Background
The retailer identified that effective collaboration with suppliers was essential to deliver the range, quality and value of products that its customers expect. Recognising that engaging with suppliers was essential to success, a solution was required to provide consistent and accurate information on policy, process and the other essential day-to-day operations. This vastly reduced the time and cost involved in making sure suppliers have the information and support they need to deliver safe, quality products.
Solution
The retailer chose supplier collaboration specialists, Supply Pilot, to provide a supplier platform that integrated with the retailer’s existing artwork and specification management systems to provide Key Performance Indicator (KPI) visual management around supplier collaboration and new product development.
The foundation of the platform was integrated supplier self-help that provided important, relevant and easy-to-digest information to suppliers 24/7, reducing the need for suppliers to contact the retailer.
All of this enabled the retailer to improve the quality of their supplier relationships whilst simultaneously reducing the resource needed to support them with self-service policy, branding, process, legal compliance and general ‘how-to’ information.
Impact
A Gartner/Avaya study has estimated that using a self-help platform is 74% cheaper than answering questions by either phone or email.
As a result of their self-help platform, suppliers now access online on average over 2,500 answers per month. This particular UK supermarket’s private label team saves an estimated £180k a year and helps suppliers to be more efficient by diverting queries away from employees and providing answers online.