Advanced Turf Solutions (ATS) and Studio Science joined forces to modernize legacy operations and processes using Salesforce Commerce Cloud in the first-of-its-kind buying experience. It’s a coming of age for ATS and Salesforce, where manual processes, disparate data, and disconnected channels come together, creating a new buying experience and opening new revenue channels with ease and simplicity.
ATS is a green industry distributor offering turf and ornamental products. With a deep commitment to servicing customers better, they knew throughout their 20-year history that customer expectations and how they interact with the company have changed. If they were going to continue to meet customers where they are today and anticipate future needs better, ATS knew they had to find a new and modern way of doing business.
Using Salesforce as their foundation for digital innovation, they came to Studio Science with two needs. First to help empower their customers with access to information electronically, and second, enabling digital commerce experiences for both B2B and B2C customers.
At the onset, the team enabled existing B2B customers with online account access, where they could easily see past orders, invoices and update account information at their fingertips. Knowing these are all things customers in this day and age want and need to be able to do, they were able to make this transition quickly, having already been on the Salesforce platform. Using a people-centered design approach, paired with extensive knowledge of several core Salesforce clouds, the design, and implementation of this service were done in a rapid manner for both customers and employees. This was the first of several steps taken to continue with industry-leading customer service, in addition to opening new avenues to grow the business.
Yes, there are efficiencies that ATS is able to gain from modernizing processes to a digital-first approach, but it was their ability to keep a strong relationship with customers and meet their advancing needs through self-service that was the real game changer for the business and customers alike.
After the successful launch of ATS connect on Salesforce Experience Cloud, the team immediately began work on launching ATS’s first B2B and B2B2C commerce sites. The team focused on launching a specialized store selling high-end grass seeds to both businesses and consumers in one platform. ATS has followed the success of this store with the launch of their second B2B2C selling products needed in the winter, like ice melts and snow shovels.
The shift to a digital-first buying experience was more about preserving long-lasting relationships and thinking ahead of where their customers are and are likely to be in the future, along with creating new market opportunities for the business to grow.
Previously limited to selling only to B2B customers and in-person counter sales at physical locations, now they are able to sell directly to businesses and consumers nationwide through multiple online channels. For ATS, this took them from being a regional company to a national distributor.
ATS was able to open new revenue streams in record time by transforming how they do business using Salesforce Commerce Cloud. They now have a scalable and consolidated digital operations infrastructure for customer data, transacting commerce, and managing their overall business. They have connected their sales and operations teams all-in-one place- making everyone’s lives easier and providing customers with the service they expect.
“The Studio Science team brought a unique blend of experience with their expertise in Salesforce Commerce Cloud and design. Not many partners have experience in both, so being able to find this in one team dramatically increases our speed to market.”
Dawn Rigby, Executive Vice President Marketing
