“Imagine being able to talk to only the people you need to talk to – without using your hands,” Thrailkill says.
Employees can do just that with the Communicator, a device from voice-enabled communication firm Theatro that’s essentially a wearable computer. The Container Store is the first major chain that Theatro is equipping with the devices, but 16 of the nation’s 100 largest retailers, including Cabela’s and personal shopping clothing service Trunk Club, are also using the system.
The device could be a game-changer, says Nikki Baird, managing director at RSR Research. “In concept, it could make every employee as good as (a company’s) best employee,” she says, because by using the Communicator, every employee has instant access to every other employee at the company.
