Vitra AG: Quick and easy access to product data at any time

At Vitra, the days of manually requesting product data in preparation for product launches or gathering it from various sources are gone. Thanks to a Product Launch Platform provisioned by novaworxx, Sales managers can now easily and quickly access product information through Power Apps.

Sales staff require continuous access to complete and up-to-date product data, especially for upcoming products during the Sell-In phase

Striking a balance between existing infrastructure and individual needs

Management of product data requires a specific template

Access to product data must be individually regulated

Implementation of a Product Launch Platform via Power Apps

Creation of a new MS Teams template with novaworxx

Introduction of a three-tier authorization model with control by the product department

More transparency and reliability through a single data source

Time savings through streamlined access processes

Automated and clear presentation of product information

For sales representatives, it is essential to have continuous access to complete and up-to-date product data, especially for products that are yet to be launched and need successful marketing to retailers. In reality, they often have to gather this information themselves - a tedious manual process that Vitra has now put an end to.

After already introducing a mobile, digital Modern Workplace based on Microsoft 365 in collaboration with novaCapta, the sales managers are now working with an automated dashboard platform.

Whether it was uncoordinated, intransparent information flows through phone calls, emails, and meetings or proactive inquiries with individual decisions: During the adjustment of the overarching Commercial Launch Process, Vitra realized that product information was being passed on to sales representatives in too many different ways and at various times during the Sell-In phase. The aim was to inform the sales managers in a consolidated manner and through a single source where all data and documents are always up-to-date and final. Furthermore, there was a desire not to use any new additional tools: "Since we migrated to Microsoft 365 just last year, and our employees have become accustomed to it, we wanted to build on the familiar existing infrastructure and customize it to our individual needs," explains Corina Meroth, Head of Product Unit at Vitra.

Therefore, novaCapta set up the new Product Launch Platform based on SharePoint Online, where all relevant product information is stored. The platform is displayed in an organized manner through a connected Power App, which is also integrated into Teams - making it an integral part of everyday work tools. Via the dashboard, sales managers can quickly and easily access files such as presentations or pricing information, product images, and additional data such as CAD, along with explanations about timing (Which season does the launch take place in?) and product status (Is a pre-acquisition possible for large projects?). "Thanks to this streamlined access process, our sales team saves a lot of time and is always automatically up to date," says Corina Meroth.

Information related to new products is managed through Microsoft Teams. Since not all necessary options were available in the standard configuration, and manual effort such as creating new folders was required, novaCapta created a specialized template that provides the necessary structure and eliminates the need for additional edits. The template was implemented by using the in-house provisioning tool novaworxx. Since novaworxx was already used at Vitra, the new template could be created quickly and easily. Thanks to Power Automate, the provided information from Teams and SharePoint is then directly transferred to the platform.

Last but not least, novaCapta implemented a three-tier authorization model – as sensitive data, especially for products not yet launched, must be clearly controlled. The model regulates which sales representative can access which product information, with control exercised internally by the product department.

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