Imagine you’re a major player in the medical industry…hearing care. But your bottom line depends on the success of hundreds of corporate and franchise retail locations across the nation. Each location has specific needs: promotional items for store events and giveaways, logo apparel for employees, customer loyalty gifts and personalized store stationery.

Managing the logistics for a large and sometimes distant network of operations is difficult at best and if it's not done efficiently it can be costly too, diminishing your bottom line.

Sonus Hearing Care Professionals, a leading network of professionals providing diagnostic services and hearing aids through franchise operations across the county, was on the right track. The ordering and movement of promotional products—everything from balloons for store openings to coffee mugs, pens and apparel was managed through an online system. Just one problem: the system was inefficient and poorly managed.

Help!

After experiencing clerical errors and mismanaged inventory, the company asked GLS Account Executive Don Walstrom if GLS could help. Lisa Vietanen, one of the team members managing the site, says GLS was already their printer but when they learned of GLS' corporate store websites, they decided to switch vendors. She said the previous site offered little real automation. “We wanted a better site,” she said. “The one we had wasn't particularly user friendly.”

In fact, it didn’t even have images—only written descriptions—of the items available to the franchisees. But they knew what they wanted…an effective, Web-based online store that could be accessed by hundreds of individuals through a single portal, fast access to hundreds of off-the-shelf promotional items and customized stationery, and easily retrievable, up-to-the-minute usage and inventory data. All of it designed to assure consistent nationwide branding—and happy franchisees.

They got what they wanted.

GLS…not your traditional printer

Working with GLS Account Executive Don Walstrom, the development of the new site and switch-over was surprisingly fast. Within weeks the new store was live. Now, Sonus operations around the country could browse vivid images of available products and order like never before. “It's so much more eye appealing and user friendly,” says Lisa. As a result, the store has gained real support and usage is up.

And it offers much more than promotional items. Franchisees can order everything from routine hearing test and insurance forms to customized brochures, letterheads and business cards. Better yet, they don't even have to print—and warehouse—pre-printed shells. “We don't do that anymore. Now we print everything in color and on-demand—with digital printing. That means we don't have to hold inventory and if we change artwork we don't have any waste.”

Another thing Lisa likes is the data reporting system which notifies her when the inventory on any one item drops below a pre-set “re-order” level. She says that means she doesn't have to worry about depleted supplies and the delays they can cause. It also gives her an opportunity to decide whether to cut an item that is infrequently ordered.

In the end, Sonus got a system that allows it to manage promotional and marketing materials needed at more than a thousand diverse locations, maintain brand consistency, and support its franchisees and their marketing efforts with a user friendly interface—all while saving both money and time.

So, is everything better now? Lisa replies without hesitation: “Yes! Definitely!”

To learn more about Sonus Hearing Care Professionals, visit their website at www.sonus.com.