Lindt Australia
VIPS create infield smart device applications to meet today’s demand for mobility and speed of execution. Solutions can include any combination of existing VIPS applications or customised solutions.
field sales, sales solutions, software, smart device sales applications
17428
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Lindt

Lindt

Lindt Australia Focuses on Team Accountability

 

Background

The Lindt & Sprüngli Group (commonly known as Lindt) is a global luxury Swiss chocolate and confectionery brand with distribution and sales companies across four continents.

 

Lindt Australia is a subsidiary of the group. Headquartered in Sydney, the company has 135 field employees and 20 outsourced field contractors Australia-wide.

 

In 2012, Lindt Australia conducted an in-depth review of its field data collection system. This involved a tendering process with several potential technology partners – including their existing provider, VIPS.

 

Choosing a partner with proven FMCG experience and a strong understanding of the sector was a key focus for Lindt.

 

The brief

National Field Operations Manager, Linda Petrovski, wanted a way to give Business Managers the intelligence they need to make fast, strategic decisions – a necessity in today’s increasingly competitive FMCG industry.

 

Her priority was team accountability, with measurement as the overarching business objective.

 

• To achieve this, she was in search of a new data collection system that could:

• Measure field team output and performance

• Assess productivity according to key criteria (such as store visit start and finish times)

• Track stock distribution

• Evaluate store compliance

• Gather market and competitor intelligence

 

The solution

In February 2013, Ms Petrovski led a company-wide rollout of a new fully-managed mobility field solution. And she appointed VIPS as the preferred technology partner once again.

 

The project involved:

 

1. An discontinuation of the existing data collection system

2. Implementation of a new mobile system via the iPad (including staff training)

3. Launch of multiple new applications across the business for improved productivity and reporting

 

Some of these new VIPS applications included:

 

• Merchandiser Wages Collection

• Store Visit Reporting

• Product Distribution Checks

• Shelf Management Checks

• Store Maintenance Requests

• Messaging Service (including voice, video and closed community email)

• Field Resource Library (for OH&S videos, training manuals and other important documents)

• Management Reporting (with real-time results and customised reports)

 

The outcome

The system was implemented within an extremely short timeframe – and the Lindt field team was quick to adopt the new technology. This was thanks to the following key factors:

 

• A clear and intuitive system user-interface

• An in-depth staff training program

• Ongoing access to technical support for all field staff

 

Field Managers were also delighted with the new system. In particular, the new-found ability to access rich information in real time was a significant improvement on the old system (which took days to deliver poorer quality data).

 

The final word

‘We ultimately chose VIPS because of their FMCG expertise, the scope of information they could help us collect and the variety of reporting methods available. And we couldn’t be happier with our decision. The implementation phase went smoothly and the ongoing service from VIPS is excellent. Nothing is ever a problem. The project definitely exceeded our expectations and we look forward to a strong working relationship with VIPS for years to come.’

– Linda Petrovski, National Field Operations Manager, Lindt Australia