Huawei — 2018

Keeping the right people
up-to-date about all
things Huawei

Huawei, during this project, one of the top 3 smartphone brands in the Netherlands, wanted to get a better connection with their Floor Sales Men (FSM). Because Huawei has no dedicated stores, the brand has no real ambassadors. To give the FSM a better feel for the brand, you need to communicate with them and make sure their Huawei knowledge is up to date.

PROJECT DURATION

24 months

TEAM

1 Copywriter, 1 Frontend Developer, 2 Backend Developers, 1 UX / UI Designer, 1 Visual Designer, 1 Product Manager, 1 Project Manager

MY ROLE

In the first half I was responsible for the information architecture and interaction design. During the redesign I also took care of the restructuring and the visual design.

Problem

Without direct communication channels to the salespeople on the shop floor, it was difficult for Huawei to stimulate device sales.

Salespeople in various tech and phone stores are often the first point of contact for people looking for a new phone. Due to the wide range of brands and types, there is a need for a guide that can tell exactly what they need. The problem is that Huawei does not know the sellers and vice versa. To create more involvement, both parties need to get to know each other better.

Without dedicated stores and staff, it is difficult for Huawei to reach the unknown sellers. All communication goes through various head offices that determine themselves which information ends up with the sellers. So, time for a change!

It's all about respect and understanding. Just like
a relationship.

Building a direct relationship with the Floor Sales Men (FSM) doesn't happen overnight, something like that has to grow. After a while you build a relationship of trust, but it all starts with the first step. Seducing on a first date. Make clear to the FSM what the intentions are and what is in it for them. That is why we developed the Huawei Up-To-Dating app.

A digital engagement platform to mobilize Huawei's FSM to become effective brand ambassadors and boost Huawei device sales. Our aim was to stimulate direct contact and response with the FSM through this interactive platform and to avoid communication via head offices. This enabled us to reduce the costs associated with traditional sales methods and improve the digital adoption of FSM.

Up-To-Dating, from the first date to really getting to know each other.

The first iteration of the platform revolved around the first phase of the relationship: getting to know each other. In concept & copy we have made a link with the dating scene. Creating an account was therefore dominated by "the first date". While using the app, users could register to win various gifts. This varied from small gifts, such as a flower or a jar of candy, to larger activities for the entire store department.

Because we do not know who is an FSM and who is not, everyone has the option to create an account. To prevent everyone from participating in the platform, the gifts were linked and delivered to the store where you work. This meant participating FSM did not have to share their address details and the stores/head offices had insight into what Huawei was giving away in terms of prices. There are rules attached to this.

The second purpose of the app is to inform FSM about everything to do with Huawei and its devices. The news provides direct information about Huawei as a company and the latest developments. The device section gives FSM direct access to the most important information about all Huawei devices. Handy for when a customer asks a tricky question about the Carl Zeiss lenses in the Mate10 Pro model.

Ready for the next step

A few months after the launch, we decided to start the next phase of development. The first step in an improved relationship between FSM and Huawei had been taken, now it was time to look further. Huawei is in direct contact with the FSM via the app. The dashboard from the first version has been converted to a social timeline in which an algorithm determines who sees which content. This makes it easier for Huawei to make content that is important for a particular retail chain available to employees.

The content ranges from weekly articles, news stories or videos to specific product launches and quizzes. The quizzes were a perfect way for Huawei to gauge the level of knowledge in the stores and to adjust the internal training where necessary.

More space has also been made within the app for communication from the FSM to Huawei. Polls and feedback enabled FSM to pass on important information to the responsible account manager. Whether it's shop furniture that is broken, products that don't work or customer feedback; Huawei needs that information if they want to always deliver the best quality.

A perfect match

Blind dates can often turn out to be a fiasco, but dating with Huawei turned out to be a great success. No fewer than 2674 FSM installed the app on their phone, of which 1300 are active. With an average session duration of 3 minutes it becomes clear that it is not about 'quickies', but about a serious relationship. The trust is now there, it is now mainly a matter of listening carefully to each other. Then this perfect match can lead to marriage.