

Giving a true Retail Assist welcome (or welcome back in this case), we followed George for the morning and asked him lots of questions about his experience, his top tips and most importantly, what his go-to meal deal is!

August: We moved, and we were shortlisted for the Business Masters Awards

In August we moved out of our Head Office, our home for the last 13 years. Luckily it wasn’t too much of a trek as we moved down a floor in our building. This was a big change for us as our Help Desk and central operations now all sit under one roof with a fancy new kitchen and colourful meeting rooms. Check out the pictures:

Retail Assist also made the shortlist for the East Midlands Business Desk Business Masters Awards for Medium Business! Each year the East Midlands Business Desk attract the most successful and inspirational companies across the region to celebrate business excellence.

September: Client Summit and The Big Hospitality Expo

September was a busy month for events with our Client Summit and The Big Hospitality Expo!

At the Client Summit, we invited our clients, colleagues and partners to come together to collaborate, discuss and debate with leaders shaping the future of customer experience in the retail and hospitality sectors. With guest speakers and industry experts covering focussed topics, everyone came away from the event with a bearing on what technology needs to do in order to have maximum value in a business.

The hospitality industry gathered at Olympia London for The Big Hospitality Expo to explore the latest developments, products, and services in the sector. Not only did we meet with contacts old and new at our stand, but we also got to speak to leading experts and discover the newest trends within the industry. Check out our top takeaways here.

October: ISO 20000 Accreditation

Following a recent audit, British Standards Institution confirmed the continuation of Retail Assist’s ISO accreditation. ISO 20000 sets out the method of best practice for IT service providers and is the only standard that confirms ITIL conformity.

Kevin Greathead, Managing Director at Retail Assist commented: “The ISO standard fits in with our ethos of putting clients’ requirements at the heart of our business. Our accreditation demonstrates our commitment to quality practice and to excellent service and formalises processes and procedures such as our adherence to ITIL which have enabled us to grow.”

November: Peak Trade Frenzy

In November we hit the start of our busiest period with Peak Trade. We supported our clients in getting ready for peak trade and prepared our peak trading checklist for store staff to carry out technical checks. We also looked at buying patterns and shopping habits to understand how customers were planning on shopping and how this would impact supply chains.

December: We stepped right into Christmas

Every year it comes round earlier and earlier… this Christmas we’ve quizzed, raffled and fuddled! We kicked off the festivities with our annual Director Lunch at Galvin La Chappelle followed by various team lunches and wrapping up the festivities today with ‘The Spirit of Christmas Awards’, here were our winners:

1. The Comedian: Stuart Baker
2. Walking Wikipedia: Aaron Francis
3. Take a Lap: Niall Headland
4. Tech Expert: Carl Hardy
5. Coffee Pot: Rae Hayward

Thank You!

What a year! Thank you to all our colleagues, customers, suppliers and partners for your support, hard work and collaboration this year. We hope that you all have a wonderful Christmas and a happy, prosperous new year.

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We are delighted to welcome Michelle Nickson to the Retail Assist team.

Michelle has joined the sales team as Business Development Manager, with a rich retail background in IT service delivery and retail development, Michelle previously worked for James Hall & Co Ltd, a wholesale distribution and retail business, serving 600+ north England SPAR stores.

Michelle is a forward-thinking advocate of change with a passion for process and service improvement. Working across the team internally, Michelle will work with clients and with 3rd party providers to develop and improve systems and processes. Creating commercially attractive solutions, Michelle will be working to deliver client value, establishing future needs and demands of our customers as their businesses evolve.

Enough of the work chat, let’s get to know Michelle properly with a quick-fire interview:

Tell us about your previous role, what did it entail?

Previously I worked as an IT Service Delivery Manager at James Hall & Co Ltd. managing the IT service desk for internal and external customers, managing suppliers, onboarding third parties and outsourcing IT services, escalations, and incident management.

What have you enjoyed about working at Retail Assist so far?

Meeting all my colleagues! They have all been extremely supportive. I’m really enjoying being part of a forward-thinking team and company.

What do you do outside of work?

I enjoy riding my horse and dog walking, but I also love going to live music and sporting events, spending time with family and friends which usually ends up including music and dancing!

What’s one thing people don’t know about you?

My dogs all have Beatles themed names.

What’s the best bit of advice you’ve ever been given?

To trust the process of whatever situation you are in, it will work out in the end. And be brave.

And most importantly, the one thing that will tell us the most about you, what’s your go-to dinner?

Pepperoni pizza – definitely no hot pineapple!

The post Welcome to the team! Michelle Nickson joins Retail Assist appeared first on Retail Assist.

We recently caught up with Sam who gave us an insight into what it’s like working as a Service Delivery Lead on the Help Desk at Retail Assist and showed us what it’s really all about. Watch the interview for her top tips, what her average day looks like and to find out about her team of quizzers.

Click here to watch the video

Hi Sam! Tell us about your role at Retail Assist and how you got into service delivery?

