JCPenney Associate Kiosk: A Complete Guide (2024)

Looking for a complete guide to JCPenney Associate Kiosk? Must check out this complete article.

JCPenney Associate Kiosk is an important tool for associates at JCPenney stores to help provide excellent customer service. The kiosk allows associates to quickly look up information, place orders, check inventory, and more.

In this complete guide, we’ll explore what the JCPenney Associate Kiosk is, its key features and benefits, and how associates use it on a daily basis to improve the shopping experience.

Let’s dive into it.

What is the JCPenney Associate Kiosk?

The JCPenney Associate Kiosk is a computer terminal located to JCPenney stores and designed specifically for associate use. It was introduced in 2011 as part of JCPenney’s customer service improvement initiative to provide associates with instant access to store systems and information to better customers help.

Some key facts about the JCPenney Associate Kiosk:

• Available at over 800 JCPenney store locations in the United States
• Runs on a customized version of Microsoft Dynamics AX for Retail
• Provides associates access to inventory lookups, POS transactions, store communications, policies, pricing tools, and more
• Features an easy-to-use touchscreen interface
• Offers both English and Spanish language options

The Associate Kiosk acts as a central hub for associates to get the information they need quickly without leaving the sales floor. Having these kiosks on the floor allows associates to spend more time assisting customers rather than running to the back office.

JCPenney Associate Kiosk Features & Capabilities

The JCPenney Associate Kiosk has a variety of useful features and many capabilities:

• Inventory Lookups

One of the most often used features is the ability to look up inventory by SKU or product name. Associates can see if an item is in stock at their store, available at a nearby store or warehouse, or available for order on JCPenney.com. This allows associates to quickly locate merchandise for customers.

• Customer Profiles

With customer permission, associates can look up their JCPenney customer profile on the kiosk. This provides access to their purchase history, sizes, preferences, and other data. Associates can use this info to provide personalized service and recommendations.

• Barcode Scanning

The kiosk has a built-in barcode scanner. Associates can scan product barcodes to instantly pull up inventory availability, pricing, product details, and more.

• Price Checks

Manually entering a SKU or product name also allows associates to do price checks for customers. They can provide up-to-date pricing and savings information.

• Reservations

The kiosk allows associates to reserve out-of-stock merchandise for customers. If an item is not available at that location but is available elsewhere, associates can reserve it so the customer can pick it up at a later date.

• Order Status

Associates have visibility into order status and tracking information. If a customer is waiting for an online order for in-store pickup, associates can use the kiosk to get the latest update.

• Purchase History

With customer permission, associates can look up purchase history on the kiosk. They can see recent transactions, find receipts, look up gift card balances, and more. This helps them resolve customer issues.

• Returns/Exchanges

Associates process returns and exchanges through the kiosk. They can lookup receipts, verify purchase history, check policies, and complete the transactions.

• Payments

The kiosk allows associates to process payments for customers making purchases or paying balances. Payment types like credit, debit, gift card, and JCPenney credit can be processed.

• Store Maps

For customers asking about a department or brand location, associates can easily pull up visual store maps on the kiosk and even print them out for customers if needed.

• Store to Store Transfers

If an item is out of stock locally, associates use the kiosk to check availability at other stores. If found, they can initiate a free store-to-store transfer so the customer can pick up the merchandise at their preferred location.

• Customer Service

General customer service tasks like looking up a loyalty program membership number can be handled through the kiosk. Associates are able to access the information needed to quickly assist customers.

• Communications

Important company communications and messages can be accessed on the kiosk to keep associates informed. Alerts about promotions, policy changes, procedures, and more are placed here.

As you can see, the associate kiosk provides different features to support associates in providing excellent customer experiences. The kiosk provides important information to associates when they need it.

