8DECEMBER - JANUARYENHANCING POS EXPERIENCEFOR EMPLOYEE AND CUSTOMERIS THE KEY TO SUCCESSChristopher Davis has around three decades of experience in the industry, introducing numerous solutions and capabilities and replacing legacy systems. He began his career at PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) Consulting--acquired by IBM Global Servic es--as a consultant after graduating in computer science from Brigham Young University. Responsible for ERP transformation, he spent ten years at PwC implementing SAP solutions across the U.S. and globally. Later, he worked for various organizations such as Maytag, Whirlpool Corporation, Sleep Number Corporation, Express Oil Change & Tire Engineers and Mspark, leading IT teams and helping to rebuild IT capabilities. Recently, Davis joined as CIO at The Tile Shop, where he is enabling the company to undergo a significant technological, cultural, and organizational transformation, dealing with people, processes, and technology. According to you, what are the common problems that retailers face with the point of sale (POS) systems?As the retail industry continues to transform and deal with rapidly changing technology, it requires omnichannel capabilities to meet consumers at their preferred channel. POS systems tend to be separate systems from a traditional ERP system or an e-commerce solution. The siloed nature of POS systems makes the integration of solutions the biggest challenge. The integration becomes more critical when paired with channel-less capability requirements to be where, when, and how the customer wants. Lastly, retailers often use outdated POS technologies because they focus on aspects that drive their revenue. They consider a POS system a transactional system, not a tool that can drive revenue. Yet, it impacts employee and customer experience. If POS experience is negative for employees, it affects their job satisfaction. Consequently, it influences consumers and, ultimately, constrains revenue. Could you shed some light on the projects you have been working on lately? The Tile Shop went through an SAP ERP implementation two and a half years ago. The implementation was challenging and required a great deal of effort to stabilize the solution. Employees still need to put significant effort into using the complex technology. In specialty retail, transactions are often more complicated than ringing up a bag of groceries or a pair of shoes. However, this complexity poses challenges By Christopher Davis, Chief Information Officer, The Tile ShopChristopher DavisOPINIONIN MY
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