Sergey Krbashyan, POSITRONICA network CEO, told about the specifics of Internet service management in electronics shops with a large number of franchise partners.
- What is the IT service structure at your company?
Our IT service is divided into two units: support and development. Support services are provided by HELPDESK that processes incoming fault requests or send them for reworking. Development is a design approach. An individual team of specialists and consultants is formed for each specific project. Once the development project is ready, it will be sent to the support department, which provides its integration and implementation into important IT projects.
- Which IT and telecommunications projects have been completed by your company for the previous year? Which priority tasks are set for your company this year?
This year we have launched our new online shop based on the “1C: Bitrix” platform integrated into the ERP system. Till the end of the year we have to redirect all the project partners to a new site and to develop related tools that allow to fully turn to omni-channel sales. This is a step-by-step procedure, but even now we are receiving positive feedback from our franchise partners who appreciate a comfortable updated version of our new website for partners and customers. Along with that, POSITRONICA constantly improves its new website to meet latest trends.
- How does your company deal with automation of the customer support service?
Since POSITRONICA is a franchising project, we use two types of cooperation: cooperation with our partners and with our customers. I think we have leached a good level of the franchise support automation, but the sky is the limit. For the time being, we give top priority to automation of the customer service support as this is the critical component of our project and the retail network at large.
- How does your company handle electronic document management?
Because of the specifics of our agreements that shall be registered, and taking into account the long term of contracts, we cannot estimate the expediency of electronic document management. The franchise partners are able to have several product suppliers. One of the major suppliers is MERLION our partners are working with, using e-document management through DIADOC (http://merlion.com/partners/diadoc/). Not all companies use e-document management, but growth rates of its application are impressive.
Do you use IT outsourcing services for your operations?
Our company's IT staff is sufficient, that is why we do not need to ask for IT outsourcing.
- What part of the company's business can be referred to e-commerce? Is there an option for full upgrade to e-commerce?
In 2016, we opened 19 full-format shops and 26 outposts within the POINT online service network, which finally formed 169 sales offices across Russia (stats as of April 1, 2017). We shall note that the tendency for online shopping is growing, but the percentage of offline sales still remains considerably higher. For now, we plan to reach 25 % of network sales through online sales by 2019.
- Which effect do information technologies have on the company’s business? Do they help increase income? Which departments at your company usually initiate new IT projects – IT service or business?
If you catch up with fast-developing information technologies, they may earn substantial profit and also may optimize the company’s business processes. We are constantly integrating new technologies, and this approach has a positive effect on the development of our business. As a rule, company’s employees come up with new ideas.
-For the time being, can you fully automate the client service processes at sales outlets?
For now, there are many consumers who need help of selling assistants; this explains why offline sales are more popular than online options.
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