B2B portal for a unique company–customer relationship
22/06/2023
It is undeniable that today the world moves very quickly.
We are always in a rush, we never seem to have time or patience to wait, and very often we prefer to avoid human contact. Just think of the spread of kiosks in restaurants, allowing us to order our favourite dish while still listening to music, or the apps that let us do the shopping and pick it up from a locker, away from overcrowded aisles or long checkout queues.
At the same time, today’s consumer is looking for a personalised experience, one that creates an intimate relationship with the brand, whose role is to make them feel special.
These may seem like two opposing trends, yet there is one crucial link: technology, which makes their coexistence possible.
Is it possible to bring the same experience from the B2C world into B2B?
Our B2B portal was created with exactly this in mind: we wanted to put in the hands of baristas, restaurateurs and store managers of affiliated shops a tool that would allow them to place an order quickly, even at two in the morning, without having to wait for a sales rep, go to a cash & carry or make a phone call just to reorder.
We started from this point and, together with our customers, sought to place the company–customer relationship (supermarket chains, cash & carry, food service and distributors on one side; Ho.Re.Ca. and affiliated supermarkets on the other) at the centre of this journey. Our aim was to provide a range of services that would make the customer feel unique and special, while making the tool as human as possible.
By accessing the B2B portal , the customer will find their commercial terms, preferred sales units, a suggested product selection, dedicated offers and the option to immediately order the products they usually purchase.
In addition, they will receive communications directly on the homepage—without having to wait for a phone call, an email or a message—and will have all their documents (delivery notes, invoices, credit notes, etc.) in a single tool, saving time otherwise wasted searching through different communication channels.
When the sales representative visits them, there will be more time to provide advice on new products, promotions or replacements, while at the same time the customer will no longer need to travel to the nearest cash & carry.
Finally, they will be able to pay their invoices directly through the B2B portal, after checking their account status.
To conclude, here is a brief summary of the benefits for customers:
At Aton, we like to describe it as a B2B portal with integrated e-commerce, because the ordering process is just one part of a solution that also provides many other services, creating a unique relationship between customer and company.
In this article, I have focused on the B2B customer experience, but what are the advantages for the company?
Stay tuned for the next episodes!
