Customer Stories: Ocado
4046
Of your peers have already read this article.
2:30 Minutes
The most insightful time you'll spend today!
Ocado is the world’s largest online-only grocery store. But Ocado isn’t your typical corner grocery store. For one thing, there’s no corner as we’re an online-only grocery retailer reaching British households, and now with a fast-growing non-food business alongside. Our customers shop online using our award-winning webshop or mobile apps and then their orders are picked and packed in one of our huge automated warehouses, the largest of their kind in the world; hours later, our vans deliver to their kitchens in one-hour delivery slots.
Google Workspace allows us to do things our way, wherever and whenever we want. Our staff use Gmail, Google Calendar and Google Drive to stay on top of their day to day work, and Google+ is helping our teams stay in touch, share information and build local communities. Ultimately, all of these tools help to make sure our customers get the groceries they order, on time and in the best possible condition.
But we didn’t stop there. We looked at other ways we could use Google’s technology to help us run our business and started using Google App Engine for building internal applications. For example, we used App Engine to create a new version of our “Where’s My Order” application, which our customers will soon be using to find out where their orders are within our production cycle. Once their order is on the road, the integration with Google Maps allows them to see exactly where their delivery van is. So we’re taking what used to be a chore, grocery shopping, and making it a simple experience that you can do from the convenience of your own home, or wherever you may be.
Our most recent project was on Google Compute Engine. Within our warehouses there are certain tasks that are repetitive and arduous for humans to do, like picking heavy six packs of bottled water into customer orders. So our robotics team is developing solutions that use robots to automate these sorts of tasks and thus release staff for other more important work. But these robots need sophisticated 3D vision systems to enable them to see what they are doing. These are very computationally intensive applications and by providing the instantly flexible and scalable computing power to crunch all those numbers, Compute Engine provided the perfect solution. And, we are already using the cloud to store and process some of the huge volumes of data that our business spits out every minute.
But with an eye to future growth and international expansion, we have plans to use Compute Engine and Cloud Storage to move other parts of our production systems to the cloud. So walk into an Ocado warehouse in the future and you might run into a robot if you’re not careful. Like I said, we’re not your typical corner grocery store.
*Google Workspace was formerly known as G Suite
4442
Of your peers have already downloaded this article
3:48 Minutes
The most insightful time you'll spend today!
By focussing on win-win outcomes for buyers, sellers, and the communities in which it operates, the OLX Group has become a leading online trading platform with 17 brands, 4,000 employees across the world, and 300 million monthly users.
When the company wanted to improve communication and collaboration between teams around the world without imposing a top down solution, it used G Suite.
The OLX Group wanted to help its leadership team communicate its goals effectively and keep its local teams empowered. The company looked for a solution to address its communication needs and improve collaboration in a simple, easy-to-use way that could be rapidly deployed across its workforce.
“We needed to connect everybody and have a product that we could scale to the whole world. Our leadership and culture embrace change, so there’s always an open door to test new technologies that will help us improve and move fast. Google is, I think, a perfect example of that,” says Ana Garcia, Global Head of Communications at OLX Group.
The OLX Group has found a solution that connects all its teams across the world without compromising autonomy.
“Having a single document where managers in every country can input content at the same time is great. It’s the ultimate collaboration and I think it’s something that only Google can do for you,” she says.
Google Cloud’s Virtual Appointment Scheduling Tool (VAST) Helps State of Arizona Recover from Unemployment Situation
6540
Of your peers have already read this article.
2:00 Minutes
The most insightful time you'll spend today!
When the world was forced to go primarily online, state governments also faced the reality of needing to provide community services without the health risk of meeting in person. Old systems that relied on interpersonal contact could not keep up. An unprecedented number of displaced workers swamped every unemployment system. The capacity challenges weren’t limited to state labor departments either. Everything from birth certificates and marriage licenses to apostilles and court system services that could usually be handled by a simple walk-in had to be scheduled in advance. Both internal and external communication suffered.
To meet these challenges, many organizations turned to new technology solutions and innovative approaches.
How VAST helped Arizona get back to work
The State of Arizona had tens of thousands of constituents who relied on pandemic unemployment insurance and would also need tools to reenter the workforce.Tim Tucker, Deputy Administrator of the Workforce Development Administration for the Arizona Department of Economic Security, started preparing in late 2020. He collaborated with Google Cloud and SADA to introduce the Virtual Appointment Scheduling Tool (VAST) to State of Arizona staff members. Using VAST reduced the excessive workload taken on by the Workforce Development Administration as they got Arizona back to work. VAST lets constituents book an appointment, upload documents and forms, and conduct career counseling virtually. This helped constituents move through the system faster so they could successfully reenter the workforce.
