36 CASESTUDY


ENHANCED COMMUNICATIONS IMPROVES EAST CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE


EAST, the women’s lifestyle clothing and accessories retailer, has implemented a centralised communications strategy to improve communications between head offi ce and its 100 retail outlets


Customers are benefi tting from an improved shopping experience, underscored by increased effi ciency and no downtime; which instore, translates to shorter queues and faster service


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ince launching in 1984, the EAST brand has grown signifi cantly. Based in London and employing 670 people – 100 at its head offi ce and the remainder in its stores – the retailer found communicating information to all of its locations and staff members to be an arduous process. For example, if management wanted to inform staff members that it was launching a new promotion, they had to make contact with each individual outlet by post and await a response. Not only did this cost thousands of pounds per year in postage costs and prove highly time-consuming, an additional downside was unpredictable delivery times. Locations at further distances – especially those in Scotland – were typically receiving correspondence less promptly than at other stores. As a result, not every outlet was aware of the information as early as management would have hoped, which threatened brand consistency. Additionally, head offi ce had no way of knowing which of its stores had successfully received and actioned the messages, further confusing matters. The retailer therefore required an online network that


would remove the need for traditional postal services and one, which would increase effi ciency and strengthen its internal communications. To achieve these objectives, EAST selected a fully managed multiprotocol label switching (MPLS) network, from retail communications solutions provider Vodat International, along with a wireless extension to facilitate the use of Apple iPads that have also been supplied to each store to be used as an accompanying business tool. The tablet deployment serves to further strengthen communications, improve customer


service and drive sales. EAST signed the contract with Vodat in August 2010 and the rollout was completed just three months later. By removing the ISDN lines, the retailer is saving £1,700 per month, which is a huge cost saving to the business, and the cost of implementing the Vodat network has already been covered by the removal of all ISDN lines. In total, East will save over £40,000 per year; with £30,000 savings over previous network costs, and an additional £11,000 saved in print and postage costs (part of which stems from the transference of the internal company magazine from traditional print to digital format, reducing costs while also increasing both ease and speed of communications). EAST is also using the ‘Retail Answers’ service, which


makes use of a multi-purpose communications facility designed specifi cally for the retail sector. One of the major benefi ts of this is that EAST now has enhanced visibility of its store operations across the entire company. For instance, if head offi ce now asks staff at every store to reboot their tills, they no longer have to contact each store individually – instead, they can send just one group email, along with the ability to manage the results. Critically, EAST can now see who hasn’t responded, which effectively enables ‘management by exception’ – an easy and convenient way to oversee operations at such a large number of stores as EAST boasts. Retail Answers also has the functionality to conduct surveys, questionnaires and source other feedback as and when it is required. Another benefi t comes via a new electronic funds


transfer at point of sale (EFTPoS) solution. Because the network is run by Vodat – which is responsible for holding the data – EAST no longer has to undergo Payment Card Industry (PCI) accreditation, as Vodat’s system itself is already PCI-compliant. Angus Stewart, head of IT at EAST, commented:


“Vodat has not just delivered an IT solution, but rather an entire business solution: because of the implementation, we have been able to roll out a full MPLS network on a national scale, serving as an entire communications tool which has engendered swift and effi cient communication across the board. “Crucially, customers are benefi tting from an improved shopping experience, underscored by increased effi ciency and no downtime; which instore, translates to shorter queues and faster service.”


RETAIL TECHNOLOGY NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2011


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