Mapping New Opportunities for Data at Boss
See how we helped Boss improve snowplow UX using digital experience opportunity mapping to optimize data analytics and provide more valuable customer interactions.
What We Did
Improving the customer experience for Boss snowplow operators was a priority for The Toro Company. Vervint partnered with The Toro Company and their subsidiary, Boss, to examine user data and implement an opportunity mapping framework to identify new ways to add value to the snowplow user experience.
data ANALYTICS
data visualization
Digital Experience Optimization
Aligning business and technical functions
We helped teams across the company align with the same goals, to work together on a shared vision.
Evaluating available data and identifying gaps
We start with making the most of the data you have, then figuring out new use cases to add more value.
Creating an opportunity map to prioritize recommendations
Address the biggest issues and invest in the most impactful actions first, with prioritized recommendations for the future.
About Boss
With nearly four decades of providing quality, durable snow removal equipment, Boss Snowplow is a leader in snow and ice management for commercial and residential use. All Boss products are designed for ease of use, uncompromising quality, and a high level of craftsmanship.
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Improving Customer Experience Like a Boss
Boss has a line of compact snowplows for small business and residential use, which can gather usage and system data. These plows collected data such as location, condition, fuel and salt levels, and more to assist small businesses with managing compliance and liability.
However, the company suspected that their connected plow analytics could be optimized or augmented to provide added value for owner/operators and strengthen the relationship between Boss and its customers.
Mapping a Better Customer Experience
Vervint meticulously inventoried existing data gathered from Boss products and created a prioritized roadmap of actionable improvements to increase the value of user interactions.
First, we dove deep into customer experience research which led to a surprising result. Boss hypothesized operators would want an app to gain visibility into snowplow telematics. However, Vervint’s user research and stakeholder interviews proved this hypothesis incorrect. Instead, our team surfaced hundreds of different, new ideas based on actual customer insights and feedback.
Through ideation and visualization phases, the team returned three clear pathways to an improved customer experience: process, materials, and people.
Three Paths to Improved CX
Process
The first category, ‘Process’, focused on utilizing Boss Snowplow data to automate equipment maintenance. This included accurately forecasting the parts lifecycle and engaging distributor service support. Additionally, long-term value was added with an eCommerce integration, benefiting owners and operators with new opportunities to streamline processes and reduce operating expenses.
Materials
Because weather is unpredictable, fuel and salt pose a significant variable cost to snowplow businesses. And running low on supplies can reduce operating margins and cut into profits. We proposed a ‘now, near, and far’ roadmap to address materials issues on a long-term basis starting with manual presets for quantity of salt spread over a specific area and moving forward to automated dispensing and accurate forecasting.
People
In a small snowplow business, a fleet of equipment is dispersed across the service area. Each operator completes work independently, making oversight a challenge for business owners. We defined a prioritized plan to use Boss snowplow capabilities to assist owner/operators with people oversight as well. Activities included activating GPS tracking for real-time location services, implementing machine security and lo-jack lockdown capabilities; and in the long term, using snowplow data to optimize operator activities.
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Opportunity Mapping for a Better Digital Experience
Saving customers time, money, and effort helped them to grow their small businesses and improved customer loyalty to Boss. In this way, the company was able to differentiate products in a competitive market and build lasting relationships with customers.
In the end, the digital experience opportunity mapping engagement improved Boss’ operations by:
Get to Know Us
Vervint has decades of experience in both the business and technical aspects of consumer product management, and decades of success in supporting company efforts to differentiate products in highly competitive markets. We specialize in providing innovative concepts that deliver measurable results.
Our comprehensive approach combines strategy, technology, and experience to optimize every aspect of delivering and using a digital product or service. Using a holistic point of view, we address all interrelated operations to reduce investment risks, maximize business value, and uncover pain points and inefficiencies. We bring together cross-functional teams to transform insights into strategic solutions that enhance brand experiences and maximize ROI (return on investment). From research and design to digital product development and managed services, we have the expertise to help you throughout the entire lifecycle of your product or service.
