
A heritage firm like Snap-on Tools has engineered enormous changes in its business over the years. Yet two elements have remained unchanged: its brilliance in producing world-class tools, and its focus on robust support for franchisees.
Two long-serving department heads – customer service manager Alison Ward and IT manager Robin Beard – can attest to the developments, and the consistency of high-level support at the mobile tool retailer.
Robin joined Snap-on in the UK in 1995 as a junior on the help desk, and nine years later took up the IT manager’s role in Sydney.
“Why have I stayed so long? It’s a good place to be! The Australian business keeps growing and I’ve had the opportunity to grow alongside it,” he says.
Snap-on IT supports franchisees
“I look after all the IT systems in Snap-on so I am working across every single area of the business and receive plenty of support myself from the US head office,” Robin explains.
The broad sweep of IT gives him insight into all elements of the business, from financial processes to cybersecurity to warehouse operations.
Robin has been well placed to support Snap-on franchisees directly and indirectly with efficiency improvements. For instance, upgrading the warehouse management system to increase capacity, has led to customer and franchisee benefits.
Streamlining processes
For Robin, the outstanding initiative is one that streamlined product ordering.
“The best way we support franchisees is the Chrome computer system on the franchise truck. I was involved in designing and building this and I’m proud of what it does, it follows how a franchisee processes an order and a sale. The PoS system is tailored to a franchisee’s needs,” he says.
The streamlined system is light years away from the paper trail in use when Robin joined the business.
“It was all on bits of paper,” he remembers. “Now everything is accessed at the click of a button; there are no errors in part numbers when fulfilling an order at the warehouse; the process is much faster because it all flows. It is a lot easier for franchisees to use, it’s more intuitive” he says.
Improving data flow
Back in the day, customers filled out order forms and mailed them to Snap-on, having to repeat the process if they made an error. Now with an automated system, franchisees can easily submit information that is credit-checked and often approved within minutes, says Robin.
“This saves customers potentially weeks of waiting for a product. Customers can purchase products with an electronic signature pad on the truck – it’s instant.”
The IT team built a tablet version on Snap-on’s cloud system so franchisees can expand the number of people accessing the data. This innovation enables a franchisee and a sales assistant to manage concurrent transactions.
“Franchisees can service more customers and focus on bigger ticket sales like tool storage while an assistant is processing smaller orders,” Robin explains.
“If franchisees need help they can reach out directly to us, we can steer them through any queries about a product,” he says.
Customer service a one-stop-shop
Other questions franchisees might have that are not IT-based go directly to customer service. Alison Ward heads up the eight-strong customer service department, and like Robin, has decades of experience with the brand.
“I’ve been here 30 years,” she says. “I’m the go-to person, the fixer. I’ve always been a person who wants to know how something works. If someone has a tricky problem then we want to solve it.
Problem solving
“Our customers are predominantly franchisees. We try to make customer service a one-stop-shop and liaise with different departments or the US head office. If something is out of our usual sphere we’ll ask around and find an answer.”
Alison says technology has changed the customer service role considerably.
“We used to have catalogues with hundreds of pages, and product information filed away in cabinets. And we still have customers with products from 30 years ago who want parts! Sometimes we can help them, sometimes the part is no longer available,” she says.
Tech innovation has streamlined processing, enabling the team to spend more time on direct support and less on admin.
Building franchisee connections
“At Snap-on we have a lot of veteran franchisees who don’t need much ongoing support whereas new franchisees are looking for a high level of assistance,” she says.
Alison says she enjoys developing deeper connections with franchisees at the annual conference.
“I enjoy what I do, the people and the culture and I love the rapport we build. If something goes wrong, we send the wrong shipment or there is a processing issue, our franchisees are quite forgiving because we have good relationships, and 99 per cent of the time we’re spot on,” she says.
Providing a consistent service
A strong rapport with franchisees helps Snap-on deliver premium support across the company – even in IT, says Robin. He still takes calls from franchisees on the help desk. “It keeps me in touch with franchisees, I’m talking directly to them most days,” he says.
“We want to improve speed and efficiency and help franchisees increase sales, but our focus on service means taking care of all elements of the business. Right now I’m doing a lot on cyber security, ensuring all our customer and franchisee data is secure.
“At Snap-on we are dedicated to providing a consistent service for the franchisee,” Robin says.