Nutrien Ag Solutions selects Triquestra to provide premium retail experiences

Leading Australian agriculture retailer will standardise its retail operations to give customers seamless experiences using Infinity 

We’re thrilled to announce that Nutrien Ag Solutions has chosen Triquestra as its strategic partner for the standardisation of its point of sale systems.

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Nutrien Ag Solutions has a goal of being Australia’s ag retailer of the future and is committed to creating a consistent brand experience to meet the changing needs of customers, with a focus on digital solutions and ecommerce initiatives that support its network of stores and growers.

Formed from the merger of the Landmark and Ruralco businesses in late 2019, Nutrien Ag Solutions is a subsidiary of Nutrien, the world’s largest provider of crop inputs and services. The combined operation has a network of 290 corporate-owned stores, 165 joint ventures and other retail, plus 320 independent rural supplies retailers and a suite of other businesses.

Triquestra’s Infinity unified commerce platform will be Nutrien Ag Solutions’ point of sale system in all of its retail stores across Australia.

Nutrien will benefit from a modern retail management system that will keep pace with shifting customer expectations and new technologies, and offer the flexibility to quickly add new stores, channels and touchpoints when needed. Infinity will integrate with Nutrien’s other technology solutions, including SAP ERP.

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Are you looking for ways to keep pace with shifting customer expectations?

Contact us and see how a unified commerce platform can help you merge physical and digital channels to deliver the safe, convenient and localised services consumers now expect.

Update on Triquestra’s operations during NZ's alert level 3 and how we can help

Our team will continue to work from home during Alert Level 3 in New Zealand. 

Our support and escalation processes remain unchanged. Our team will meet and collaborate with you using video conferencing, phone calls and the usual workplace productivity tools. 

We’ll review this decision when Alert Level 3 is re-evaluated on 11 May.

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Getting ready for the new normal

We’re committed to doing everything we can to support and help our clients and partners adapt their businesses for this changing environment. Over the past few weeks, we’ve seen a sharp migration to digital channels and a new focus on contactless retail.  

To help our clients prepare for possible contact tracing requirements, we’ve developed a new contactless ‘check in’ tool. It’s free to use and lets them track who has visited stores in case this becomes a requirement of the government. Currently available for Australian and New Zealand retailers, data is stored securely in the cloud. Read the blog post or or talk to us for more information.

We’re helping clients boost their ecommerce capability and meet rising demand for contactless fulfilment options like click-and-collect, store-to-door and kerbside pickup.  (Here are the top three things for retailers to consider when thinking of introducing or improving a click-and-collect service.)

We’ll continue to keep you updated on our operations as the situation changes and new ways we’re helping retailers accelerate their ability to meet the emerging needs of future customers.

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Stay safe, and thank you for your continued support and collaboration.

Be prepared for contact tracing with new store check in site

To help keep people safe as we move towards fewer out-of-home restrictions, we’ve built a simple, contactless store check in website for you to keep a record of who has visited your store.

It’s easy:

• Register store locations within the Infinity Check In website

• Download an A4 poster to print and display.

• When a customer arrives, they use their phone to scan the QR code, or enter the store’s ID and their contact details at the web address on the poster. Or staff can enter the customer’s information on a phone or tablet.

You’ll own the Infinity Check In data which will be stored securely in the cloud.

And if Infinity Check In proves to be useful, we’ll develop it further. We’d love your feedback.

Here’s the link to Infinity Check In so you can start using it: checkin.infinityrms.com.

Please contact us with any questions or feedback.

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If you’re thinking of introducing a click-and-collect service to customers, here are our top three things to consider. 

Latest Triquestra COVID-19 update: 23 March 2020

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Update on Triquestra’s response to COVID-19: 23 March 2020

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Our highest priority remains the health and safety of our people, customers and partners. We are now taking further steps to double down on our efforts to help contain the spread of COVID-19.

From this Tuesday, all Triquestra people will be working from home, and all face-to-face external meetings are not permitted until further notice. 

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We’re confident that we have prepared our business for remote working and minimised any disruption to our service.

