What: Macy’s is using a cocktail of tech and training to empower its customer-facing employees.

Why it is important: In-store staff are now here to contribute to 4 customer pillars: discovery, convenience, service and engagement.

Macy's has restructured its employee training and development programs to meet the changing role of stores and store employees (94,570 full- and part-time staff).

The US department store chain now focuses on two tracks: customer-facing front-of-house roles and backroom operational work, compared with spreading specializations across many different responsibilities, an approach which prevented them from “being able to meet the customer where the customer needs”.

Most customer-facing employees now receive generalized training, which provides greater flexibility for both workers and customers, with the goal to contribute to discovery, convenience, service and engagement.

The company has also introduced augmented reality technology in its beauty department, and uses IBM's Watson technology to provide product information on its website and in call centers.

Macy’s Store Officer on how the labour force is evolving