Ian Wells

It's been frantic at today's Retail Technology Show - in a good way - so busy - only just had time now to film and post this video - you still have time until 6pm today and from 9am until 4:30pm to come and chat with us - I look forward to meeting with you to talk #retail #solutions from #Lenovo :-) #Lenovo #Retail #Technology #Show #RetailTechnologyShow #Event #RTS2024 #WeAreLenovo #AI #ArtificialIntelligence #Edge #EdgeComputing #CustomerExperience #CX #Optimisation #Efficiencies #Dynamic #Signage #ColdChainManagement #ColdChain #Marketing #Advertising #Shrinkage #Secure #Security #PoS #PointOfSale #Warehouse #Warehousing #Inventory

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Something I've been pondering for a number of years and finally got irritated enough to post... How have IT suppliers, especially SAAS providers, managed to remove the concept of a resolution time from their service contracts? Clients pay them to deliver a service and yet, retain all the risk for the supplier not delivering, even when suffering significant service impact. The only material element that is offered is what they pass off directly down to the Cloud suppliers, Availability, retaining no risk themselves for the pain that they can inflict through bad management of services delivered by them. Surely it is within the supplier's gift to restore services to the last known working configuration within a decent timeframe so clients can manage the expectations of their customers? I get, with shared code bases, that actual fixes can be difficult to estimate and guarantee, but restoration should be manageable and actually represent a supplier's confidence in the ability to deliver its services to its clients. Time to push back against this?

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Musings on the morning commute… On my train ride this morning (LinkedIn spamming to follow), I saw someone with all the right security tools—lanyard full of security devices, screen filter, encrypted login—leave their laptop, work pass and bag unattended on a busy Bath to Paddington train. All the safeguards in the world are meaningless if basic security practices aren’t followed. At Nisbets, we’re hiring an IT Security Manager to ensure our security culture is about ACTION. If you’re passionate about proactive security, check out our vacancy in my recent post. Security isn’t just about the tools you have; it’s about how you act.

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Do all CEO's and FD's hate employee recognition? 😩 We recently ran a training session for Store Managers who are about to start using Huggg to recognise their teams. What we weren't expecting was for the CEO of this rather large retailer to be on the call, who shared her excitement for the scheme and was keen to get involved. This is a great example of an organisation where recognition and engagement is clearly being driven at ALL levels of the business. 🤩 But over hundreds of conversations with HR professionals, to me, it seems pretty split between directors who see value in recognition, and directors who essentially think it's a waste of money - "We already pay them a wage, that's recognition enough". 🙄 If you're in the 2nd boat and fighting to improve recognition, here are my top tips to get buy in: ✅ Have a clear goal that relates to the businesses bottom line - it it to improve productivity, reduce turnover, or another important business objective? ✅ Show clear ROI - work out what it would mean to the businesses if you could improve the above by even a % point or two. ✅ Have a clear, but simple plan that doesn't cost the earth. Better to start small than not at all. ✅ Show how other businesses achieved something similar - even better, if it's a similar business! If you're currently working on recognition and struggling to get buy-in, drop me a line - I'd be happy to share how we've helped others get their projects over the line. 

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For all the talk of Ai in this article, the biggest change to the customer journey will be not having to wait for an assistant to come over and authorise a transaction. The relatively low tech solution of putting a button / pop up on a tablet will save the day, it is always simple logical solutions that make the biggest difference.

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Long term sustainable success in your career is not possible without having a balance outside of work. "Balance" means different things to different people but these sessions will help identify what balance looks like for you.

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Something something something the importance of proper software testing™ something something something https://lnkd.in/eAEYQnUb

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Business Change, and why in terms of project success, it is so critical to have on board, right from the beginning. Importance of delivery often overlooks this aspect of any transformation, big or small; Listen to the importance of Change Management and how it can influence "make or break" the successful implementation and business adoption to ultimately achieve the business KPIs of success!

