Key stats:
- $234,000 saved in ground shipping costs
- 10% reduction of operating costs
- 3,000 store associates report easier operations and task management
- 91% saved time searching and delegating communications
Visionworks has been a leading US provider of eye care services since 1988, sitting at the intersection of healthcare and retail. With competition rising and customer behavior changing, they needed a better way to communicate with field employees across 750 stores—and make sure they were delivering a consistent, high-quality customer experience. That meant:
- Increasing store execution and associate engagement
- Transforming communications from cumbersome and siloed to efficient and streamlined
- Offloading costs created by inefficient processes
- Giving employees everything they need to do their best work
Company-wide, crystal-clear vision
Before Zipline, Visionworks relied on weekly mail-outs and physical binders to keep over 700 locations updated on standards and policies. Email, conference calls, and an internal social network rounded out the rest of their communications.
This created a big game of telephone, with field staff reporting 25% of their time spent managing communications and tracking execution.
“Zipline has allowed us to communicate directly to every single associate in our field, and it’s been a game changer for us,” said Ross Wiener, Director, Retail & Labor Operations at Visionworks. “We want them to feel empowered and that they’re part of our organization.”
Now, all communications, documentation, and respective task management can be done in Zipline. Field leaders can easily assign tasks, track completion, and understand HQ’s daily and weekly expectations—and every employee can quickly access the information they need to get their jobs done faster.
Strengthening the employee-brand connection
An unexpected benefit was employees feeling more valued and engaged with their work. Direct communications and visibility into the “why” behind initiatives created a sense of partnership, and higher level performance. Of over 3,000 field associates surveyed about using Zipline:
- 100% said operations and tasks were easier
- 100% said it helps to inspire and engage teams
- 95% said information was easier to find
- 91% saved time viewing, searching for, and delegating communications
- 91% believed store execution and accountability was easier
“There’s transparency in what we’re doing and how we’re doing it, which empowers [everyone] to feel like they can be a part of taking great care of patients, growing the business, helping people see great,” Ross added. And have a little more fun together too—like creating Zippy, the store team’s (bespectacled, of course!) Zipline mascot.
With communications barriers gone, Visionworks can engage all associates, in all stores, at every level. They can target communications through Zipline, provide real-time updates, and offer a single, reliable source of truth at scale. This has made a noticeable difference in a time when many retailers struggle to retain employees, let alone foster real brand connection.
Saving money and time—and helping save the planet
Remember how Visionworks was using weekly mail-outs and binders for store communications? That meant a lot of paper storage, waste, lost information, and associated costs.
Now, information is updated instantly and stores can access every available resource—including messages and Q&A groups—in one digital location. Going paperless is also aligned with their commitment to environmental sustainability. They’ve saved*:
- $243,000 in ground shipping costs (-49.6 tons of Co2 emissions)
- 1.2 million sheets of paper (-79.3 tons of Co2 emissions)
- Over 18,000 shipping boxes (-50 tons of Co2 emissions)
- Over $6,000 in overnight shipping costs
- 10% of operating costs
As Eric Buff, Retail Operations Manager, puts it: “Zipline is synonymous with retail innovation.”
“Zipline has laid the foundation to communicate all our 2022 initiatives with success with a clear path forward, with a powerful tool that makes us more efficient AND assigns value to our associates…The Zipline project has been a gift.”
– Ross Wiener, Director, Retail & Labor Operations at Visionworks
Learn how Zipline can keep your day on track
Book a demo to talk about your needs, our solutions, and get a chance at a free copy of our co-founders’ bestselling book, Stores Don’t Suck: The 5 Principles of Amazing Retail Execution.
