Maplewave Platform - Aliv
Summary
Aliv was awarded the second-ever mobile license in the Bahamas, ending the monopoly position of the incumbent carrier. With a very aggressive launch timetable tied to the license conditions, Aliv needed a full retail and supply chain management solution, as well as a team with the knowledge to design and deliver a leading customer experience.
Bio
Aliv became the Bahama’s newest wireless entrant in 2016. With a launch timetable of only 4 months from the start of their retail project, the pressure was on to fully deploy and integrate all systems by November 23, 2016.
Aliv’s retail stores have been vital to the successful launch of the new telco; currently, they have 50 stores operating across the islands of the Bahamas, and an estimated market share of 30% since their launch.
Pain Points
Aliv needed a full retail and supply chain management solution to power their greenfield operations. Launching with a targeted 6 experience stores and multiple exclusive dealers, Aliv needed a seasoned retail project team to quickly design a customer experience that would provide a competitive edge.
With no systems and limited staffing in place, Aliv brought in consultants to begin building a network, platform, and systems to drive their business. They had to be open for business by late November.
Challenges
As a start-up, Aliv’s executive team was their full-time skeleton staff. As the launch approached, permanent staff were added, and the organization began to take shape. As more perspectives were added to the team, the project requirements became more fluid as different points of view weighed in.
A lot of infrastructure work was happening behind the scenes. Cell towers were being erected and the network was being built. Back-end BSS and OSS systems were being designed and developed along with top-up, self-care, and agent portals. Retail channel owners were busy designing and leasing store space. Retail staff were being hired en masse and were awaiting training on products, processes, and systems.
The Solution
The Maplewave team quickly joined the cross-functional Aliv project team and became a near-constant onsite presence. We provided advice and expertise on retail customer experience, inventory, and architecture. Working with the other systems in the Aliv ecosystem, we identified integration points and worked quickly and efficiently to develop and test integrated end-to-end processes.
Maplewave’s entire Platform was deployed. From day one, Aliv stores had a robust system to propel their success, which was vital in the high-energy, high-pressure deployment situation:
- Queuing & Greeting: To control the busy traffic in their retail stores.
- Point of Sale: To process all transactions (the heart of the system).
- Paperless Transactions: To quickly sign and securely store contracts.
- Inventory Management: To support inventory distribution and replenishment from day one and facilitate inter-branch transfers (this eventually became a full-fledged distribution module once their supply chain matured in December 2016).
- BI & Reporting: To deliver timely performance information to Aliv HQ.
Results
Maplewave’s turn-key platform made it possible for Aliv to achieve their accelerated launch timeline and ensured that all 6 experience stores were online from day one.
Maplewave’s on-the-ground presence prior to the launch ensured proper planning and execution, along with collaboration with key stakeholders and vendors. Aliv was able to meet the needs of their excited customer base while providing a customer experience that surpassed their competition.
Aliv has continued their success over their first year. Maplewave remains a trusted partner and we continue to work together to continuously innovate and optimize the mobile retail experience.
Conclusion
Maplewave’s Platform is a powerful solution that facilitates real customer success. From our speed of deployment, to tight working integrations with other systems – our platform is easy to use, easy to train, and drives retail success from day one.
