Retail

Retail companies today face increasing challenges to maximizing both profitability and customer service. Product mixes are more diverse and must be managed with sophisticated forecasting processes and inventory policies. Distribution networks are more complex, requiring real-time collaboration between corporate entities, individual stores, suppliers, warehouses, etc. Customers are more demanding and in highly competitive markets, outstanding customer service is essential.

Beyond B.I.

Retail companies must know more than just the current state of their operations. You must know where you are headed and plan accordingly. Managing your business with a data-driven Business Intelligence (B.I.) solution alone is like driving your car using only the rear-view mirror. You can only see what has already happened, not what is coming ahead. The Vanguard System™ gives you the forward vision you need to make proactive, strategic decisions by unifying your management estimates, expectations, and data.

Solutions

The Vanguard System is a comprehensive business solution for improving the quality, reliability, and speed of management decisions. It does this by helping you Collaborate with colleagues on important plans, Analyze alternatives using state-of-the-art modeling and simulation techniques, Automate routine decisions using expert system technology, and Improve overall management effectiveness by adding structure to a normally chaotic process.

Business improvement is all about working smarter. Vanguard brings together the people, analytics, and systems required to help your business operate intelligently.

Here are just a few of the ways Vanguard supports the retail industry:

• Comprehensive forecasting: Predict demand at the product, store, or corporate levels, even when historical data is scarce.
• Promotions analysis: Evaluate the cost-effectiveness of marketing campaigns and product promotions.
• Supply chain planning: Optimize your supply chain network, inventory levels, distribution plans, and more.
• Resource optimization: Determine how to most efficiently allocate resources such as people, equipment, and cash.
• Risk analysis: Fully understand risks before engaging in new projects such as store openings or new product introductions.
• Operational efficiency: Conduct process improvement/Six Sigma projects to reduce costs, cycle times, and waste.
• Knowledge automation: Expertly guide employees and customers through complex processes, such selecting the best product, using intuitive question-and-answer sessions. Reduce administration costs while improving service.
• Surveys and research: Know your market and understand your customers using online surveys.

Content Management System (CMS)

Vanguard Content Management System (CMS) is a Web-based expert system development tool for non-programmers. CMS Web-based applications guide customers or employees through complex decision-making processes using interactive, automated question and answer sessions. They are core software applications that can improve the operational efficiency of your key business processes.

Using CMS, retailers can reduce costs by automating routine and complex decision-making processes such as processing orders and managing customer support queries. The global availability and real-time data processing of Web-based CMS applications makes them perfectly suited to the distributed, complex and dynamic supply and delivery chains in retail.

Retail customer support specialists can walk through CMS support scripting applications to enforce consistency in communication and assist them in deciding which questions to ask customers. Retail business workers can use CMS applications to ensure that they follow the correct company procedures when managing goods and employees.