Retail and Hospitality
Helly Hansen goes global on the cloud
8 January 2013
Helly Hansen is based in Oslo, Norway and sells its products on five continents
Scandinavian outdoor brand, Helly Hansen has chosen Microsoft Office 365 as its communication and social platform.
Before Helly Hansen moved to Office 365, e-mail, conferencing and phone systems were separate silos, and these systems were outdated and unreliable.
For the IT team, which is spread over five countries, being able to have all of our meetings online has been an amazing transformation
Sandy Abrahams, Helly Hansen “There was no instant messaging and no simple conferencing solutions. Several of our stores weren’t able to receive local phone service and depended on mobile phones for communications,” said Sandy Abrahams, IT director, Helly Hansen. “We weren’t connected to one another allowing us to make timely decisions and move our business forward.”
Benefits of Office 365 for the Norwegian retailer include faster e-mail with more storage, and collaboration capabilities with SharePoint Online team sites or Lync Online instant messaging and videoconferencing.
Employees in Oslo can now compare design samples with Hong Kong, and retail stores can provide headquarters feedback on visual displays via videoconference.
“For the IT team, which is spread over five countries, being able to have all of our meetings online has been an amazing transformation,” Abrahams said. “Now that we can see each other and share our desktops, we can lead more productive meetings and benefit from closer relationships.”
All managers are now using Lync to help reduce their travel schedules and budgets. Helly Hansen to reduce travel costs by 10 to 15 per cent in 2013.
Helly Hansen sells its products on five continents, operates 39 retail outlets in Europe and North America and has 350 full-time employees across offices in Norway, Germany, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, China, Canada and the United States.
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