Wireless services leader Smart Communications, Inc. (Smart) invites everyone to experience the “Smart Life” as it transforms Smart Stores from traditional telco hubs into a venue where people can discover and get a feel of what is described as today’s digital lifestyle.
“The traditional Smart Stores are straightforward, functional areas where people apply for a postpaid plan or have their aftersales concerns attended to. The experience used to be quite impersonal. While customers can still complete these transactions in Smart Stores, they will experience so much more in the coming months,” said Maloo Agoncillo, Vice President and head of Retail Support at Smart.
In an event held at the Smart Store in Powerplant Mall, Makati City, Smart launched lifestyle nooks featuring digital services that enable Filipinos to enjoy their passions more – the Music Hub, Reading Nook, Digital Mall, and Games Station. The nooks were also unveiled at Smart Stores in Robinsons Magnolia in Quezon City and at SM Aura in Taguig City.
“In our new mission statement, Smart promises to enable Filipinos to create awesome moments in life through mobile and digital innovations. We will bring these lifestyle nooks to different Smart Stores all over the country so Filipinos can see and experience what we mean when we say that Smart enables them to live more. The Smart Store is where they will get a taste of the Smart Life,” said Charles Lim, Executive Vice President and head of the Wireless Consumer Business of Smart and Sun Cellular.
At the Music Hub, visitors can use the Spinnr and Deezer mobile applications to download and stream music on devices. There they will learn more about the affordable subscription packages available via Smart, and how they can enjoy music streaming and downloads even without a credit card.
At the Reading Nook, which looks like a personal library, customers will enjoy the Buqo app which enables them to access their favorite books and magazines on their mobile device, and pay for these via load deductions or postpaid bill charging.
Gaming aficionados will have a blast at the Games Station where they will be introduced to GameX, an online portal that allows them to buy game credits without leaving their seats. They can pay conveniently using their prepaid load or via postpaid bill charging.
Fashionistas will surely enjoy the Digital Mall section which features the convenient online shopping services provided by Zalora.
“Customers can also look forward to delightful surprises which we will launch in selected Smart Stores in the coming months,” Agoncillo said.
He added that even before the launch of the lifestyle nooks, Smart has been transforming its Smart Stores to provide a more personalized service to its customers. Several Smart Stores nationwide now have a hip and personal café-style environment, inspired by neighborhood artisanal cafés. A total of 78 stores are expected to be revamped into New Generation Smart Stores by the end of 2015.
“Unlike traditional transaction counters, this design conceptualized and executed by a world-class, all-Filipino team encourages a more personal interaction between customers and frontliners. We won’t just be selling to customers. We want to get to know them better, learn more about their needs and lifestyles, so we could recommend the products and services that are best for them,” Agoncillo said.
The New Generation Smart Stores also feature customer service innovations like the Digital Profiler – a touch-screen that enables visitors to learn more about the features of devices and plans so they could better decide which offers suit their needs – and the iQueue, an automated queuing system. iQueue allows customers to roam around the mall and attend to other needs while waiting for their turn to be served at the Smart Store. The system sends a text message to inform them once their turn comes.
“All these transformation efforts will lead up to the launch of our flagship store at SM Megamall early next year. The innovation process never ends at Smart. We continue to enhance and revolutionize products, services, and the overall customer experience so more Filipinos can live the Smart Life,” Agoncillo said.
