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Client Stories  Retail

Carl Ras: Award-winning retailer partners with Relesys

Discover how Carl Ras deliver vital communications faster, keeps its staff connected and ensures culture is kept at the heart of its operations.

Services
  • Essentials
  • Communications Pro
Industry

Retail

Challenges

Outdated systems

Poor HQ frontline communication

Results

Boosted employee engagement

Optimized communications

Enhanced compliance

 
AN INTRODUCTION

Carl Ras

In business in Denmark for more than 90 years, Carl Ras is a thriving, family-owned tools and fittings specialist with 450 staff spread across 22 Carl Ras stores, four 3 AKTIVE stores, Jydsk Værktøj, warehouses, and its HQ. While studies show that 77% of the world’s employees are disengaged in their workplace, the team at Carl Ras has taken steps to ensure their staff stay tightly connected to their award-winning company culture.

 

Before

Outdated legacy systems

Carl Ras has received the Great Place to Work award for Denmark for over ten years and is serious about maintaining its reputation as an award-winning employer. But with growing competition in the recruitment market and changing retail demands brought on by modern technologies, the leadership team needed help to stay connected to their staff and stop relying on outdated legacy systems.

Our biggest challenge was that our staff could only access our old intranet SharePoint system from a PC. There was no mobile solution. 

Emilie Greve Falbe-Hansen

PR and Communications Manager

With most staff being non-desk workers, it meant vital information and company updates were taking too long to filter across all employees. Store and warehouse staff and on-the-road consultants could only pick up messages on their PC at the start or end of a shift and HQ staff had no real-time connection with colleagues in the rest of the company. 

So, to modernize the company’s approach to employee engagement, the HR and Communication teams began searching for a modern communications platform to seamlessly connect the whole company across stores, warehouses, and HQ. 

 
The solution

A unified platform for knowledge sharing, news, staying social and reporting

The selection of Relesys by the HR & Communication Teams at Carl Ras has rapidly modernized their internal communications.

With the Relesys Platform, we can reach all employees and be more confident that everyone receives important daily updates by checking message delivery and readership reports. 

Ulrik Skovgaard-Mortensen

HR Business Partner

To ensure quick adoption, it was essential that the user experience was like a popular social media and messaging platform, including features like chat, social sharing, content & social dashboards, quizzes, hashtag stamps and custom reactions. By creating an in-house solution, the Carl Ras team could ensure coordination across the company and other HR resources, more relevant and specific content and improved compliance by reducing the use of unsanctioned apps.  

As part of the solution, the team have introduced an online “Breakroom”, which they have divided into two social forums: Insta-Rasseren, where employees can coordinate social events, and Inspi-Rasseren, where employees can reach out if they need assistance with a product or want to share knowledge or experiences with their colleagues.

It exemplifies how we use the platform to support each other. It is a way to tap into a hive mindset, where we collectively contribute to helping each other.

Peter Kong

Store Manager

All this functionality is delivered in a custom mobile application designed using the Carl Ras brand identity and accessible on various mobile and desktop devices.

A strength for us has been that we have a solution tailored to our needs. This does not only apply to the structure and content on the site, but also to the look and feel of the platform. The Relesys team has done a great job creating our very own branded Carl Ras collaboration space.

Emilie Greve Falbe-Hansen

PR and Communications Manager 

the result

Speed, ease and connection

As soon as the platform was launched, the team could see activity was high and this has remained constant post-implementation. In the last year they have had a stable and high activity rate at more than 90% across all employees. This is a credit to the team for keeping the content interesting, relevant and fresh.

One of the significant areas on our Relesys platform is undoubtedly when our management team posts a video once a month, discussing their perspective on the company and the direction we are heading. 

Ulrik Skovgaard-Mortensen

HR Business Partner

This view is shared by the staff at Carl Ras, including Kathrine Heering, an on-the-road sales consultant:

My favorite thing is definitely hearing from management. I find it exciting to listen to what is happening in the company. 

Kathrine Heering

Sales Consultant

And Warehouse Assistant, Sheila Pedersen: 

It makes you feel more involved, and I am very happy about that. 

Sheila Pedersen

Warehouse assistant

Internal communication across the company is now happening faster and more easily than ever before. The HR and Communication teams are using the data on the platform to not only track improvements in message delivery rates but to see which content drives the most interest and engagement with employees. This helps to keep content plans interesting and to bring employees back for more. And it’s working.

I always check the Carl Ras app, both in the morning and later at home to see if there’s anything new. 

Sheila Pedersen

Warehouse assistant

As a store manager, Peter Kong needs real-time updates of all important company announcements and checks the app regularly. 

Before I start work, after I have finished, and at various time throughout the day. 

Peter Kong

Store Manager

Maintaining the company’s award-winning culture was a key consideration in creating the Carl Ras app. The “Breakroom” social forums help colleagues connect and build relationships despite being split across various locations. It is a functionality that is proving popular with employees at all levels, be it sharing product knowledge or organizing a quiz or a sports match it is a key resource to keep staff tightly connected to company culture.

 

The future

A continuous partnership 

At Relesys, we believe in creating strong relationships with our customers. Something we call "The Marriage Strategy". As part of that promise, the team at Carl Ras are continuing to work closely with the Relesys Customer Success team to launch fresh ideas into their platform. Whether it be a Christmas theme for the festive season, special curated content to keep staff informed of key promotions, new product lines, or tips for delivering great customer service, we look forward to supporting Carl Ras as one of the best places to work in Denmark.