National retailer upgrades to the cloud creates a new customer service experience and better communications environment for thousands of team members. JCPenney hopes to simplify and modernize technology services with this latest effort.

“In selecting a cloud solution, we were looking for a partner who would support our goal of becoming America’s favorite store,” said Kristen Blum, chief technology officer at JCPenney, Plano, TX.

Engaging experiences
According to JCPenney, Office 365 will improve remote access for employees who can stay connected using their smartphones, tablets or other mobile devices.

The effort also aims to ease the communication between stores, allowing team members to work seamlessly with colleagues at other locations while assisting customers.

Furthermore, the initiative will let JCPenney help consumers at every touchpoint – from entering the store to finalizing a transaction.

Past efforts
JCPenney has been making a big play into mobile over the past few years.

In July, the company used a variety of mediums including mobile, social and digital to increase awareness for its charitable giving program (see story).

Later that month, JCPenney announced that it will get rid of its traditional checkout method and replace it with mobile checkout devices and self-pay kiosks (see story).

Most recently, JCPenney used a targeted mobile advertising campaign to put some muscle into its holiday marketing efforts that rewarded consumers for shopping in-store (see story).

This latest effort proves that it is important for marketers to take on a mobile-first mentality.

“When we realized that we could improve customer service even more by providing cloud-based collaboration tools to increase communication between team members, it was easy to choose Microsoft and Office 365,” Ms. Blum said.

Final Take
Rimma Kats is associate editor on Mobile Commerce Daily, New York