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Berry Bros. and Rudd
Business Challenge
Berry Bros. & Rudd (BBR) is Britain's
oldest wine and spirit merchant and one of the oldest
in the world, trading from the same shop for over
300 years. Today the present generation of Berrys
and Rudds continues to manage the family-owned wine
merchant business, renowned for its standard of service
and quality of care, storage and provenance.
In 1995 BBR launched bbr.com, extending the market
for its range of fine wines and spirits by providing
a complete high quality service online. BBR’s online
service has grown steadily since the web site was
launched and is now an integral part of its UK and
worldwide business.
However, with shops around the UK, Ireland, Hong Kong
and Shanghai as well as an expanding global workforce
and extensive list of products and services, the company
was experiencing some internal problems. There was
no intranet, file sharing was becoming increasingly
difficult as existing network drives were becoming
slower and harder to navigate, and documents were
regularly duplicated. Communication between each office
was poor and staff were heading towards a breakdown
in teamwork and understanding of company aims and
objectives. The company had hit a crossroads, not
only with its communications systems but also with
a workforce that had a poor sense of community and
corporate identity.
It was agreed that a content and knowledge management
system was required to build an Intranet, Extranet
from the ground up and manage the web site.
Knowledge Management Requirements
Key considerations were the flexible but solid infrastructure
offered by Claromentis™, as well as its extensive range
of functionality, tried and tested modules and affordable
price. BBR required very little customisation, apart
from the visual interface. More importantly the company
needed a system that would unite its fragmented workforce
through effective communications, knowledge sharing
and teamwork.
Starting the Project
One of BBR’s
key considerations at the start was speed of installation
and ease of maintenance. BBR’s team wanted a system
that gave them the freedom to implement ongoing enhancements
with little or no consultancy.
"The intuitive nature of the software
and the willingness of the support team to respond
to ongoing enhancement requests has resulted in strong
usage of the intranet. The follow-up and training
provided has meant we are able to move forward quickly
in seeing the benefits of improved internal communication."
Alex Murray, Intranet Project Manager, Berry
Bros. & Rudd
Overcoming the Problems
The Claromentis™
team worked with the BBR team at every stage of the
build to assess the needs and idiosyncrasies of the
business. By working together, BBR and Claromentis™
were able to plan and implement a productive model
within a very short time frame. However, BBR had another
problem to overcome – the initial skepticism of its
people that an Intranet would make any difference
to their sense of corporate identity, or help them
communicate with other divisions of the company situated
around the UK and across the Globe. BBR focused on
the ease of communication provided by Claromentis™,
particularly the forums functionality, to encourage
contact across the company.
The Results
BBR was
able to implement the software easily under the guidance
of the Claromentis™ team, with the project taking
just 8 weeks from start to finish. The compatibility
of the software and responsive support from the Claromentis™
team to ongoing enhancement requests has resulted
in strong usage of the Intranet. The follow-up and
training provided has enabled the company to move
forward quickly and maximise the benefits of improved
internal communication.
Since the implementation of Claromentis™, Berry Bros.
& Rudd has achieved the following:
- A fully functional Extranet and Intranet site.
- A single source for documentation with permission
based access widely used.
- Improved communication and idea sharing across the
business through wide use of the forum facility.
- Fragmented geographical locations united through
staff identification.
- Improved ad hoc internal contact, reducing inbox
clutter.
- Individual departments now actively sharing useful
information at a glance.
- Improved staff management through the new administration
facility.
"Feedback has been excellent from
both management and staff. Since implementing ClaromentisT
we have seen a clear increase in efficiency and quality
of internal communication."
Alex
Murray
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