Sunrise AG Modernizes POS System With Wacom's STU-500 Signature Tablet

Formerly, order procedures involved three copies of a contract being created, scanned, copied and then printed a number of times. The subsequent route through the relevant departments resulted in the loss of a considerable amount of time and the quality of printed or scanned output was often not especially good and therefore creating mistakes and customer service calls that could have been avoided.

Sunrise AG project manager, Peter Flückiger, knew it was an ambitious, but necessary transition from the very start. "We had to find a solution that fulfilled all our requirements, but we also had to handle the internal readjustment." This meant that, for example, the customer identification process and all contractual documents had to be adapted so that the new procedures could be realized. After comparing similar products at other companies and conducting a test phase, in which various providers were examined and put through their paces, the decision was made to deploy Wacom's STU-500 signature tablet with Softpro's custom software solution.

"One of our requirements for the signature tablet was that it should be possible for the contents of a contract to be viewable from both sides of the counter, so that there is no need to rotate the actual tablet to allow the customer to sign and for the salesperson to countersign," continued Flückiger. "This functionality could only be provided by Wacom and Softpro."

Recently, Sunrise's retail locations had been completely redesigned so the sales counters were significantly narrower than before. That gave the impression of more space in the shops and a more open, friendly appearance. In practical terms, however, it was difficult to find space for everything needed on the counter. The sleek, low-profile design of the Wacom STU-500 allowed builders to place the tablet directly into the counters, slotting neatly into their own space for a modern look and functional design. In order to ensure that the pen was always in reach of the customer and did not get lost, it was securely tethered to the tablet. Since the displays were "fixed" to the counter, software developer, Softpro, programmed the devices in such a way that the content faces the customer when the customer's signature is required and rotates the contents 180° on the display once it is time for the salesperson to countersign the contract. Along with contracts, the freely programmable 5" diagonal display of the STU-500 allows the customer and the salesperson to view a variety of different documents.

A further advantage Sunrise realized with the high-resolution STU tablet was the ability to feature small advertising messages or the Sunrise logo when the tablet is sitting idle. This "general marketing" role of the STU-500 allows Sunrise to economically and conveniently reach customers throughout the day.

There is also a mobile solution available for external promoters. This configuration involves the connection of the STU-500 signature tablets to laptop computers. This solution is also available for offline use so that all the functionality can be used even in places where no wireless network or mobile connection is available.

The integrated solution has a number of advantages for Sunrise customers. In addition to the rapid handling of orders, the contractual documents no longer have to be physically archived in the shops. In the event of customer inquiries at the retail store, the staff can immediately access a copy of the contract in the Customer Relationship Management (CRM) System. The ability to send contracts directly by e-mail reduces paper costs and improves customer serivce.