Convergence Training Improves Customer Experience and Increases Online Sales with Znode

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1 CUSTOMER SUCCESS Convergence Training Improves Customer Experience and Increases Online Sales with Znode Znode provides us the flexibility to literally do whatever we want. Add the fact that we have access to the source code for complete customization capabilities and to facilitate integration with other applications, and one can begin to understand the beauty of Znode s offering. -Kenny Della Valle, Production Manager CS

2 Convergence Training, a division of Capstone Technology, is a leader in learning management software and safety training for process manufacturers around the world. Their training solutions are created using 3D technology similar to that used to make Disney s Toy Story movies, resulting in high-end products that deliver engaging and interactive training experiences. In 2008, Convergence launched an online store at BuyBetterTraining.com that allows customers to buy a wide selection of DVDs or purchase training through online pay-per-view. Business Challenge The company s original storefront, built with off-the-shelf e-commerce software created bottlenecks that limited the company s ability to expand its online catalog and customize the ecommerce storefront. Solution Convergence deployed its new storefront, with Znode s e-commerce platform to improve the customer experience, accommodate a range of future ecommerce scenarios, better reflect the company s unique visual style, and ultimately grow online sales. The results include: Freedom to customize at will with open access to source code Product updates can be done in batches, reducing administration time and errors Unlimited product catalog features and search options make it easier to find products and improve overall customer experience and conversion BuyBetterTraining.com is on track to increase sales by 50% in 2010 Convergence Training 416 NE Dallas St. Camas, WA Phone: (888)

3 A Challenge for Future Business In its first year of operations, Convergence s original ecommerce site achieved considerable success, but the company s previous storefront software lacked flexibility and was limited in functionality. As a result, Convergence did not have the control it needed to expand its online DVD catalog or create a completely customized ecommerce storefront. Additional problems included: Lack of integration with company s CRM system and DVD production service limited the number of orders the company could manually process Changes to the store had to be done manually and uploaded individually, which was time consuming and error prone Limited product catalog and listing options Random errors, site downtime and transaction processing difficulties overloaded support staff with calls Managing the software was very labor intensive and expensive. Administrators were spending the majority of their time addressing site problems In our first year, we spent a significant amount of time fixing things, responding to customers concerns and hacking the storefront software to try to achieve the results we wanted, said Kenny Della Valle, production manager with Convergence Training. The software limited our ability to create a highly customized ecommerce store because everything we did had to fit into the software s format and designs. Lessons Learned: Re-platform for Flexibility and Growth After working with the previous platform for a year, we realized that what we really needed was the ability to customize the look and feel of everything, added Della Valle. In addition, we also learned that a more capable and flexible ecommerce platform could save us time and money and improve our customers overall shopping experience. Convergence needed an ecommerce solution that provided enough flexibility to accommodate a range of future ecommerce scenarios, considering the many ways in which the company s online business could evolve. In addition, while functionality and flexibility were critical, Convergence also wanted an ecommerce solution that allowed the company to create a site that reflected the distinct visual style of its products. 3

4 Solution: Znode s Flexible Ecommerce After evaluating a number of ecommerce solutions, including Aivea, Convergence selected Znode to replace its ecommerce software for the launch of its new site, BuyBetterTraining.com. Znode offered Convergence the following benefits: Ability to work in ASP.Net environment Ability to do everything through scripts and queries using SQL Server database Znode s customization capabilities and promotions engine Access to source code for additional customization and integration with other enterprise systems Della Valle stated, We learned a lot from our previous system about what we needed from an ecommerce platform that could help us grow in a way that wasn t disruptive to our business. Znode offers us that ability, and we re confident we can innovate and grow with this platform for a long time. Freedom to Customize at Will Znode provides us the flexibility to literally do whatever we want. Add the fact that we have access to the source code for complete customization capabilities and to facilitate integration with other applications, and one can begin to understand the beauty of Znode s offering. He added, Znode provides us the flexibility to literally do whatever we want. Add the fact that we have access to the source code for complete customization capabilities and to facilitate integration with other applications, and one can begin to understand the beauty of Znode s offering. Convergence administrators can now quickly manage product listings in bulk, uploading multiple changes at once using SQL Server. In addition, Znode s customization features and promotions engine allow Convergence to constantly update the store with new features and creative, interactive promotions to engage customers. An online Easter egg hunt, for example, increased the amount of time customers spent on BuyBetterTraining.com by as much as 20 percent as they searched various product categories and listings for eggs containing hidden coupon codes. 4

5 Streamlined Site Management Process Della Valle noted, Everything in Znode is clean and intuitive, and right out-of-the-box it streamlined our site management process, from making simple price changes to creating new categories and sales campaigns. We are now much more efficient with our time, and we are no longer just fixing problems. Znode allows us to quickly refresh the site, launch promotions to attract and retain customers, and focus on increasing sales by expanding our category and product listings; all things we were not able to do with our previous platform. In addition, with access to Znode s source code, Convergence can seamlessly integrate its shopping cart with its CRM and DVD production systems. Capturing e-commerce transaction data in the CRM system will help Convergence to better understand its customers shopping habits and needs. Integrating the shopping cart with the DVD production system will make it easier to manage inventory, ensuring that titles are in stock and ready to be shipped. Everything in Znode is clean and intuitive, and right out-of-the-box it Sales Increase by 50% streamlined our site management process, from making simple price changes to creating new categories and sales campaigns. We are now much more efficient with our time, and we are no longer just fixing problems. BuyBetterTraining.com is much more professional and intuitive than Convergence s original ecommerce store, delivering advanced search capabilities, convenient shop-by-category, brand and price options and featured product listings. Convergence s customers have expressed more confidence in doing business through the site and support calls have decreased. In addition, BuyBetterTraining.com is more reliable and better reflects the company s innovative training products. As a result, Convergence is putting more effort behind direct marketing and inside sales to drive online transactions. The company is on track to increase sales by 50% this calendar year. As online product sales and margins increase, Convergence is also planning to upgrade to Znode Multifront to add additional storefronts. Upgrading to Znode s Multifront will be the next logical and natural step for our e-commerce initiatives, concluded Della Valle. The ability to quickly and easily add multiple, highly customized storefronts using Znode s intuitive interface and designs will allow us to further target our sales and marketing efforts while accelerating our online business. 5

6 About Znode, Inc. Znode a Columbus, Ohio based company has established itself as an industry leading ecommerce solution. Our highly flexible ecommerce platform enables businesses to easily build and manage rich, multi-store and multi-device ecommerce websites with a significantly higher ROI. Znode is trusted by leading global brands including LoJack, Waste Management, Wawa, Channellock, Arbor Day Foundation, Sonos, Fechheimer (Berkshire Hathaway) and others. Znode is ranked #223 on the INC 500 list of America s fastest growing companies. Znode is a wholly owned subsidiary of Yell Group - a Global company that owns several media brands with over 1.3 million customers worldwide. Contact Us Znode, Inc Orion Place, Suite 120 Columbus, Ohio 43240, USA Tel: Intl: Web: Resources Product Overview: Live Demo: Customer Portfolio: