2024 BEST PRACTICE AWARDS

Best Trade / Licensee Education Program

by KYLE SWARTZ

With 65 NH Liquor & Wine Outlet locations across the state , this years-long transition was a complete overhaul for NHLC , as the commission had utilized its legacy system , Mapper , for nearly 40 years . Now , NHLC uses a new system called NextGen , which unifies processes previously split between multiple customer relationship management and ordering services .

The new system features advanced ordering and inventory tools , and allows partners to easily submit and handle product allocations , acting as a one-stop solution for NHLC and its business partners .

Because NHLC had used the same system for decades , communication with its licensees , brokers and suppliers was of the utmost importance before launching NextGen in April 2024 . Leading up to the launch , NHLC sent out more than 45 email campaigns , and made nearly 2,000 outbound phone calls from its call center to commission partners to inform and train them on NextGen .

The teams behind this program designed and implemented the outreach specific to this new ordering process with five steps – define the objective , identify the audience , develop key messaging , choose communication channels and measure progress and adjust .

Define The Objective : The primary objective was to enhance communication with licensees to foster better relationships , improve compliance and keep them informed about relevant updates , policies and events .

Identify the Audience : The teams conducted an analysis to understand the different types of licensees they needed to communicate with , categorizing them based on on-premise , off-premise and enforcement .

Develop Key Messaging : The teams tailored messaging to each of these audiences , including developing a timeline of communications and cutoff deadlines .

Choose Communication Channels : The teams identified opportunities to interact with licensees , including email communications , invoice stuffers , mailers and phone calls .

Measure Progress and Adjust : The teams developed a dashboard allowing for metrics that could be used to understand progress and pivot where necessary .

Additionally , NHLC staff conducted more than 40 webinars to educate partners on the system and to give them opportunities to ask NHLC questions .

“ Because we utilized our legacy system , Mapper , for nearly 40 years , communication with licensees , brokers and suppliers was paramount ,” says NHLC chairman Joseph Mollica . “ We wanted our business partners to really engage in all education and training programs prior to the NextGen launch to ensure they would be ahead of the learning curve and comfortable with the new system . With nearly 50 email campaigns sent , thousands of calls made and more than 40 webinars hosted , our partners had extensive opportunities to ask questions and learn more about NextGen .”

“ We also developed a dashboard that allowed team members to input critical information in real-time and also seamlessly work on the project at the same time as others ,” adds Mollica . “ This also allowed us to create progress reports and effectively troubleshoot when partners would contact us for support .”

NHLC also created a landing page specifically for licensees , brokers and suppliers , which hosted user guides , several trainings on the system ’ s new features , customer service contact information and a chat feature for partners to directly interact with NHLC staff . The landing page generated more than 28,500 engagements and 1,000 chats from nearly 5,900 licensees . The results were positive . “ Licensees , brokers and suppliers were all impressed with the quantity and detail of communication sent prior to system launch ,” says Mollica . “ Partners also shared they thought the call center was well-staffed and equipped with the information needed to quickly troubleshoot issues and answer questions .” www . stateways . com Fall 2024 • StateWays 23