Over the past week, we successfully tested our business continuity plan and trialled remote working at scale. We are closely following the guidance from the New Zealand government and Ministry of Health, and regularly communicating travel restrictions and precautionary measures with our people.

For more details on the policies we have put in place, see our earlier COVID-19 update here

Communication and collaboration remain very important, and our team will continue to work and engage with you using digital communication methods such as video conferencing or phone calls. Our support and escalation processes are unchanged.

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Further updates

We remain absolutely committed to doing everything we possibly can to help minimise the impact of this crisis on you and your business.

I will continue to update you on the steps we are taking as the situation develops.

If there is anything that we can do to support your business during this challenging time, please contact me, your Account Manager or normal Triquestra contact.

Stay safe, and thank you for your continued support and collaboration.

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Kelly Brown

Chief Executive

Triquestra’s COVID-19 response: Keeping our people safe and supporting our clients

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As the global COVID-19 pandemic evolves, I wanted to share with you some important information about the steps we are taking.

Our highest priority is the health and safety of our people, customers and partners.

We are acting to support the global effort to contain the spread of the virus and ensure that any disruption to our service is minimised.

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Support for our people, customers and partners

• We are ensuring that our team and visitors are supported with clear health and hygiene policies designed to keep our workplace safe, including no handshakes, social distancing and regular washing of hands.

• We have provided our team with information to help prevent the spread of the virus, as well as the actions they should take if they are ill or demonstrate the symptoms of COVID-19.

• All international and domestic business air travel is suspended.

• As per the government regulation, self-isolation is required for any of our people following international air travel.

• Any of our people returning from personal domestic air travel must work from home for 14 days, with secure remote working options in place. We have strongly encouraged people to postpone all non-essential personal travel.

• All Triquestra meetings will include the option to join remotely. Our people can attend external meetings if they feel comfortable to do so, and you are welcome to visit our office – please contact us in advance so we can advise you on our policy for this.

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Open for business

As a digital business, supporting international customers and using great collaboration tools, we’re already well prepared for remote working and minimising any disruption to our service if a nationwide or partial lockdown is required. Our support and escalation processes are unchanged.

Our Leadership Team and specially established Response Team are actively monitoring the status of the pandemic to ensure that our business continuity plans continue to deliver uninterrupted services and support.

• We have reviewed and updated our business continuity plan for the risks specific to this pandemic.

• We are initiating a communications plan to keep our people, customers and partners informed.

• We have reviewed, updated and published COVID-19 response policies for key business functions such as health and wellbeing, travel, remote working, flexible hours, meetings and leave.

• Remote working has been rolled out to every employee. We are running trials to test the effectiveness of remote working at scale and have given all our people the option of working from home.  

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Further updates

We are absolutely committed to doing everything we possibly can to help minimise the impact of this crisis on our people, customers and partners.

We are continuously and closely monitoring the guidance from the New Zealand and Australian Governments and Ministries of Health, and I will continue to share information as updates become available.

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Stay safe, and thank you for your continued support and collaboration.

Kelly Brown

Chief Executive

How a single view of customer and inventory data translates to happier customers

“A lot of established retailers are struggling with legacy systems and have bolted on solutions for the digital space that don’t easily integrate. The reason unified commerce resonated with me is that it focuses on having one core platform to do the heavy lifting and having a single source of truth to manage the customer data, inventory and order orchestration. Rather than relying on too many systems to push and pull data everywhere.”

This is how Shane Lenton, Cue Clothing’s CIO and number 8 on 2020’s Australia CIO50, described  the Infinity unified commerce platform. Infinity’s single view of inventory and customer has helped Cue launch many inventive, connected and personalised experiences that delight customers, build loyalty, drive growth and improve profitability.    

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So how does a single source of truth translate to customer satisfaction and new revenue streams?

If your retail management system has been built up organically and relies on complex dependencies, you’ll know how difficult, slow and expensive it can be to integrate with modern technologies and create new customer experiences.

