Walgreens, one of the largest drugstore chains in the U.S. has selected Theatro, a provider of voice-controlled mobile platform as a service for the hourly workforce.
Under the terms of the contract, Walgreens is implementing Theatro’s enterprise-wide solution at all of its 9,560 stores, with the first 1,000 locations expected to be deployed during 2019.
Theatro’s IoT-based service offering allows Walgreens store team members to communicate with each other through a simple process, improving healthcare and retail experience for customers and patients, the company said.
Walgreens store team members can use their voice to interact with Theatro’s Artificial Intelligence (AI) powered intelligent assistant to get the information they need to perform their role and deliver differentiated customer experiences. Theatro’s solution connects every associate to their enterprise network and to their leadership team at all times through the use of a small voice-controlled IoT device that allows the associate to remain “heads-up and hands-free” when assisting customers.
“As we transform our stores into modern neighborhood health destinations, it’s critical that we enable our store teams to enhance the experience for customers and patients,” said Richard Ashworth, President of Operations, Walgreens. “Technology solutions like Theatro allow us to communicate the changes we’re making directly and regularly with our team members, keeping them up-to-date and able to continue to offer great customer service.”
“One of the largest challenges retail teams face is the disparate and ad-hoc communication methods traditionally used to reach large numbers of store team members,” said Chris Todd, CEO, Theatro. “Through our innovative voice Intelligent Assistant and broad suite of workflow and collaboration apps, Walgreens is empowered to improve store execution and labor productivity by leveraging the power of AI native to our platform.”
Theatro’s platform enables retailers experience a significant improvement in speed of service and labor efficiency, the company said. With a library of over 80 voice-enabled mobile apps,, Theatro’s platform allows associates to easily access the resources required to help a customer or complete a task.
Headquartered in Dallas Texas, Theatro brings the advantages of IoT, wearables and new workforce-optimized apps together in a SaaS offering to provide companies in gaming, hospitality, retail, and manufacturing with a new breed of mobile solutions for hourly employees.
Ericsson strikes NB-IoT deal in India
In other IoT news, Ericsson has signed an agreement with the Indian Institute of Kanpur (IIT Kanpur) with the aim of deploying a NB-IoT based sensor network to monitor air pollution in the city of Delhi, the Swedish vendor said in a release.
As part of the deal, Ericsson will use locally developed air quality sensors which will collect and provide environmental data including PM1, PM2.5 and PM10 levels at defined time intervals. This will lead to better monitoring and analysis of data collected from different parts of the capital.
Ericsson said that the findings will be shared with local authorities and other key stakeholders on a periodic basis.
Nitin Bansal, Head of Ericsson India said: “The air pollution levels in Delhi is an issue that needs to be tracked and addressed on a continuous basis. In partnership with IIT Kanpur, NB-IoT based-sensors will be deployed at strategic locations in the city. The sensors are automated and will relay information on defined time intervals, providing data on pollution levels, sources and locations in a sustainable and cost-efficient way.”
