Virtual Binder
The Problem
Tyson Food Service (TFS) sales associates rely on printed Trimester Initiative Plans stored in physical binders to support product sales. This process leads to frequent issues — binders are often lost or damaged, print quality falls below TFS standards, updates to materials are difficult post-publishing, and there’s no effective way to share product videos with customers. These challenges limit the associates’ ability to deliver a consistent, high-quality, and up-to-date sales experience.
The Opportunity
How might we create a digital binder, guided by the Trimester Initiative Plan, that enables real-time updates and provides access to digital materials — enhancing the value, flexibility, and effectiveness of sales interactions?
Case Study Contents:
– Understanding the problem
– Personas
– The Plan
– The Solution
My role in the project
Role: UX Designer
Persona
Who is our user?
Our users were easily defined and also followed assumptions. At the start of the project, our sales force was about 250+ associates.
Chris (primary persona)
Chris is in his early thirties and is newly married. When he is not enjoying time with his wife, he is playing Call Of Duty with the guys. He is tech savory and driven by the sale. His motto is "work hard, play hard."
Larry (secondary persona)
Larry is in his late forties and has a wife and 3 teenage kids. He is an avid food connoisseur who enjoys to cook for his family and try new things. This love for food carries over in his job and talks about innovation of products all the time. Larry admits he is technically challenged but is willing to try anything once. His motto is "food is what brings people together."
User Testing
Will the delivery on device work?
To test our assumptions we pulled our internal sales managers and had them walk through a couple different layouts and devices. During this time we were able to land on an iPad as the device of choice. Additionally we had to understand if a wifi model was okay based on business direction. To our satisfaction, pain points were very low from these sessions. They tended to deal with technology issues instead of usability of the app.
Site Map
Why do we need to plan for the future?
We created a site map that allowed the teams to quickly see the experience which helped in roadmap planning of features.
The Solution
Develop an application using Adobe DPS that delivers a binder-like experience, enables real-time updates by corporate marketing for faster speed-to-market, integrates digital tools to drive sales, and eliminates outdated manual processes.
Quotes
"I feel like we are now in the 20th century and I have up to minute information to sell my products to customers."
- Scott (National Accounts Sales Associate)
- Scott (National Accounts Sales Associate)
The Results
While the initial cost to purchase iPads for all sales associates was high, the savings on printing cost immediately dropped. Rollout of initiatives and changes to programs were immediate rather than delayed through email, travel to office, or just missed communication.
Result 1:
Reduced printing and mailing cost from Tyson Corporate to sales offices.
Result 2:
Reduced cost of printing paper, toner, supplies, and equipment maintenance at field offices.
Result 3:
Immediate real-time updates to marketing and sales initiatives to brokers.
Result 4:
Time reduction of task for sales associates to do more with a tablet verses multiple binders, brochures, and devices.