At RELEX, we have always been proud of our strong, consistent growth. In 2020, despite the pandemic, we expanded into the Philippines, the Middle East, and Russia, and we added many new customers, including Magnit, Sprouts, Grupo DIA, and Family Farm & Home. We’ve continued this momentum into 2021, with new customers like Kum & Go, Rusta, Bennet, Coles, Cost Plus World Market, and Bed Bath & Beyond joining our roster. In the last 24 months, we’ve had over 150 global go-lives.
We strive to establish strong, supportive, personal relationships with each of our customers as we help them achieve success into the future.
However, we know that in retail, technology contracts are long and vendor changes are infrequent, so we need to ensure that RELEX stands apart from the crowd. We strive to establish strong, supportive, personal relationships with each of our customers as we help them achieve success into the future.
One of our core values is “The Customer Is a Friend,” and it’s a value ingrained in our company culture that everyone – from sales and marketing to operations and administration – believes in deeply. As our CEO Mikko Kärkkäinen says, “If the customer doesn’t receive value from RELEX, we don’t earn our pay.”
Metrics Matter, But We Go Beyond the Numbers
The Net Promoter Score (NPS) is an essential measure of customer experience, calculated by the responses to a single question: “How likely is it that you would recommend our company to a friend or colleague?” The average NPS for SaaS companies is 30, but we far exceeded that in 2020 with a score of 46.5. Not only that, but even though 2020 was challenging for the retail industry as a whole, we actually received more responses to our yearly customer satisfaction survey (which included our NPS survey) than ever before: over 300 answers from over 150 companies.
By thoughtfully prioritizing customer success, we’ve maintained a 97% SaaS customer retention rate, and nearly 100% of our customers are referenceable.
While we greatly appreciate this positive feedback, we know that to succeed over time, we must continuously improve our customer relationships. We’ve put together a unique internal customer success team focused solely on ensuring that our customers are happy and that they continuously achieve the results they expect. By thoughtfully prioritizing customer success, we’ve maintained a 97% SaaS customer retention rate, and nearly 100% of our customers are referenceable.
Positive Experiences Have Impact When Shared
Our customers don’t just tell us that they’re happy with the work we do – they also share their positive experiences with respected independent organizations.
For example, 2020 marked the third year in which we stood out as an industry leader on the RIS Software LeaderBoard. RELEX ranked highly in over 30 categories, including customer satisfaction and quality of service, based on 600+ evaluations from over 300 retailers, a testament to our high level of customer service and support.
In addition, we were honored to receive top scores in 11 criteria in the Q1 2020 Forrester Wave. The Forrester Wave, a guide for buyers considering their purchasing options in a technology marketplace, is compiled using customer references as well as information from analysts, research associates, and a vendor response team.
We Share Supply Chain Industry Awards with Our Customers
We’ve also been nominated for—and won—several awards over the past few years that directly resulted from the success we have achieved with our valued customers. It means a great deal to us that we share these honors with such highly respected retailers.
For example, we were named 2018’s Retail Partnership of the Year (In-Store) with German grocery retailer Bünting AG, while in 2020, we won the Supply Chain Visibility award with Kolonial.no. In 2021, we are thrilled to have been again nominated for several Retail System Awards, including Retail Partnership of the Year with One Stop and Technology Project of the Year with Migros Online.
Customer Satisfaction, Straight from the Source
In the end, what matters to us most isn’t reports or rewards, though they’re certainly important. What we really appreciate is positive feedback in our customers’ own words:
“One of the best aspects of working with RELEX has been their willingness to think creatively, take the time to understand what we’re trying to do, and work as a team, utilizing experience from across their organization to figure out solutions” – Steve Finkelstein, Senior Director of Merchandise Planning and Inventory at The Vitamin Shoppe.
“Our implementation of RELEX forecasting and replenishment allowed our team to better serve our customers throughout the pandemic and will continue to be an essential part of driving our business in the future.” – Johan Hoover, VP of Allocation & Replenishment at Big Lots.
“From the first time we met with RELEX, it was immediately clear that they were the best partner to support our goals. RELEX’s supply chain offering is superior to any other solution we found on the market, and the flexibility of their platform ensures we will grow and adapt together for many years to come.” – Maria Dey, Director of Supply Chain at Magnit.
Our View of the Future: Continued Customer Success, Continued Strong Partnerships
Our customer success team works continuously to be the voice of our customers, listening to their needs so that we can always deliver measurable value. We are always striving to offer our customers the newest innovations based on what will deliver the most value and to inspire them with thought leadership and support.
As we move through 2021, everyone is embracing yet another phase of a “new normal.” For the RELEX customer success team, and for all RELEXians around the world, our goal is to continue making improvements and developing exciting innovations to strengthen our partnerships and help our clients thrive.
