Change Management for B2B eCommerce
Key Objectives: harmonizing technology with business growth, steering cultural shifts, and preserving a customer-centric approach amidst the whirlwind of change.
Case Study
Unisan Products
INDUSTRY: Facility Supply, eCommerce, Local Business
SOFTWARE & SYSTEMS: Epicor Prophet21 & Salesforce
Key Results:
- reduced 83% of stagnant SKUs
- improved bottom line revenues 19%
- merchandised over 1,300 product pages
- transitioned client base to automated ordering
- created process for client onboarding
About the Business
In an increasingly digital market, a leading facility supply company realized the potential of an effective eCommerce platform to empower their B2B clientele.
The most promising opportunity was automating the replenishment of frequently purchased facility supplies, so they invested in an ERP (enterprise resource planning) system to create consistency for these frequently placed orders.
As is the case with over 60% of ERP implementations, the roll out left a lot to be desired. Instead of streamlining operations, it shined a spotlight on their inefficiencies. As a family-owned business the company was firmly entrenched in the belief that people were the highest value assets any company could have, on both sides of the table.
So, the company doubled down on their sales training to accelerate the onboarding of new clients to the new online ordering system. After spending tens of thousands on multiple professional coaches, and weeks in team trainings, they still weren’t seeing the traction they had anticipated and 95% of sales were still happening mostly on the phone or during on-site visits.
After awhile, it became clear that the problem wasn’t a lack of personnel. It was a lack of adoption by their sales people and their customers. They brought in a marketing consultant and in the end, got so much more than they asked for.
The Challenge
As family-owned legacy business, Unisan’s procurement process over the 40 years they had been operational was a bit ad hoc. As a result, their warehouse inventory had grown in an unwieldly fashion.
Their existing catalog, comprising over 8,000 products in 13 different categories was cumbersome and not optimized for online sales. Furthermore, they had thousands of stagnant SKUs and outdated inventory sitting in their warehouse.
Product data was sparse and completely unsearchable, meaning that despite their best efforts, client orders still had to go through a manual process with a sales person. For a catalog including everything from toilet paper to industrial chemicals, many products were impossible to differentiate creating an experience that users couldn’t navigate even if they tried.
They also faced cultural challenges. Whereby the online ordering system was a technical marvel for a business that had been bootstrapped for so long, their current customers were not accustomed to placing orders online. There was a need for a cultural shift within the company towards a digital-first approach to their operations and services that integrated the desired digital transformation they had invested in.
The Approach
Taking an interdepartmental approach and “going native” as a part of the management team, TGC Consulting Group undertook a systematic approach to help Unisan lay the groundwork to effectively leverage their ERP.
The three major tiers of this engagement were:
(1) refining Unisan’s product range to align with actual customer demand (and to move stale inventory)
(2) building out their product data to be searchable and appropriately merchandised, and finally
(3) spearheading their brand’s culture shift by creating and training the team on a client orientation and onboarding process.
Ongoing Meetings: This process entailed biweekly meetings with the management team and monthly reporting to the board of directors with Special Projects progress, major achievements, KPI performance and forecasting.
Training: New SOPs were created for onboarding current clients, and the ongoing orientation of new clients. Internal teams were trained and the process was assigned ongoing KPIs to ensure accountability and prioritization.
To ensure the entire team was on board with the new changes, Unisan hosted a series of company-wide orientations. These sessions aimed to align team members with the newly created service culture, best practices, and user activations related to the company’s digital transformation.
The Results
The result of these strategic actions was a successful transition to a robust E-Commerce platform that generated $2.3M in online revenue in the first 90 days, contributing to a 19% increase in annual earnings. Additionally, they were able to refine their catalog to the best, most requested 1,387 products. The Customer Service team succeeded in onboarding their entire customer base of to their online platform, and committed to an ongoing onboarding process.
The successful transition to the Epicor Prophet21 ERP system streamlined their business processes, leading to increased efficiency and productivity. Through ongoing orientations, the company culture was realigned to embody a service-oriented approach embracing digital transformation. This shift not only led to improved business results but also fostered a cohesive and forward-thinking team culture.
Our collaboration with this exemplary team is a testament to our commitment and ability to serve our clients’ immediate and long-term needs, setting the stage for sustainable success.
It is this commitment, underscored by a humble appreciation for the trust placed in us by our clients, that we promise to bring to future collaborations.
It was a rewarding journey assisting them through their transformational phase, utilizing our industry knowledge and strategic approach to foster their digital transition. We look forward to the opportunity to learn, grow, and achieve together with you.