At Home Depot, First Phone Junior

The world’s largest home improvement retailer has described its First Phone on-the-floor scanner and sales tool as a competitive advantage. Now comes the smaller version.

The mobile sales-floor device known as the Home Depot First Phone has been described as competitive advantage for the world’s largest home improvement retailer. Now comes the “First Phone Junior,” which has begun to roll out to all Home Depot stores, said Frank Blake during the company’s first-quarter earnings call. 

“This junior version of the First Phone provides our associates a tool that combines the communication features of a phone, with the product and inventory look-up features of the First Phone, but without the complex business analytics and product ordering functionality of the First Phone,” Blake said. “This allows us to spread the basic functionality of the First Phone throughout the store at a fraction of the cost.”

The phone takes its name from the initials FIRST, which stands for Find, Inquire, Respect, Solve and Thank -- key points to Home Depot’s approach to customer service.