The Situation

Time was a challenge for NZ Lotteries' sales team. Covering vast distances to reach their retail outlets during business hours accounted for a large amount of their working day. But what really hindered the situation was a laborious paper-based reporting system, used to monitor store appearance, branding, and the success of promotions.

“The negatives of this system were that sales representatives had to write down information while they were trying to talk with the store manager,” says Chris Lyman, General Manager Retail Sales, Auckland. “It also created a massive amount of paperwork, data entry and filing back at the office, as well as delays in our ability to analyse the data.”

The cumbersome reporting process meant that it could be weeks before Sales managers were able to review store and promotion performance. In turn, this hampered NZ Lotteries' ability to make time-critical business decisions.

On top of that, day-to-day productivity of the 20-strong sales team was suffering. They were having to return to the office regularly for tasks like checking emails, sending faxes and keeping up with appointments.

Actions & results

After thoroughly assessing the situation, it was clear to Vodafone Account Manager, Brett Endicott-Davies, that the logical choice was BlackBerry®.

BlackBerry handhelds offered all the functionality NZ Lotteries required. They were easy to use, secure and highly cost-effective. Furthermore, BlackBerry technology was easily integrated with their existing IT infrastructure.

It wasn't long before the sales reps were equipped with BlackBerry handhelds. While back at Head Office, the BlackBerry Enterprise Server was incorporated into the IT infrastructure to provide central administration of the devices.

BlackBerry unleashes sales staff

BlackBerry's push-based email meant that NZ Lotteries sales reps could receive email in real time, wherever they happened to be in their travels. No longer were they reliant on powering up a laptop or searching for an Internet connection.

Furthermore, with BlackBerry's mobile calendar features, reps have also been able to do away with the need for traditional diaries, or checking laptops to stay on top of appointments.

“The push based email from BlackBerry is one of the most important benefits for us because it means we don't have to come back to the office and wade through a mass of emails,” comments Chris Lyman. “My team now only comes into the office a couple of half days during the week, making them much more efficient.”

“For all of us, it's an extension of our desktop while we are out on the road and at the stores”

Lyman is also impressed by the long-life battery capability of BlackBerry devices, and the ability to recharge through the USB connection on computers.

To ensure sales reps would hit the ground running, NZ Lotteries utilised Vodafone's Mobile Mentor when the BlackBerry handhelds were introduced. Mobile Mentor offered a one-on-one service that allowed reps to become familiar with the features and benefits of BlackBerry devices in the shortest possible time.

It all added up to greater independence for the sales team. Without the need to check back into the office so often, the company was able to reduce unnecessary and expensive travel time.

METAmessage and BlackBerry prove a powerful combination.

One of the real strengths of the BlackBerry offering is that its existing functionality could be extended with a third-party data solution for NZ Lotteries' sales force. The opportunity here was to overhaul their cumbersome call report process.

The perfect application for the job was METAmessage.

METAmessage software on the BlackBerry handheld would enable sales staff to manage their reports wirelessly. It didn't require complex hardware, and as with BlackBerry, it could be scaled independently of existing IT systems. On top of that, METAmessage offered the flexibility NZ Lotteries required, as report forms could be easily customised to specific promotions, or even specific retail outlets.

BlackBerry & METAmessage incorporates triple DES and AES encryption, handheld password protection and centrally administered lockdown policies.

Now, with BlackBerry/METAmessage in place, reps are no longer burdened by having to fill out reports by hand. All they have to do is select the right form, click on the answers to set questions and send away.

Reports are routed direct to the company's database with absolute security, which is a key factor for NZ Lotteries. The application incorporates triple DES and AES encryption, handheld password protection and centrally administered lockdown policies.

Back-office benefits

The difference back at Head Office couldn't be more obvious. Gone are the never-ending reams of paperwork - as is the need for laborious data entry and constant filing.

The system now generates a store report summary every week, instead of the previous one per month. This makes it much easier to keep track of what's going on. METAmessage provides a quick capture of the business and its results.

”With a sales person now entering the information on the BlackBerry device, our marketing team has a way of seeing the key successes as they happen, so they can plan future marketing efforts,“ Lyman enthuses. ”Without a doubt, BlackBerry has improved the operation.”

Greater efficiencies all round

A particularly big payoff is that the sales team are now able to allocate their time far more effectively. Previously, reps would schedule an appointment with a retail outlet because work might be necessary - not because it definitely was necessary. Now, with accurate information available more readily, processes have become demand based, as they can actually see when and where their attention is required.

Beyond the company itself, the benefits have also filtered through to the outlets. It's now clear for retailers to see that their feedback on promotions is accurately captured and quickly used to hone and develop future marketing propositions. Certainly, retailers approve of the new process. They also appreciate the fact that accessing sales reps has become considerably easier.

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