The new Voices of Consumers Through Employees (VOCE) system sees employees logging real-time customer feedback on topics such as reactions to products, services, policies, store layouts and displays onto an intranet system.

Best Buy’s customer insights team will then analyse the information and generate “actionable consumer insight” from the data, the retailer said. Management can also quiz employees on the same issues through the system.

Bill Hoffman, the retailer’s senior vice president of consumer insights, explained: “Our ability to have more than a billion conversations with consumers annually gives Best Buy a leading advantage in the retail landscape. Keeping a pulse on the consumer mindset allows us to make effective decisions to improve the customer experience and the company’s bottom line unlike any other retailer. Real-time data allows us to make modifications in a matter of days versus months.”

The VOCE system has been introduced to all of Best Buy’s US stores over the course of the autumn.