A unified commerce platform can take that pain away. It bypasses the limitations of legacy and omnichannel systems by linking internal channel silos and letting you easily share data and services across all areas.

With one platform, you gain the single source of truth that gives you real-time visibility of your customer, inventory and fulfilment data across all your stores and channels. 

Combine Infinity’s data accessibility with its open platform, integrations and APIs, and you can offer customers the easy purchase, convenient delivery, and stress-free return options they want while recognising and rewarding the shopping they do with you. Here’s how:

One view of stock leads to increased sales

Infinity lets you consolidate your inventory from all locations – warehouse, individual store, on order – and make it available for customers to buy anywhere, at any time by website, app, store or via your call centre. You’ll increase margins while reducing your inventory holding.

Improve profitability by fulfilling orders the way customers want

When your data is unified, you can offer a range of fulfilment options no matter what channel an order comes in from. Click-and-collect, store-to-door delivery, drop shipping and ‘endless aisle’ fulfilment are all possible. You choose what’s best for customers and most profitable for you.

Make ‘buy anywhere, return anywhere’ a reality

With Infinity’s simple and cost effective returns capability, you can manage the entire process including return payment transactions, price validation, inventory re-allocations, notifications and customer record updating. 

To know them is to love them

Whether a staff member or a customer enters the customer’s details into your system or loyalty program in-store or online, that information is captured and stored in one place so you can recognise them consistently wherever they shop with you. Using that data and Infinity’s loyalty capabilities, you’ll know which customers are most profitable and what their preferences are. Store teams can see this information as well to offer personalised service and encourage conversion at point of sale.

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See what a single source of data truth can do for your business

If you want to expand your ability to offer a seamless blend of physical and digital customer experiences, it’s time to unify your data. Contact us to get started now.

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For more on unified commerce and why it’s the future of retail, download this free ebook. 

GET THE EBOOK

5 Tips to Make Remote Work

Many of us in the tech industry spend at least some of our time working remotely. Collaboration tools such as Slack and Microsoft Teams make it easier than ever to effectively work outside the office.

However, with so many of us used to having the people we need to collaborate with only a few desks away, how do you stay productive and meet the expectations that you have set for yourself and your team? For remote working to be viable, your colleagues and customers need to be able to expect that you will be able to operate at the same level as when you are in the office.

For the last five years, I have spent the majority of my work time working from home, and here are some tips I’ve learned along the way.

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Over communicate

This one seems simple at first glance, and it is but takes discipline. When you are in the office, you can easily get a sense of what is happening within your team. A project manager can see four people huddled around a screen looking concerned and ask questions accordingly. You can bump into someone in the kitchen and it reminds you of that question that you had for them.

When it comes to remote work, you need to compensate for that. It’s your job to make sure you communicate what you are working on, and connect with your team on progress and issues. Make sure you clearly state what you are working on and any issues you are facing.

If you need some deep thinking time (or you are off on a KFC run), update your Slack status so people know you aren’t going to respond straight away. Make sure you check back in when you get a break and update your status.

Oh and use video when you can, just make sure you don’t accidentally turn on video when you are in your bath robe.

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Make sure your tech is working!

The number one thing here is to make sure you have a reliable internet connection. I would prioritise stability over speed here – I coped fine with 15Mbps for a couple of years until better options were available to me. It has always been connection drop outs that have caused problems.

Internet is going to be key to your ability to over-communicate, and if you have a semi-decent connection you’ll be able to manage video calling. Most laptops don’t have great microphones or cameras, so a headset is a must-have accessory and get a camera if you can. Depending on your role and work environment, a second screen and Bluetooth keyboard/mouse are as important as a headset.

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Think about your work environment

This varies greatly based on personal preference and what options you have available to you, but you need to set yourself up in a space that allows you to focus, reflects your personality and gives you the best chance of being successful. I’m pretty fortunate in that I’ve been able to set up a dedicated office in my garage where I can shut my door and stop any interruptions (remember BBC Dad?).