I got my first job at age 16 in a retail store and stayed there for 9 years managing a small team. I moved on to become a customer services manager and I really found my calling for delivering a good service. I’ve been managing people for over 10 years now and I still draw on all the experience I learnt all that time ago. What attracted me to Retail Assist was the combination of working with clients and managing a team – it’s a really nice balance.

My role now is Service Delivery Lead, the main focus is to ensure my team provide the excellent service to our customers that they’re expecting and deserve. I’m heavily involved in progression too; I train and develop colleagues, starting early in the recruitment process, helping them with the skills and knowledge to progress throughout Retail Assist. Another role of mine is liaising with clients and attending monthly meetings to ensure they are happy with our team’s performance.

What’s the best thing about working for Retail Assist?

The people and my team! I love spreading the positivity and motivation, so seeing them develop right from the start, or coming in with experience to grow further and into different roles, is so rewarding. Knowing that my time and effort has allowed their skills to develop is one of the best parts about my job.

My most memorable day at Retail Assist was just as the lockdown was announced and we were given 48 hours’ notice to work from home. It was a real learning curve for us as a leadership team. The strength of our team really showed through as we packed up the offices, it was amazing how we adapted to the huge changes at Retail Assist, and it  brought so much positivity as we worked through it together.

Tell us a little more about yourself…

I have got a very active family; my stepdaughters definitely keep me busy! We like to do anything outdoors like going for walks and bike rides in the park, sunshine or rain, for hours on end, getting fresh air and having lots of fun.

My hidden talent is that I’m a bit of a secret quiz master. We have quiz time once a day with my team – it gets them motivated to have 5 minutes away from anything serious. We even have a leaderboard!

What are your tips for working on the Help Desk?

Always communicate, work together as a team, support one another, and help where you can. Generally, work hard and always try your best!

 Want to find out more about how our Help Desk works? Visit our webpage here.

The post A Day in the Life: Samantha Wilde, Service Delivery Lead appeared first on Retail Assist.

Last week we hosted our very first ‘Retail Assist Client Summit’ at Broadway Cinema in Nottingham, the home of Retail Assist’s head office and Help Desk support centre. We invited our clients, colleagues and partners to come together to collaborate, discuss and debate with leaders shaping the future of customer experience in the retail and hospitality sectors.

With guest speakers and industry experts covering focussed topics, everyone came away from the event with a bearing on what technology needs to do in order to have maximum value in a business.

Here’s who we heard from and what we got up to:

Jens Levin, CEO and co-founder of Sitoo kicked off the day discussing ‘Digitalisation of the physical store on your customer's terms’. Discovering how customers are being empowered to shop on their terms, with more freedom and limitless possibilities - and how the power is being put into retailer’s hands to make this a reality.

Mark Stone, Managing Director (Europe), Foresight Retail outlined the key drivers for planning: how planning is being adapted to provide optimal customer experiences and meet future trends. From Merchandise planning to Assortment planning and Allocation solutions, Foresight Retail revolutionises how planners and buyers develop and get product to their stores, providing valuable insight that cannot be replicated by history alone. It's invaluable to any retailer trying to grow their business.

Roland Jones, Chief Information and Technology Officer from Vue International provided our keynote interview. He discusses how the hospitality industry have had to pivot; focusing on changing consumer habits and how Vue Cinemas are responding, current industry pressures and the importance of commerce and investment in ecommerce in hospitality.

Kevin Greathead, Managing Director at Retail Assist gave an update of what we've been up to at Retail Assist lately. He looked at how we've adapted our service and solutions offerings to meet the future needs of the market as well as introducing you to some new team members.

Kieran Bowden, Chief Commercial Officer at Retail Assist uncovered how you can reduce your risk profile with simple strategies in our Cyber Security Discussion Room. Alongside Trevor Cross, Solutions Architect, they covered the following steps: evaluating your current position, educating users, scanning for existing vulnerabilities, filling security gaps and continually monitoring threats.

Roland Kendall, Chief Solutions Officer and Stuart Baker, Senior Business & Solution Consultant at Retail Assist hosted the Merret Discussion Room. They talked through how the focus areas for retail are driving changes in how we engage with customers in store and how we are developing Merret to meet those future demands.

Miya Knights, author, journalist, and consultant moderated our panel discussion, titled 'Removing Barriers to Innovation' focusing on challenges faced by retailers, alongside which technologies can best support their needs in addressing evermore complex consumer expectations and behaviours. Miya was joined by Sarah Hughes, Co-Founder and Director at Datitude, Alex Priscott, Chief Technology Officer at The Foschini Group Limited and Kieran Bowden, Chief Commercial Officer at Retail Assist.

To round off the day, we headed to Pitcher and Piano for a drinks and networking. It was a pleasure to catch up with all our customers and partners! Keep your eyes peeled for overviews of each session over the coming days.

Want to hear first-hand how businesses have adapted their technology strategies to find new ways of removing barriers to trade and engaging new customers? Get in contact with us here.

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