Getting mobile devices in the hands of associates is a smart move – however it gets accomplished. There is no perfect solution regarding mobile devices, and Walmart’s move to enable associates to use their personal device is practical. Naturally, privacy and security concerns should absolutely be taken seriously, and I have no doubt Walmart is, however, the benefit of arming associates with mobile will prove to be good for associates, good for Walmart and, ultimately and most importantly, good for the customer.

From what I’ve seen of teens, they are more than happy to use their own devices, even as store employees. However, there are a couple additional things to think about besides data security. If you’ve seen a teen’s phone lately, odds are its screen is smashed and barely usable. So even if an employee prefers to use their phone, if they pull out a phone that looks like it was run over by a car (which it might’ve been), what kind of impression does that make for customers (and I realize I’m talking about your average Walmart shopper here, but still)? The other thing that makes me uneasy is from a value exchange perspective. Walmart is saving thousands per device by letting employees use their own, and employees get — a discount on their monthly bill? The power dynamic between employer and employee is indeed still way too skewed to the employer if employees are enthusiastic about that. BYOD with the right guardrails can definitely work, and employees are using their own phones on the… Read more »

I have never understood why this didn’t take off years ago. It’s the right way to do it!

This Walmart BYOD is a fantastic idea. Associates are used to the utilizing their phones and most are very proficient at entering information, creating an efficient tool for both associate and customer. On the other hand, many stores have banned personal phones on the floor because of abusive personal use. If Walmart is vigilant in requesting that the use is for business only, it certainly will help the customer — if the associates take the initiative to be present and intercept the customers. Quicker service for customers, and nearly instant information flow on tasks and requests … that’s great.

It is cost effective, viewed favorably by workers, and gives staff a nice benefit of a reduction in their phone bills. Lots of things to like! A slight concern is around security, but this is an area most retailers will be conscious of. Another consideration is professionalism: retailers don’t want associates standing round using devices for personal use – but this is something that can be easily addressed through training and HR policy.

Store associates prefer using their own devices over commercial devices that they perceive to be clunky and unintuitive. That said, customers may think that associates are goofing around on the phone instead of working. It’s a small challenge, but should be addressed.

BYOD will certainly save Walmart money by not having to buy additional devices for associate use, and I like the idea of giving store associates a break on their cell phone bills. I hope it’s generous. Giving every associate instant access to answer whatever question the customer might have will be a boost to customer service.

I do see a downside to giving associates permission to use their phones on the sales floor because it will likely result in using those phones to do more than help shoppers. Personal cell phone usage on the sales floor is already an issue in some stores, this leaves the door wide open.

When you have a roster of over 2 million sales associates, how else do you reach each with consistent messaging? Sales professional empowerment is critical, and apps like these keep sales associate/professionals informed and engaged when clocked in. From having conversations daily with retailers in regard to implementing this type of technology, there’s thought required to the role these devices have throughout the shift. The last thing a retailer wants is an entire floor staff with their heads collectively buried in devices.

This approach is tailor-made for a large segment of Millennials, who live on their devices all day long. By providing customer service information to store associates on their own devices, Walmart lays the foundation for a stronger customer experience. The one missing piece is the ability to check out customers from those devices. But I applaud Walmart for taking this step, and expect customers will as well.

This is a natural fit and it will more closely connect store associates to Walmart. Especially for the younger generation, this move will give them more ownership of the brand and the experience. As long as Walmart is subsidizing some of the cost and maintain appropriate privacy controls, I’d imagine it’s a welcome change from the majority.

BYOD means using the phone and its apps that the associate owns and is already familiar with. It also means not having two devices, the personal phone and the store device, at a time as their personal devices are typically with people all of the time. It will also save Walmart capital on purchasing store-unique devices. My only concern is any leakage of Walmart data to people outside of Walmart. I suspect that the data on the phone app is the same as is available on Walmart’s website thereby not being much of a problem.

From Walmart’s perspective (and any other retailer taking the same BYOD approach) there are a number of benefits: cost savings from needing fewer corporate-provided devices that will need to be constantly refreshed, higher adoption of the apps by associates, quicker time to being ready to serve on the store floor with associates not needing to pick up and set up a corporate device. Operationally and financially, this is a win for Walmart. For the associate, the benefits are new tools to make their job easier and better when serving customers using a device they already know how to operate and cost savings on their mobile bill. While this seems a bit lopsided in favor of Walmart, I’d expect a high rate of adoption. The security and privacy concerns are real and valid but I believe Walmart would address these as would any other corporate entity. That said, with a large amount of savings potential Walmart has, I hope the discount the associates are getting is significant for their service plans and a hardware discount or… Read more »

Smartphones have become so pervasive that almost everyone has one, even those with very low incomes. Some associates may be happy to use their own devices, as it will help offset the cost of their monthly mobile phone service. Familiarity with their own device is another advantage of using their own phone.

While some associates may be concerned with privacy, I suspect the benefit of getting a discount on their phone bills will outweigh this concern. Another smart move by Walmart!

I have to wonder whether the typical Walmart employee owns a mobile device that will adequately support workplace requirements. Cracked screens aside, what about available memory to run the app? Condition of the battery good enough to maintain Wi-Fi connectivity, light the screen, and run the app continuously throughout the shift? How will recharging be handled if needed?

I foresee a support challenge for Walmart’s digital team to keep a wide variety of personal device models running smoothly. Remember we are talking about millions of users.

Just a thought: Maybe store workers should be provided instead with charging lockers where they drop off their personal devices and pick up a fully-charged company device at the beginning of each shift. Log on, and the app would run — plus search engine access, VOIP phone and text capability. Log off at the end of the shift and take your own, fully-charged device home.

Yes that’s a lot of devices to buy, but they won’t need wireless accounts because they will only connect to store Wi-Fi.