Harrods’ 10,000 employees have varied job functions, and many are deskless or ‘remote’ workers.

They needed a flexible B2E solution to communicate with all their employees effectively.

Smart use of workflow technology and responsive email templates support the employee experience.

B2E CommunicationsGain Employee Buy-In

involve and communicate with the store’s own workforce, but with concession employees as well. Internal communications at the luxury store are further complicated by the type of workers and the diversity of their roles. Many of the shop employees are technically known as ‘remote workers’ – they work in-store but don’t have regular access to PCs or email. Some of these staff don’t even have a work email address. Employees are also highly flexible in terms of the way they work – there are numerous, different shift patterns and some work part-time.

THE SOLUTION

To ensure efficient email communications internally, Harrods has adopted a sophisticated business communications platform provided by Concep, specialists in relationship marketing technology for professional services.

Concep’s advanced email campaign management technology is a core part of Harrods’ internal digital communications strategy which includes its own intranet and digital marketing activities. A key

CLIENT BACKGROUND

Harrods - the world-renowned department store - is located in Knightsbridge, central London. Now owned by Qatar Investment Authority, Harrods occupies a 5-acre site and is home to 330 departments, covering some one million square feet of retail space. It has been based at its prestigious Knightsbridge site for over 150 years The Harrods group employs some 10,000 staff and concessions.

THE CHALLENGE

Behind the scenes of the luxury shopping experience, Harrods has large and complex employee communication requirements. Its ten thousand employees include shop floor employees, management, retail, distribution, human resources, marketing and numerous other support functions. However, a number of staff at Harrods do not work for the store directly but for leading in-store luxury brands (known as concessions). A key challenge is to not only

member of Harrods’ Internal Communications team is Stuart Robson.

“My main focus is the development of our internal digital channels including email marketing. Concep has really helped us to develop multi-faceted campaigns that can be easily segmented by the relevant target audience. This is crucial because there are so many variables for people that work directly, or indirectly, for Harrods,” states Stuart Robson.

The Concep email marketing platform is used as an invaluable B2E tool in a number of ways. The most frequent is for communicating business-critical messages – such as key management appointments or policy changes. The email platform is used as a strategic tool. Communications include updates on how the store and different departments are performing; and what is going on in different areas of the store. Concep is also used to communicate events such as the quarterly business update, and enhance the attendees’ experience with automatic responses to RSVPs, providing information on the speakers and agenda, as well as following up with a thank-you and feedback email, with the goal of continuously improving the event.

Similarly, Concep’s platform is also an important engagement device supporting Harrods’ HR initiatives. It is used to communicate events such as a twice-yearly Careers Week or to launch the ‘Friends and Family Event’. The platform also played a major role in the launch of the company’s new Employee Benefits Programme.

The Internal Communications team are careful not to over-send communications to Harrods’ staff base. Typically, they will send out two or three emails per month to around three and a half thousand employees each time, alongside more regular emails targeted at smaller groups of employees such as managers or those based at its Head Office in Hammersmith.

“My main focus is the development of our internal digital channels including email marketing. Concep has really helped us to develop multi-faceted campaigns that can be easily segmented by the relevant target audience. This is crucial because there are so many variables for people that work directly, or indirectly, for Harrods.”

THE RESULTS

The Concep email marketing system has been integral to enabling Harrods to provide more effective B2E communication programmes. It can now target its wide and diverse employee target base far more inclusively.

“Email segmentation is something that we take very seriously. There are so many variables in terms of our workforce. We need a highly flexible email marketing system that can handle the entire gamut of employees we have at Harrods, whether they are on the shopfloor, in distribution or sitting at a desk in our offices.” says Stuart Robson.

A NEW ON-BOARDING EXPERIENCE

The Internal Communications team have also found ways to take full advantage of Concep’s advanced functionality. For example, Concep’s automated workflow technology has enabled them to deliver a new on-boarding experience for new employees – even for concession staff that don’t work directly for the store. The workflow has been designed to ensure that new employees are engaged – something that Harrods has identified as critical when it comes to new starters who will be representing the brand.

DELIVERING INFORMATION DIGITALLY

Another benefit of Concep’s system is its multiple email page template capability. This enables the Internal Communications team to create what is effectively a microsite that can be accessed from within the email to support campaigns and events. A primary example is the launch of the new Staff Benefits Programme in 2017, for which a

“Email segmentation is something that we take very seriously. There are so many variables in terms of our workforce. We need a highly flexible email marketing system that can handle the entire gamut of employees we have at Harrods, whether they are on the shopfloor, in distribution or sitting at a desk in our offices.”

microsite was specifically created within Concep’s campaign tool. Following a saturated lead-up campaign involving digital communications on the Harrods intranet, printed publications including the company’s weekly bulletin, leaflets and bespoke calendars placed on desks, as well as posters, wall and floor graphics located strategically throughout Harrods’ sites, the campaign was sent via Concep and the benefits were unveiled. This was delivered to Harrods’ entire employee base via work and personal email addresses to ensure maximum exposure.

MOBILE-RESPONSIVE COMMUNICATIONS

Concep system’s advanced functionality also ensures that the many deskless or “remote workers” are always informed of the latest store news and updates. By using responsive templates, the email system reaches deskless employees who don’t have a PC and are, therefore, reliant upon mobile and other methods of communications.

Furthermore, with the use of campaign URLs and vanity links the Internal Communications team has taken advantage of Concep’s mobile optimisation to allow employees to access Concep email or survey content from their phone. By communicating this in other channels such as printed newsletters, it allows employees with less regular access to their emails, or who do not have a work email address altogether (their role not requiring it) to view this content on mobile.

COMMUNICATIONS TRANSFORMS EMPLOYEE EXPERIENCE

Harrods have made the most of adopting a business communication platform that has been designed specifically to meet the needs of the professional services industry, and in doing so have transformed their new employee experience and are continuously able to improve employee communications and engagement.

If employee engagement is a key metric for your organisation’s internal communications, talk to Concep. Visit Concep.com