Businesses now constantly seek ways to enhance efficiency and productivity in their operations so as to stay at the top, gaining resilience in the face of challenges.
Radix Technologies, a leading provider of turnkey solutions, is at the forefront of delivering cutting-edge device management solutions.
With its mission to consolidate all organizational devices, work processes, and stakeholders into one user-friendly management platform, Radix Technologies is revolutionizing the way businesses manage their devices.
In a chat with Nadav Avni, CMO, Radix Technologies, absolute light was shed on the benefits of single-purpose device management in the retail industry. He shared his perspectives on the growth of business outsourcing and the rapid changes in retail operations.
TE: Tell us about Radix Technologies.
NA: Radix delivers cutting-edge device management solutions.
Our mission is to consolidate all the organization’s devices, related work processes and stakeholders in one easy-to-use management platform.
The management platform is OS and device agnostic, covering all device management aspects: app management, configuration and settings management, remote support, monitoring and analysis (telemetry), OTA firmware updates and much more!
Organizations using our management platform keep their devices healthy, patched and tuned to their mission while reducing operational complexity and customer churn, saving time and money, and increasing overall satisfaction.
TE: As a company that has been providing turnkey solutions since 2015, how has business outsourcing, especially software development, grown in the past 10 years?
NA: Radix Technologies was established in 1992, starting as an ICT integrator and with the years shifted to software development, and in the last 10 years we have our device management platform.
Before the cloud days 10-15 years ago, many organizations did in-house development, today it is widely accepted to use 3rd parties that are considered experts in their field and integrate with them via APIs. E.g., today Radix is serving many leading global smart device manufacturers and vendors, integrating our management platform in the firmware and promoting under the Radix brand or white-label. The equation is simple, Radix can do a better job vs in-house development, reduce operational complexity and customer churn, save time and money, and increase overall satisfaction.
TE: Let’s look at the retail sector. More than ever, retailers need to understand their customers and quickly adapt to changing expectations and needs. What are other rapid changes you have observed in this industry in recent times?
NA: The retail sector also reinvented itself as many retailers in addition to the traditional brick-and-mortar locations have a well-established e-commerce presence (website and app), both complementing each other.
When looking at smart devices used in retail we see a number of trends:
PoS/mPoS – to avoid/reduce queues, self-checkout was added, retailers found that many customers like to checkout by themselves for many reasons (more privacy, transparency, etc.).
In addition, employees can walk around with mPoS to quickly checkout customers, check inventory and even order missing items.
Smart carts – equipped with an interactive screen used for digital signage and PoS, can auto-detect what was added to the cart, provide information on the price, what is on sale, etc. In addition, customized content and coupons/offers and of course self-checkout.
Interactive information kiosk – customers can interact, check information like hours of operation, inventory, what is on sale, etc. and with AI, when adding characteristics and personal preferences receive suggestions and tips.
Digital signage – can be found anywhere in many forms and shapes, and with the use of cameras, analytics and AI, content/offers can be customized based on sex, age, etc.
XR – helps to create immersive experiences, can be used for employee training, make employees better at their job, and take customer experience to the next level from 360 degrees, try it yourself to tour the location in a unique way, discovering new things, etc.
TE: In your view, why are businesses currently underutilizing single-purpose device management technology in their operations?
NA: It depends on the type of retailer, the stage where the retailer is in the digital transformation process and how big of a difference it is for the customer if the retailer uses it or not, e.g. in the Apple store smart devices are used from check-in to schedule a meeting with a sales associate/tech support specialist to checkout pay or sending you follow information on your device repair, where in the $1 stores smart devices are usually used by employees to check for inventory.
TE: Could you elaborate on how implementing single-purpose device management can specifically enhance and streamline various aspects of retail operations?
NA: Once retailers use smart devices as part of their operations it means that they made the financial investment, they have a device fleet and they need to make sure it stays healthy, patched and tuned to its mission. Device management can help with
App management – making sure the relevant apps are up to date.
Configuration and settings management – lock the device (kiosk mode) so that it will only be used for work purposes, no games, social media or settings change. Also, in case a device is lost or stolen, they can track, lock and wipe it and reduce the risk that valuable information falls into the wrong hands.
Remote support – If an employee is having a problem operating the device, a support engineer can connect remotely, troubleshoot and make the device operational as soon as possible while reducing churn.
Monitoring and analysis (telemetry) – optimize your device usage and make fact-based decisions, e.g. additional training on how to operate the device is required, connectivity is not that good, we, if it is wifi, may need to add network amplifiers or it is sim data shift to another connectivity provider, etc.
OTA firmware updated – keep the device fleet patched and reduce cyber risks.
TE: From your experience, what are some potential benefits that customers can expect to gain from the adoption of single-purpose device management in the retail industry?
NA: Digital transformation makes our lives better, as already mentioned the adoption of smart devices in retail can benefit customers in many ways:
PoS/mPoS – self checkout to avoid/reduce queues + better customer service, employees can quickly checkout, check inventory and even order missing items.
Smart carts – a combination of purchase tracking, quick self-checkout, checking valuable information and customized content based on preferences.
Interactive information kiosk – increase interaction, check valuable information and have customized content based on preferences.
Digital signage – has customized content based on preferences.
XR – better customer service and next-level customer experience.
TE: Are there any common misconceptions or barriers that hinder businesses from fully embracing and leveraging single-purpose device management technology?
NA: Digital transformation usually comes with investment in infrastructure, people, training etc. If you are going for it, don’t compromise on infrastructure including smart devices, network and protective measures (device management and cyber tools), those will serve you for many years to come. Also, don’t compromise on the quality of people and service providers that will do the implementation and later service you, as those will become the backbone of your operations. And keep training as practice makes the difference.
TE: Can you share any success stories or case studies where the implementation of single-purpose device management has significantly improved efficiency and productivity in retail operations?
NA: We have been helping one of the big mobile operators in Africa to keep its mPoS fleet in thousands of service stations healthy, patched and tuned to its mission, reduce operational complexity and customer churn, save time and money, and increase overall satisfaction.