That preparation paid off. As of September 2021, Arizona had recovered the majority of the jobs lost during the pandemic. It has also seen one of the smallest percent change in employment compared with pre-pandemic numbers. Even more impressive, Arizona is one of only five states where unemployment claims are now lower than pre-pandemic numbers. Using VAST helped them get people back to work faster and has become a permanent part of their unemployment program.
Bringing streamlined services to the community
To fully realize a solution to the challenges faced by our public sector customers, we focused on three key areas in which we knew we needed VAST to excel:
- Efficient staff allocation
- Streamlined internal meetings
- Confident constituent interactions
We also knew our customers needed to get VAST online fast, and it needed to work with existing infrastructure without requiring a total overhaul. These areas informed the design of VAST’s features and have allowed us to meet the challenges faced by agencies such as the Arizona Department of Economic Security.
Virtual Agent support and integrations
VAST gives constituents 24×7 virtual agent support powered by Google Cloud’s contact center AI virtual agents. Virtual agents are custom programmed to fit the specific needs of each agency and community they serve. It’s easy to add new options and information whenever an update is needed. Virtual agents can be designed to understand the user’s intent and serve up relevant content for a smooth user experience on both ends of the system. Virtual agents run at scale and offer multi-language support, ensuring they can serve everyone in the community. By pairing these with VAST, constituents can experience seamless self-service.
6 week deployment time
Most of our public sector clients needed a solution yesterday. VAST can be deployed rapidly, taking about six weeks from start to finish, which includes everything–even staff training time.
Integration with Google Workspace and Chrome
VAST securely integrates with other Google solutions, such as Google Workspace and Chromebooks. We work to ensure VAST is fully functional within your existing systems.
Collaboration and support
SADA collaborates with each organization to ensure that the design, development, and functionality of VAST align with their needs. SADA specializes in helping public sector customers migrate to Google Cloud.
Analytics
Application administrators have access to analytic data gathered by VAST and options to customize and add additional datasets.This data helps organizations find blind spots in coverage, fix service bottlenecks, and better organize internal resources. Leveraging this data gives organizations the power to make changes, resulting in everything from a smoother customer experience to cost savings.
To learn more about how Google Cloud has supported Arizona during the pandemic, check out this blog on how their vaccination distribution system leveraged Google Cloud to get the vaccine to more people. For more information on how VAST can streamline a customer experience.
Google Workspace is a Highly Robust and Functional Collaboration Platform: Study Confirms
DOWNLOAD INFOGRAPHIC3452
Of your peers have already downloaded this article
3:00 Minutes
The most insightful time you'll spend today!
A recent IDC study on Google Workspace observed the productivity and economic benefits of the collaboration platform on many organizations. The findings revealed that 14 percent increase in daily productivity among Google Workspace users, 412 percent 3-year ROI and payback period of 11 months! Transform your teams’ productivity goals, enhance workplace communication and collaboration as well as experience operational gains with productivity and collaboration tools designed for the modern, hybrid workforce.
Download the infographics to read up more from IDC study on the Business Value of Google Workspace now!
Collaboration Helps Nielsen Gain Better Consumer Insights and Save Costs by 20%
DOWNLOAD CASE STUDY4843
Of your peers have already downloaded this article
5:00 Minutes
The most insightful time you'll spend today!
The Nielsen Company is one of the world’s most well-known and respected marketing research firms, with operations in over 100 countries. Its 56,000 employees work to provide insights and data that give customers a better understanding of what people watch, listen to, and buy.
Those insights are essential to companies in a variety of industries, including media and entertainment, consumer products, and retail, that must stay in touch with customers in a fast-changing marketplace.
In order to help customers get the information they need to increase ad sales and boost market share, Nielsen must empower its employees to collaborate across markets and global offices.
But Nielsen’s employees were working out of individual e-mail inboxes that delayed decision-making and made it difficult for the company to take immediate action on time-sensitive information.
The company saw an opportunity to improve collaboration by moving productivity apps to the cloud—Google Cloud’s G Suite—allowing employees to work anytime, anywhere, and on any device and collaborating in real-time.
“In keeping with our cloud-first strategy and digital transformation, we wanted to give our employees state-of-the-art collaboration tools,” says Kimberly Anstett, CIO at Nielsen. “We knew that a global, cloud-based toolset would help change the way everyone in the company works and maximize the value we deliver to our customers.”
You Won’t Believe the Number of Benefits These 3 Companies Achieved Just By Moving to G Suite
4346
Of your peers have already read this article.
3:15 Minutes
The most insightful time you'll spend today!
