One Year with Concrete: Checking in with VSP Global

One Year with Concrete: Checking in with VSP Global

At Future Stores Seattle 2018, Concrete offered a bold opportunity – a chance to use our software for free for an entire year. The only thing we asked in return? To join us at Future Stores 2019 and share the experience of using Concrete. VSP Global took the offer with excitement. We caught up with Shawn Lynch, Senior Client Relationship Manager, to see how his workflow has changed since integrating Concrete into his daily routine.

Shawn, what is your main role and responsibility?

I manage the relationships between different departments at the home office and retail locations out in the field. I make sure communications from home office are disseminated out to all of our clinics.

How do you introduce Concrete to your clinics?

We describe Concrete as an intranet for any resource the staff need. We’re able to pivot and customize it however they need it. If there’s a need that somebody can identify, I tell them to let me know, and we can work on getting it set up together.

What kind of materials and communications do you house on Concrete?

Everything. We update our intranet homepage daily with news, answers to questions, and any urgent changes. We upload new product DNA sheets, planograms for individual stores and clinics, events and promotion details, training material, order info, and much more. We also use it with our field managers as a way of communicating how their store visits go. 

Tell me about a time you used Concrete to make swift changes:

We put our eyeglass orders through a POS system. Some updates within that POS system required the clinics to change the way they were entering information. Not following that change has implications across multiple components of the supply chain. We used Concrete to alert the clinics and communicate the correct way to make those adjustments in the ordering process. We take feedback from the clinics to see what additional adjustments need to be made in order to make sure that we have 100% cooperation and compliance.  

How were you communicating with clinics before Concrete?

We had ad-hoc emails. The company realized there was a need for a platform like Concrete. 

How easy has it been to adopt Concrete? 

Surprisingly easy. The interface is intuitive. I know the direction to take it. Whenever any special adjustments or modifications are needed, the account and professional services team has made it easy and the turnaround is really fast.

How has Concrete changed the way you work?

The biggest change Concrete has made is the ability to ensure we have a consistent way of delivering information to all relevant parties. Stakeholders have increased visibility of what’s being communicated. Even within home office, Concrete is used to see what’s being sent to the field, to get updates on news, and for home office to verify that information is getting broadcast the way it needs to be. All our clinics have access to all the tools and information they need and they can update things as needed; it’s a huge win. 

What feedback have you received from the clinics?

We’ve asked the clinics a few times how they enjoy the platform. Everyone loves it. We’ve made some changes as time has gone by. Any issues that have come up have been addressed pretty quickly. 

Thank you, Shawn! Would you recommend Concrete to friends and colleagues?

Definitely. I’d give Concrete a 9 out of 10. 

Shawn Lynch has worked in optics retail for nearly twenty years and manages the relationship between home office and on-site field clinics. VSP offers high-quality, affordable vision care to more than 88M members around the world.