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Thanks Tim Roedel for a most enjoyable conversation re composable architectures for mid-market companies, and their growing need to hire better capabilities. If you enjoy the podcast then please read my article below - "The Composable Conundrum" in my other post which expands on my thoughts on the subject. https://lnkd.in/er8VRDyj

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What are you doing to have fun at work today? Strange question? Not really. I don't believe fun is a privilege but rather a requirement for an effective team and workplace. We recently introduced JustFit - totally voluntary for my team but about 10 or so of us gather at midday and do a few minutes of exercise - some mountain climbers, squats, leg raises. We increase the reps each week and change the exercises each month. We invariably have a laugh - It is fun and only takes a few minutes. We have a 'scrum' each day. The focus is issues of the day (what are the things that are or potentially will affect our ability to trade effectively), what can we do to help each other, general communication but it inevitably ends in fun - lots of laughs to release tension and give us a pep up. So back to my original question - what are you doing to have fun at work today?

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If you were thinking is that Lou and her colleagues in The Finance & Business Guide in today’s Daily Telegraph, you’d be absolutely right 😆🗞️ Check GEOLYTIX out, in the newspaper!📰 Over a decade at this company and I’m still pretty sure not many of my friends quite know exactly what I do, well here is a brilliant summary of location planning in all its glory. #LocationPlanning #Data #Team

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Had a fantastic day with Primark Digital leadership team today, looking at the part they play in delivering the roadmap and how they can work together to smash through barriers as and when they come across them. It's clear that our Digital teams are going to play a key role in Primarks strategy and helping the business grow and that each and everyone of them are up for the challenge. Now to look at the next workshop and give then some tools to get the job done. #learninganddevelopment #leadership

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Here we go... European Microsoft Fabric Community Conference kicks off with an Tutorial day. For me that means a dive in to the unicorn #microsoftfabric with the aim to see if it can replace our DWH that.is killing my budget.. #FabConEurope #microsoft #dwh #data #BC #businesscentral

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What is it like to work at one of the World's Best Workplaces™ 🌍 Employees at Specsavers explain what makes their organisation a great place to work in the video below🤩 👉 Discover more about their culture: https://hubs.ly/Q02YbpnQ0 👉 See the full list of World's Best Workplaces: https://hubs.ly/Q02Yb1wm0 #WorldsBestWorkplaces

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Morrisons has delighted customers at 15 of its stores by adding a Cadbury’s Heroes 🍫 pick & mix stall, where you can fill a cup with your favourites including Wispa, Fudge, and Twirl. Getting to pick and choose is an important part of Verint’s Open CCaaS proposition – and it’s why we’re different. Unlike most CCaaS platform vendors, Verint doesn’t need you to complete risky ‘rip and replace’ processes to take advantage of our capabilities. Our open, modular platform allows you to increase 📈 CX automation at your own pace, with minimal operational disruption. You can choose applications or bots 🤖 that meet your most pressing needs and see ROI immediately, while keeping the existing solutions that work for you. https://lnkd.in/drKFsFXj #OpenCCaaS #CCaaS #CX #Automation #AI

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A number of stories this week caught my attention within the #retail industry. Here are some highlights: 🇬🇧 - Reuters reported that 'the buzz is back' for John Lewis Partnership with Half Year Results showing a 2% increase in sales compared to last year, including a notable 5% rise for Waitrose & Partners https://lnkd.in/euznmidn. 🇮🇳 - Carrefour embarks on an India expansion journey by partnering with Dubai's Apparel Group. This move marks Carrefour's return to the Indian market after previously exiting in 2014. (story via Checkout Magazine) https://lnkd.in/eFhUQwme 🇯🇵 - The Financial Times reveals developments in the potential buyout of 7-Eleven by Canadian based Alimentation Couche-Tard. Despite a rejected $39B offer, discussions are underway to enhance the bid for the Japanese convenience store giant https://lnkd.in/e2FsbHUY 🇺🇸 - ALDI USA's innovative Grabango vision-based checkout technology is making waves. Progressive Grocer explores how this tech aligns seamlessly with ALDI's store footprint and shopping model, proving highly effective. https://lnkd.in/eYWB5NCj #retail #retailtechnology #groceryretail

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