HP // POINT OF SALE CONFIGURATOR
BUSINESS PROBLEM
After launching a new line of point of sale (POS) systems, global technology innovator, HP Inc., experienced a surge in demand from retailers all over the world. While great news for business, they needed a solution to help their sales team and channel partners scale with demand while ensuring accuracy of each POS configuration. In order to purchase a custom POS system, a retailer would need to go through a long, manual process with a HP sales rep or partner over the phone. And so HP approached our agency, seeking a configuration tool to help minimize calls and to better educate customers about all of the available features and add-ons. There were roughly 2,500 SKUs and 56 country localizations available across three model configurations: HP Engage Go, HP Engage One, and HP Engage One Pro.
SOLUTION & APPROACH
While no stranger to technology-based projects, this was an undertaking like no other I had encountered before, due to the sheer amount of product SKUs and the complex logic associated with each SKU (e.g. “Part A connects to Part B but never Parts C or G” etc.). To kick off the planning stage, I interviewed a handful of HP stakeholders and sales reps and surveyed several current HP customers to understand product nuances and which steps in the process gave customers the most pause in their decision-making. Geared with more knowledge about the customer audience, I aimed to build a self-serve tool that would supply tips throughout the configuration process, enabling quick and informed decision-making.
Because we scoped for in-house development, I had the opportunity to work cross-functionally with our designated team of developers and QA specialists. Having studied the product SKU matrices dozens of times, I had a laundry list of questions and ideas that I hoped would spark a productive collaboration. I eagerly engaged in several whiteboard sessions with these brilliant engineering minds to brainstorm how to map the user flow in a way that would effectively translate to product requirements, coding language, and the CMS platform. Once we landed on a path forward and a way to aggregate the build of materials output, I set out to work on mapping the user flow for each of the three models’ configuration options. This project provided no shortage of mental gymnastics with all of the varying rules associated with each SKU… I even stumped the client with a few questions and uncovered inconsistencies. After finalizing the flow, I worked with a UX designer to build mobile and desktop prototypes, including imagery, instructional copy, and sandbox controls for each step of the experience. With the client’s approval, we then progressed into the development stage, where I learned a little backend work myself, inputting product information and logic into the master spreadsheet which would then feed into the CMS platform. It was helpful to understand the backend configuration so I could make small updates as needed and know how things worked for future iterations and expansions. The tool launched first in North America, and almost immediately, stakeholders from other regions requested we localize the tool on a global scale as soon as possible. In Spring of 2021, I mapped out all of the country and region localizations, and the next iteration of the tool launched globally. Not long after, HP launched two more POS models which also were integrated into the tool later in 2021.
A truly wild process, especially with new SKUs and changes coming in every other week, but I learned an incredible amount and added some new skills to my toolbox. I gained the client’s trust, helped their sales teams save precious time and resources, and built a strong, friendly rapport that has helped gain more business for the agency and continue to evolve the tool. In my performance review, my boss remarked that had any other strategist been assigned this project, the agency may not have been able to accept the work and may have recommended HP work with a technology consultant. I can safely say this is the most challenging project I’ve tackled, but it is also one of my proudest achievements to date!
