Social business and analytics are reshaping business. Successful marketing leaders, sales leaders, business operations leaders and every other part of the organization have modified critical customer facing business processes from product development to sales to become more efficient by gleaning insights from social business activity inside and outside the company.
But, while focusing on customer facing business processes is critical, one underlying area has been overlooked: the workforce. The changes brought about by social business are felt by each and every employee, from those in the field to the executives in the front office. Imagine if you could harness the power of your workforce and enable them to better serve your customers.
That is exactly what Slumberland Furniture did. Slumberland Furniture needed a more cost-effective and efficient way to communicate with its 120 geographically dispersed retail locations. The solution? An intranet portal they called SlumberLink.
SlumberLink gives all 2,300 Slumberland employees centralized access to pertinent, up-to-date information, and functional applications. Role-based access by department and store allow employees to easily find relevant information previously printed in the store operations manual, covering topics such as human resources, sales administration, merchandising and marketing.
As the name of the game in social business is speed, SlumberLink provides real-time product information including features and benefits, warranties, wood types, finishes, and fabric options. Sales associates have immediate access to the most current advertising program details and special offers from both Slumberland and its competitors. In addition, the portal automates the flow of time-sensitive financial information from each branch through distribution centers and ultimately to the accounting department at Slumberland’s headquarters.
The end result? An empowered workforce better positioned to engage with empowered consumers. Indeed, Slumberlink directly increased employee confidence and effectiveness in providing customer service thanks to faster access to information and applications. They even saved $100,000 annually by replacing courier services with electronic financial information capture and automated processing.
Results like these make providing our customers with an exceptional employee experience from IBM essential as a natural companion to a successful Smarter Commerce solution. They’re the two sides of the social business coin. Learn more in the Slumberland case study here and watch the customer testimonial video here.
Please join us at IBM Connect 2013, January 27-31, in Orlando, FL, to hear about the success companies such as Slumberland and many more are finding with social business and Smarter Commerce. Register at ibm.com/connect today!
