Helen of Troy uses IBM® Sterling B2B Collaboration Network to do business three times faster with improved reliability

Business challenge

Helen of Troy business partners range in size from big box stores to small Mom-and-Pop shops, and are located in the United States, Canada, France, Germany, and the United Kingdom. Helen of Troy is responsible for the transfer of electronic documents for all business partners throughout each division. In order to transfer these documents, they were using an Internet-based, value-added network (VAN) that proved unreliable: they discovered data was being lost. What’s more, available support services were not competent, timely, or friendly.

Clearly, the company needed a more reliable and secure process to move their documents. Helen of Troy decided it was time to re-evaluate VAN providers.

Solution

Helen of Troy has a long and trusted relationship with IBM, having used our translation capabilities for years. After meeting with the IBM Sterling Community Development Services team regarding the Texas company’s needs and expectations, Helen of Troy decided to implement Sterling B2B Collaboration Network, a hosted solution that offers more than the traditional VAN functionality. Sterling B2B Collaboration Network can handle multiple communication methods and data formats with ease, including EDI and non-EDI files. A secure and reliable tool, Sterling B2B Collaboration Network allows Helen of Troy to exchange thousands of documents daily with more than 150 business partners, regardless of size, location, or communications preferences. Sterling B2B Collaboration Network enables Helen of Troy to optimize and transform their Business Collaboration Network. The company can now connect, communicate and collaborate more efficiently with its customers, partners and suppliers.

Successful migration

Cathy Stephens, EDI Manager with Helen of Troy, worried about how difficult it would be for their team to manage the migration from their Internet-based VAN to IBM Sterling Information Broker®.

She was also concerned about the large size of the IBM business, and worried that Helen of Troy would be “lost in the shuffle.” Stephens was “amazed” that the implementation process proved virtually effortless for her company. The only work that had to be done on Helen of Troy’s end was to update their customer contact list. Helen of Troy used IBM Sterling Community Development Services to successfully migrate their business partner community. Through a combination of innovative tools and processes with dedicated resources, IBM enabled them to build, manage, and expand their B2B community. We applied best practices to protect Helen of Troy’s business relationships, making it easier for their partners to join Helen of Troy’s trading community. Throughout the two-week migration, IBM never presumed a go-live date without helping to ensure the migration would go smoothly. The transition to Sterling Information Broker occurred without any interruption to Helen of Troy partners. Stephens also discovered that IBM treats Helen of Troy as if her company was its only customer, providing superior customer service and support. “We feel like IBM cares about our success,” said Stephens.

Key benefits

The benefits Helen of Troy has gained from using the Sterling B2B Collaboration Network include:

Improved customer satisfaction
With over 99.9 percent uptime, Sterling B2B Collaboration Network provides Helen of Troy with the reliability it needs to provide its customers with excellent service. Sterling B2B Collaboration Network enables Helen of Troy to automate and track numerous business processes, making sure data is not lost during transfers to and from their partners. Sterling B2B Collaboration Network assists Helen of Troy with purchase orders, advanced shipping notices, warehouse documents, and delivery status updates.

Enhanced order visibility
With the help of Sterling B2B Collaboration Network, Helen of Troy can now view business documents via the Web. This IBM capability has given Helen of Troy the visibility necessary to better service their customers’ needs, and help ensure orders are processed in a timely manner.

Quicker trading partner onboarding
Helen of Troy can onboard and confirm the status of new partners in less than 24 hours: three times faster than ever before.