At Office Max, a new website for a new name that's old
Staff -- Purchasing, 11/18/2004 2:00:00 AM
Simplicity and convenience for the customer is what OfficeMax hopes its redesigned Website that was launched this past summer will achieve.
The site now includes customized rules to comply with specific customer needs and flexible cost-center controls to differentiate purchasing activity and assist purchasing professionals with internal procurement processing. Using a single log-in, a purchaser can order products for multiple departments and arrange billing to different cost centers.
The launch of the new site for the office product suppliers reflects a transition for BoiseOffice.com's business-to-business customers to OfficeMax.com, in the aftermatch of Boise Cascade's 2003 purchase of OfficeMax and the corporate name change this year from Boise Cascade to OfficeMax.
The company plans to change the URL of the site to the OfficeMax brand. Currently, BoiseOffice.com has 600,000 individual users, processes 25,000 orders per day, and in 2003 had total e-commerce sales of $1.25 billion. E-commerce sales represent more than 60% of its total business-to-business sales.
The redesign process began and ended with Office Max's customers.
Using feedback from meetings with customers, customer service centers and customer quality council meetings, OfficeMax incorporated the suggestions into the site. "We asked customers: 'What can we do with the ordering experience that would greatly improve the process and the experience for users of the site?' says James A. Carrington, director of electronic commerce at OfficeMax.
Next, OfficeMax asked Forrester Research to review the site for best practice and ergonomic suggestions. It also solicited input from internal e-commerce specialists (60 throughout the U.S.) and customer service representatives. After each review, the redesign team made changes to the site. Then, the design process came full circle back to where it began—with the customers. OfficeMax took the redesigned site to customer focus groups for input and feedback. After this final review, OfficeMax made the necessary changes and launched the site.
Major enhancements include:
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A flat screen menu that allows users to access anything they need on the site in one click.
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Intuitive navigation and friendly drill-down menus.
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Informative search results with live inventory status and detailed product comparisons.
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More detailed item descriptions with product images.
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Quick and easy refill finder.
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Live online assistance and call back button—purchaser receives call from customer service within minutes.
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Site automatically saves previous shopping selection so users don't lose an order if interrupted while shopping.
Upon logging in, users have two options: manage existing orders (tracking) or create a new order. "We try to make the experience as easy as possible, providing users with all shopping methods," says Carrington. Throughout the entire ordering process, OfficeMax provides users with live inventory information. This allows users to make their selections before the check-out process, ensuring that they receive the items they order. "With a 98% fill rate, you might think that this is not an issue, but the reality is, many of our customers order unique items or items that they would not routinely order," says Carrington. "In these cases, this is useful information for them."
At check-out, the user confirms default information. An order summary page provides details about the order in one place.
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