Implementation Rollout of JCP Associate Kiosk

JCPenney took a phased approach to implement Associate Kiosks across all store locations:

Phase 1 (2011)

• Piloted kiosks in 150 test stores
• Collected associate feedback to refine the technology

Phase 2 (2012-2013)

• Expanded to 500 more stores
• Added capabilities like POS transactions and pricing tools

Phase 3 (2013-2014)

• Rolled out kiosks to remaining stores, over 800 total
• Fully embedded the technology into store operations and associate training

The gradual rollout allowed JCPenney to provide a smooth adoption process and validate the value of the investment before deploying chainwide. As of 2024, JCPenney stores operate over 10,000 Associate Kiosks prepared with the latest features.

User Experience Walkthrough of JCPenney Kiosk

Using the JCPenney Associate Kiosk is designed to be quick, intuitive, and user-friendly for associates. Here is an overview of the typical user experience:

Login

Associates provide their unique associate ID and password to instantly log in to JCP kiosk under their credentials.

Home Screen

The home screen displays useful at-a-glance information like active store promotions, work schedules, quick-access transaction buttons, etc.

Search

From the search bar, associates can look up inventory by item details, customer information by name or phone number, or general product queries.

Results

Search results are displayed in an easy-to-scan format. Inventory lookups show real-time floor, stockroom, and on-order quantities. Customer lookups include contact details and order history.

Item Information

Selecting an item from inventory search pulls up additional details like pricing, imagery, sizing, description, and exact floor location on an interactive store map.

Point-of-Sale

The POS window allows associates to ring up multiple items, apply discounts or gift cards, swipe credit cards, and print receipts.

Navigation

Natural bottom navigation makes it easy to jump between common features like inventory, POS, customer lookup, timekeeping, and store communications.

Settings

Associates can adjust settings like preferred language, brightness, and volume. Store leadership can control permissions and restrictions.

With its simple and efficient workflows, associates can navigate the JCPenney Associate Kiosk smoothly once trained on the basics.

Benefits for Associates & JCPenney

JCPenney Associate Kiosk Training and Adoption

Ongoing training is key as well so current associates stay up-to-date on new features and seasonal associates can get up to speed quickly.

To drive successful training among store associates, JCPenney utilized three key strategies:

• Hands-on Training Labs

Dedicated training labs were set up in each store where associates got hands-on practice using demo kiosk units to learn the system.

• Video Tutorials

Short video tutorials were developed covering step-by-step instructions for the most common kiosk uses like POS transactions and inventory lookup.

• Quick Reference Guides

Brief printable reference cards and posters with tips and shortcuts were distributed to associates for ongoing support.

In addition to formal training, leaders encouraged peer-to-peer collaboration. Experienced associates can provide guidance and best practice advice to new users to make adoption more organic.

JCPenney Associate Kiosk Maintenance and Support

JCPenney has strong maintenance and IT support resources to keep Associate Kiosks functioning perfectly:

Proactive Maintenance

Qualified in-house tech teams perform preventative maintenance checks on a regular basis to minimize downtime. This includes inspecting hardware, cleaning screens, installing updates, and more.

Remote Monitoring

Kiosk analytics and telemetry data are monitored remotely to identify issues proactively before they impact usability. Performance trends also inform improvements.

24/7 Help Desk

Associates can call the dedicated help desk number at any time to get immediate assistance with tech issues that disrupt their usage. Specialists can often resolve basic issues remotely.

Onsite Support

For complex repairs like hardware, software, or peripheral replacements, skilled technicians make site visits to resolve matters quickly and get kiosks functioning again.

Software Updates

Regular software improvements and patches are rolled out to improve performance, add capabilities, and keep the kiosk running.

With a tech staff dedicated exclusively to the Associate Kiosk, issues are handled swiftly, so associates have uninterrupted access to this critical tool.

Conclusion

JCPenney Associate Kiosk has changed the associate experience and allowed store teams to reach new heights of productivity and customer service. The intelligent interface, strong capabilities and easy accessibility allow associates to deliver personal assistance to shoppers and efficiently manage their responsibilities.

Finally, If you like this post, don’t forget to share it with others and if you have any questions or suggestions then comment down below.