For you, it might mean that you are working at your dining table and adjusting the way you work to fit family life. What are the things in your environment that are going to be distracting or help you work? Some people need a bit of white noise (Test cricket is great for this), or find it too distracting (Test cricket applies here for me too).

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Adjust your working style

When I first started working remotely, the biggest shock was the lack of casual conversation that you get from being with other people which acts as small breaks throughout your day.  And temptations are everywhere when you’re at home - the fridge and TV are only steps away. If you’re inclined to procrastinate or get distracted, create a daily routine and stick to it.

In the morning, don’t just roll out of bed and login. Shower and get dressed as you would for a day at the office. And start early. You need the same spin up time for your brain as when you travel to work – Miles has a set routine that involves coffee.

Figure out a strategy that works for you. Are you more productive in the morning or the afternoon? That might help you decide what types of tasks you do at different times of the day. You may be motivated by small breaks throughout the day, or get away from your screen for a longer stretch in the middle of the day.

Also consider your personal circumstance. If you are working at your kitchen table, you may have children distracting you when they come home from school. Consider adjusting the types of work you do at those times, organising child care or using flexible hours to avoid that conflict. Ensure your family and house mates know that when you’re at your desk (or computer), you’re in work mode.

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Avoid remote working guilt (and reap the rewards)

Because your work is just there, it can be easy to get into the habit of working longer hours as a remote worker. Part of that is a feeling that you need to be seen to be working, because you aren’t in the office with everyone else.  

Log off at the end of each day when you typically do and don’t get sucked into working just because you can.

You get to avoid the daily commute so think of what you can do with that extra time each day. Take your dog for a walk, hang out a load of washing or pick up that book you’ve always wanted to read.

Non-profit garden centre improves POS efficiency and accuracy with Infinity

The Selmes Garden Trust in Blenheim, New Zealand, is a non-profit plant nursery and retailer that’s staffed by community volunteers and people with disabilities. Trustee and volunteer, Clare Pinder, chose Infinity as Selmes’ new retail management system because of her experience with Triquestra when she was a project manager at the New Zealand Department of Internal Affairs (DIA).

Clare says...

“At the DIA, I worked full time for four months with the support of a project team. At Selmes, I didn’t have the luxury of corporate resources. I had to completely rely on the Triquestra team’s expertise. They always said that Infinity could be installed and trained remotely, that the out-of-the box solution could handle every scenario, and there was very little that the software couldn’t do in a retail environment. Now I know they’re right. Infinity is such a comprehensive, well-tested and mature system that there really isn't anything they haven't come across. And they made the rollout so easy.”

With Infinity in place, and all Selmes staff using it confidently, Clare is looking forward to adding a loyalty programme, increasing profitability and employing more people with disabilities. 

Power your retail innovation strategy with APIs

Connecting channels and personalising the shopping experience is vital to meeting consumers’ rising expectations. One major advantage of using a unified commerce platform as your retail management system (RMS), is its open architecture that lets you easily make those connections with APIs.

APIs (Application Programming Interfaces) are present in every part of our digital world. Every time you use an app like LinkedIn, make a Skype call or listen to Spotify on your phone, there’s an API in action.

APIs let you add specialised functionality to a website, application, platform or software without having to write all of the back-end code. By using APIs, you can connect tools and expose data in real time, rather than having to replicate or move it. The result is one set of functions that’s available across various systems, plus an easy way to plug in and deploy new services, channels and devices. 

These improvements let you shift your team’s priority from maintenance to innovation. By using APIs to access existing solutions in the market, you are free to focus your development efforts on the front-end. You can be more agile and create a community of third-party apps and systems that work together in an ecosystem. As a result, you’ll reduce integration and maintenance overheads, increase real-time accuracy and enjoy virtually limitless scalability and agility.

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APIs in action

Here are just some of the ways APIs help you optimise operations and personalise customer experiences:

Retail anywhere, any time

APIs let you easily expose your product catalogues and other eCommerce solutions to give customers many more ways to engage with your brand, including social commerce.

Deliver anywhere, any how

Shipping and delivery APIs let you integrate third party services to automate everything from the sale through to the parcel being delivered to your customer’s address of choice. Think fulfilment options like click-and-collect, store-to-door and drop shipping.

