Voice-Device Aided Operation for Retail POS Automation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Retail environments, both large and small, face challenges in enhancing employee productivity and customer experience due to difficulties in navigating and finding information within large stores, and low staffing levels during peak periods, which can lead to customer dissatisfaction and reduced efficiency.
Innovation Solution
Implementing voice-device aided systems and methods that utilize voice input to receive commands, process data, and execute scripts for tasks such as price lookup and customer assistance, leveraging existing voice assistant platforms like ALEXA, SIRI, and CORTANA, or proprietary solutions, to automate tasks and provide information through voice-enabled devices at POS locations and throughout stores.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If employees manually search for items and process transactions at POS locations, then customer service can be provided, but employee productivity is reduced and time is lost during peak periods
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces manual mechanical operations (employees physically searching for items, manually operating POS systems) with voice-activated automated systems. Voice commands trigger automated scripts that perform data processing actions, substituting human manual labor with acoustic-based automated control.
Solution Approach 2:
The system enables self-service capabilities where customers can initiate transactions and information retrieval through voice commands without requiring continuous employee assistance. The automated scripts process transactions and provide information independently, freeing employees from routine tasks.
2Reliability
If more staff are added to handle peak periods, then customer service improves, but operating costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The voice-activated system substitutes human staff members with automated voice processing technology. The system can handle multiple customer interactions simultaneously through automated scripts, providing reliable customer service without proportionally increasing staffing levels.
Solution Approach 2:
The voice processing system performs multiple functions including transaction processing, information retrieval, and customer assistance through a single integrated platform. This multi-functional system replaces what would otherwise require multiple specialized staff members.
3Productivity
If voice processing systems are implemented, then employee productivity and customer experience improve, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a voice processing intermediary layer between customers and the underlying data processing systems. This intermediary handles voice recognition, command interpretation, and script execution, shielding users from system complexity while enabling sophisticated automated operations.
Data Source
AI summary
Various embodiments herein each include at least one of systems, methods, devices, and software voice-device aided operation, such as operation of a store, elements therein, and providing customer assistance, among other voice device capabilities. One embodiment, in the form of a method, includes receiving voice input at a Point-Of-Sale (POS) location, the voice-input including a command utterance. This method may then transmit the voice input via a network to a network service for processing and then receive at least one response to the transmitted voice command upon which a data processing action may be performed, such as providing a voice output based on a received text, manipulating a computing device or an output device thereof, and the like.