Businesses of all sizes use G Suite to breakdown information barriers and increase employee collaboration. It’s been especially helpful for start-ups and for those who run their own businesses, where juggling multiple jobs—from operations to administration to accounting—is second nature.
For many of these businesses, G Suite helps them collaborate securely and free up time so that they can focus on what really matters: their customers. Below are how three businesses use G Suite to both scale and mobilize while keeping their customers top of mind.
MobileOne Keeps its Employees Mobile
Workers spend up to 8 hours per week searching for, or consolidating, information. When you sift through emails to find files or dig through folders to attach documents, that time adds up.
MobileOne experienced this firsthand.
The company, which operates more than 125 T-Mobile premium retail stores in the US, found that its employees were sinking unnecessary time in email going back-and-forth searching for files.
Its previous productivity tools made it difficult to collaborate, especially for remote employees, and tough to share the latest information, like growth and performance metrics, at an accelerated pace. With this in mind, MobileOne moved to G Suite.
Revel Stark, MobileOne’s Director of Recruiting and Marketing, was heading to the beach with his family one Sunday when his colleague sent an urgent request for a document from him. It took just seconds to access the requested document in the Google Drive mobile app and share it, rather than having to search through files on a laptop, or wait until Monday when he was back in the office.
In addition, real-time editing in Docs and Sheets allows MobileOne employees to streamline how they share and edit documents since it eliminates version control. The company now creates central repositories of information in Docs and Sheets, ensuring everyone is working with the most up-to-date information, saved securely in the cloud.
JBGoodwin Realtors Streamlines Business Processes to Create New Home Owners
As a real-estate company with multiple offices in Texas and clients across the country, JBGoodwin Realtors needed a secure productivity solution that powered real-time employee collaboration.
But it also looked to a solution to help reduce costly maintenance, archive information securely in the cloud, and open up opportunities to streamline business processes. The company turned to G Suite to help.
By moving to G Suite, JBGoodwin Realtors adopted a cloud-first strategy that improved its data security by catching phishing attempts before they reached employees, and as a result, helped reduce time spent on platform maintenance by 30 percent.
Because Gmail allows users to easily archive emails in the cloud, the company no longer needs to invest in hard drive space to save messages. Its employees can easily access emails securely on any device both online or offline. Plus, the company can rest assured that their information stays secure with the help of built-in phishing protections.
Finally, via resources in the G Suite Marketplace, JBGoodwin Realtors automated its manual processes by connecting G Suite data with its CRM and marketing tools, so that its realtors can focus on making valuable connections with potential clients instead of inputting data in multiple systems.
TrueCar Drove a Smooth Transition to G Suite
More than 1.5 billion people use Gmail everyday. Since employees are often already comfortable with using Gmail in their personal lives, transitioning to using it at work is a smooth process.
This was crucial for TrueCar, an automotive resale marketplace that connects sellers with potential buyers (and arms them with pricing information). Minimal onboarding support and training was needed when implementing G Suite.
The team took advantage of G Suite’s User Interface customizations, which can be tailored to a user’s preference in Settings. For example, at TrueCar, admins customized their Calendar interface to be a side-by-side calendar view so they could easily see multiple schedules on a single screen.
With G Suite, there are many ways to customize your apps to help you stay productive.
More Relevant Stories for Your Company
A set of new capabilities to build a differentiated data platform: BigLake, now generally available
Data continues to grow in volume and is increasingly distributed across lakes, warehouses, clouds, and file formats. As more users demand more use cases, the traditional approach to build data movement infrastructure is proving difficult to scale. Unlocking the full potential of data requires breaking down these silos, and is
L’Oréal: Managing Big-data Complexity with Google Cloud
L’Oreal is a global company with a presence in 150 countries worldwide. Between managing all of its brands and requirements for different countries, L’Oreal looks to data to make insightful business decisions. How does L’Oreal unify its data across all its systems and databases? How does L’Oreal make the data
Why I Moved to the G Suite: Rentokil CIO
Whether it's getting rid of pests, cleaning up a crime scene or tending to office plants, Rentokil Initial is a service business whose primary aim is to offer customers the best possible standard. This can only be achieved if teams work closely together, sharing expertise and ideas and communicating constantly.
Google Products Helps HMH’s Healthcare Staff Work from Anywhere Efficiently and Securely!
Hackensack Meridian Health (HMH) executive Mark Eimer explains how an ambitiously-timed rollout of a comprehensive suite of Google products helped the entire organization—from doctors to IT staff—achieve better security, cultivate a more equitable work environment, and ultimately, improve patient outcomes. How does a recently merged, 17-hospital healthcare system fast-track a platform migration
