the collaboration and thoughtfulness that went into the integration process ,” says Marty Wadle , SVP of commercial solutions at Ruan . “ We ’ re now in the continuous improvement phase , which will allow us to drive out waste and improve service .”
The agency anticipates Ruan will bring them suggestions to make deliveries even more efficient and tailored to the needs of retailers . “ Ultimately , we think they ’ ll bring ideas to the table that we just couldn ’ t achieve when we were handling distribution ,” says Business Operations Chief Herb Sutton . “ That ’ s incredibly exciting to us and should be even more exciting to our customers .” •
NOVA SCOTIA WINS BEST TECHNOLOGY INNOVATION
Customer experience is key . When Jillian Regan , director of service excellence for the Nova Scotia Liquor Corporation , led a project to determine how the organization could become more customer-centric , one common response was : flexibility . Specifically , in purchasing products . The old system of reordering required phoning the NSLC sales desk , or sending in a fax . It was inefficient , and tied up staff . It was time for an upgrade . by KYLE SWARTZ
So the NSLC IT Team , Order Team and IT partners developed a new , wholesale ordering website , from which licensees and agency stores can now place orders , whenever they want , though a personal computer , tablet or mobile device . For this , the organization won Best Technology Innovation in our 2019 Best Practices . “ Remember , our customers do not work your typical 9-to-5 job ,” Regan explains . “ Bar owners are up to 2 or 3 a . m . Their busy times are the weekends , when our offices are closed .” By launching a web portal that supports flexibility , the NSLC “ let our customers know we are listening to them ,” she adds .
Customers can build custom orders to meet their menus , or better suit their locations , while also maintaining a list of their favorite products for repeat ordering . The platform also provides insight into promotions , new items , limited-time offerings , local products and out-of-stock items .
“ We used to send out a monthly email about what was on sale , discontinue , etcetera , but people are already besieged with too many emails ,” says Regan . “ This platform gives people the opportunity to go on the landing page and click on whatever products interest them , instead of getting all them in a mass email .”
The NSLC launched the pilot version of the program in April 2018 , with 20 licensees and four agency stores . Each customer was paired with a member of the sales desk as their personal guide in navigating the system . The NSLC also offered “ Taste and Train ” sessions at their premium store , The Port . This provided larger groups of customers the opportunity to learn about the new platform while sampling the newest offerings of rosés .
The system went live on May 21 of last year . The goal was to have 150 licensees using the portal within a year . The NSLC reached that target within nine months , Regan says , receiving “ extremely positive feedback from our customers regarding its ease of use , convenience and accuracy .”
“ We now see orders coming in when bars close at 2 a . m . as our wholesale customers embrace the flexibility to place their orders their way ,” she adds .
The platform proved so successful that the NSLC used it as the model for developing their online cannabis retail site , which went live in October 2018 .
Overall , the website was a “ collaboration that resulted in success ,” Regan says . This included multiple departments of the NSLC , outside developers and the NSLC customers themselves , who were brought in early on to test run the prototypes .
“ They would play with it and suggest changes ,” Regan says . “ They literally built it with us .”
The fine-tuning continues . In the future , the NSLC plans on enhancing the site ’ s interactivity , with an eye towards even greater customer friendliness . •
StateWays | www . stateways . com | September / October 2019 19