Restoration Hardware drops clunky radios for modern in-store communication

Restoration Hardware is a speciality home furnishings company based in California. With over 100 stores located in the United States and Canada, the company requires a reliable and unobtrusive way for employees to communicate with each other within the store while serving customers.

Prior to Zello, the company used 2-way radios or cell phones for in-store communications. Typically, employees would call or radio other employees in the store to locate stock or ask about product information. These two methods of communications fell short in several areas.

Two-way radios were bulky and old-fashioned, which did not complement the company’s image of being avant-garde and on the forefront of design. Employees had to carry 2 devices around the store; a 2-way radio and their smartphone for other apps. As the company grew, maintaining 2-way radios with the licensing requirements became expensive. Phone calls took too much time to complete and annoyed their customers.

Zello offered Restoration Hardware a communications solution that was modern, cost-effective and reliable. By installing a stand-alone Zello On-premise Server in each retail store, in-store communications does not depend on an internet connection. This was critical to the company so all store employees could stay connected with each other even during a major event.

The Zello interface was easy to learn and use. Restoration Hardware employees quickly adapted to Zello without any need for extensive training. For quick communications between store employees, the speed of Zello push-to-talk (PTT) was ideal. Employees could also use the call alert feature to text their peers if they could not speak. Employees can use a variety of Bluetooth headsets so conversations don’t interfere with helping customers.

In early 2013, Restoration Hardware first tested the free version of Zello and then the hosted version of Zello. After determining that Zello satisfied the company’s needs, a trial for the non-hosted On-premise Server was conducted in the Boston store in 2014. Since completing the trial, approximately 800 employees have been added in more retail stores.

Since Zello works on most smartphones and tablets, the company decided to install Zello on iPads together with in-house apps. Now, employees use Zello on the iPads to communicate internally and with customers.

If you need instant voice communications for your team, please contact our Sales team to request a demo of Zello Work, or start a free 14-day trial. We look forward to helping you explore the many ways in which Zello Work changes the way people communicate and collaborate in the frontline.

Restoration Hardware is a luxury brand in the home furnishings marketplace offering furniture, lighting, textiles, bathware, décor, outdoor and garden, as well as baby & child products. RH operates an integrated business with multiple channels of distribution including Galleries, Source Books and websites.

restorationhardware.com