Challenge

One of Microlog’s retail clients has 500 store managers that are busy with customers and employees, so it’s easy for them to miss hard deadlines for daily replenishment of products and supplies. Retail stores never want to run low on anything, making timely, daily ordering key to success.

The retail firm’s executives wanted to help its managers get daily orders in on time – without interrupting their acute attention to customers. Hence, they were faced with several challenges:

• Providing a solution that didn’t interrupt the daily routine and focus on servicing customers and training employees.



• A system that would leverage employee preference for telephone-based communications.



• Integrating the solution to an existing store inventory system.

Solution

Microlog professionals were called in to study the problem – and delivered a communications solution that met the client’s business goals within their existing communications culture.

• A telephone-based message system was implemented to automatically remind store managers to place daily orders. Follow-up alerts are placed as deadlines approach – but only to managers that are at risk in missing their deadlines.



• The solution was designed to adapt to other communication needs. For example, the solution is used to broadcast pre-recorded messages about planned company events or filter messages that are departmental specific.



• Ad hoc messaging is used to communicate information about unplanned events such as weather alerts, last-minute announcements, or notifications about breaking news that could impact store operations.

Results

As a result of the Microlog solution,

• The system is operational in all 500 stores. Meeting daily order deadlines has improved dramatically.
• The solution is managed by a single individual. The new system distributes thousands of messages per day.
• Other business metrics that have been positively impacted include revenue, employee morale, retention, and more optimum inventory levels.