Payment convenience counts

Give consumers the payment options and ‘buy-now, pay later’ services they want. Infinity was the first in the world to integrate with Afterpay at point of sale and supports Adyen, Smartpay, Laybuy, Alipay, WeChat Pay, and Slyp to name a few payment partners.

Voice and visual to boost personalisation

Visual search APIs help customers quickly find the products they want – like Cue Clothing’s Style Finder mobile app. And you can consider using Siri, Alexa and Google Assistant APIs to further tailor the shopping experience and boosts sales.

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So how do you start making the most of APIs?

Begin by evaluating your company’s value chain. Can you easily integrate and use APIs to access third-party platforms and services to scale your business? Or can you release your own APIs to attract partners and build out your platform? The two options are not mutually exclusive. 

An API-enabled platform like Infinity lets you scale your business quickly by easily adding new apps and services as business requirements change.

We can also help if you’re looking for advice on how to create a strategy and implement an API programme that quickly creates customer and business value.

The end result is the ability to create extraordinary customer experiences that help to capture market opportunities, generate additional revenue and build brand advocacy.

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Find out more about Infinity APIs and our integration partners. Then contact us for advice on how to use APIs to achieve greater agility, faster growth and better margins.

Turning retail experience ideas into reality: meet our new Consulting Lead

Neshma Emile has recently been promoted to Consulting Lead. She’ll be helping more Triquestra clients use the Infinity platform to transform customer experiences. 

Before joining Triquestra, Neshma had ERP implementation roles at construction and building products companies. As a Business Analyst, it was her job to help her clients convert ideas into tangible realities. As Consulting Lead, she’ll be supporting the consulting team to do the same.

“As BA, I was responsible for gathering requirements from the customer and turning them into testable, then usable product. Making sure we’re on the same page and delivering in scope and on time. Now, as Consulting Lead, I also help other business analysts do what they do best. Offering a helping hand so they can become better advisors and get the best results for our customers,” says Neshma. 

“The way Infinity can help retailers digitise and innovate today is really great. How we deliver order management, click-and-collect, how we've integrated with Slyp receipts – we're doing everything to keep our clients in tune with what's modern in the market. It’s our goal to give our clients new ways of connecting to their customers through our product and experience,” she says. 

Because Neshma comes from an ERP background, she understands software and process integration and thinks Infinity is an outstanding retail platform. “With Infinity, because it's designed to meet the specific requirements of retail end users, we always hit the nail on the head. Infinity always gives customers what they need because it's such a mature and stable unified commerce platform. People can innovate off of it really quickly and know that it won't break other systems or processes.”

In regards to innovation, she gives examples like Cue Clothing’s click-and-collect and Z Energy’s Pumped and Sharetank. “For Sharetank, we had Infinity working as it needed to for fuel POS. Then we enhanced the platform and the APIs which are used by the Z app to let consumers find the lowest priced fuel in a 30k radius, prepay for that fuel and then share it with others. And for the Pumped loyalty programme, we proved how stable Infinity is to manage 250 sales transactions per minute.” 

Neshma thinks Triquestra is a good company because of the digital transformations she works on and the company’s culture. She explains, “We’re great at prioritising and we're great at communicating with customers. Our solution and business architects will go in and partner with the client to make sure that the solution is well thought out. 

“We work in a high pressure environment and you'd think you'd have people really anxious and angry but we're not! We're really happy. Even if someone’s role isn’t customer facing, everyone is always looking out for our clients’ best interest and doing what they can to make sure those clients are happy. 

“You’re also really given the opportunity to learn, grow and push yourself every day. I’m young and I don’t have to compensate for that. They hired me because of my skills and work ethic and that’s what they reward me for.” 

Neshma and everyone at Triquestra is very conscious of what retail means today. “While online shopping has definitely changed the landscape, people haven’t stopped going to the shops. It’s the experience the shopper has, whether they’re online or instore, that makes one retailer more successful than another these days.”