Auckland, New Zealand – FMCG distributor Wilson once used couriers to deliver sales and marketing information to its 20 territory managers. The weekly chore took time and cost thousands of dollars. Knowing that territory managers are seldom, if ever, without their tablets, Wilson figured there was a smarter way to distribute and manage sensitive information. They were right.
“With Stellar Library, no one loses or misfiles information, as it’s in their personal library on their tablet. Everything is controlled by a central librarian in the office, and we can see who has accessed which documents, when.”
– John Hall | Finance Administration Manager | www.wilson.co.nz
Rethinking document management
Wilson isn’t a household name, but the brands they represent in supermarkets, and other specialist channels are on the lips of household shoppers everywhere – names like Guylian, Diamond, SPAM, DYC, to name a handful.
Wilson’s 20 territory managers cover a lot of ground to keep the brands they represent on shop shelves, and their retail and wholesale customers up-to-date with product and marketing information. Their jobs were made tougher by the sheer weight of paper they were required to keep handy.
Each week territory managers received a courier package of information. Someone at Wilson’s head office had to produce, bundle and dispatch individual dossiers.
It took time and cost thousands of dollars.
There had to be a better way.
Wilson’s Stellar Library transformation
Digitising paper processes is nothing new – and it was a step Wilson’s was ready to make. But then the challenge was finding a system designed for tablets that would securely manage file and document distribution.
Wilson’s got down to work with Stellar Library. Now, its territory managers access documents they need from a virtual bookcase on their tablets. Paper is history, and document delivery is instant.
More than that, Wilson retains total control of its information. Document owners – in Wilson’s case, business analysts – function as librarians, who upload files to a browser-based document library and determine which documents appear on a territory manager’s virtual tablet bookcase.
Territory managers can open and view files, without being able to share or download them for transfer (unless they’ve been granted access to do so).
At any time, Wilson’s business analysts can update and withdraw files and documents on nominated tablets.
Security, speed, and consistency
Wilson finance and administration manager John Hall loves the speed and consistency that Stellar Library has brought to Wilson’s document management.
“The great thing about Stellar Library is consistency,” he says. “Everyone gets the same information at the same time, and everyone is working from the right file version.”
No excuses
He also likes Stellar Library’s closed system, because nothing gets lost.
“No one can lose information because it’s in their personal library, which is controlled by the central librarian in the office. No one can offer excuses like the courier failed to arrive,” says Hall.
Control
Hall says he dabbled with cloud-based document storage and syncing services. But there were two factors that turned him off. He couldn’t police how far files and documents travelled. And the process of publishing and sharing documents wasn’t user-friendly.
“Control is important,” he says. “Stellar Library’s librarian features allow us to lock down our information. No one can walk away with information because we have total control over a user’s ability to download, print and email individual files.”
Hall describes his dalliance with cloud storage services as “cumbersome”. “Publishing and sharing documents was difficult – it just wasn’t user-friendly,” he says. “Stellar Library makes the job so easy. We’re able to instantly publish directly to personal libraries.”
“Stellar Library is extremely cost-effective – look at how much we’ve saved in courier tickets alone,” says Hall.