The optician has deployed a broadband wide area network to replace the dial-up internet connections stores were using to link up with head office. Supplied by ntl:Telewest Business, the network will allow stores to use the software for back-office functions from next month.
D&A information services director Paul Willows said that the company is in the process of making its central customer database live, which will support its direct mailing activity.
By the end of the year, the network will also allow store staff to view customer records, once the CRM element is live in stores. The idea is that customers will receive a personalised service whichever branch they visit.
The network will also link stores to D&A’s disaster recovery facility. Willows added: “It will need to be a lot more responsive than before. All stores will require the SAP system to trade.”
Willows added that the network could also prove useful for the company’s distance training, making material more interactive and saving cash on printing.
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