Waitrose modernises enterprise infrastructure with Google Apps For Work

'We wanted a modern technology that would fit with our brand and our style of working with our customers and our employees,' says IT director Cheryl Millington

Waitrose has rolled out Google Apps For Work across its 65,000 employees in 340 stores in a move the retailer states has enabled better collaboration and improved customer service.

The news of Waitrose's decision to deploy Google Apps For Work comes hours after it was revealed that Google has undergone a surprise restructuring, putting the lion's share of the company under the umbrella of a new holding company called Alphabet

Waitrose's Google For Work project, led by cloud advisory and technology services provider Cloud Sherpas, has enabled staff to share information in real time by harnessing applications including Google+, Google Drive and Google Docs.

Prior to the deployment of Google's enterprise software applications, it could take Waitrose employees days or even weeks to organise rotas and workforce management, but ever since the rollout the retailer has been able to coordinate these timetables in minutes.

The rollout has improved teamwork among employees and enabled Waitrose staff to spend more time on the shop floor, therefore improving the overall experience for customers.

Cheryl Millington, IT director at Waitrose, explained why Google Apps for Work was the "obvious" choice for bringing improvements to the retailer, both behind the scenes and in stores themselves.

"There's a huge amount of change in retailing, brought about by evolving customer shopping patterns. Customers are reaching out more, shopping more frequently, buying less and embracing new technology," she said.

"This has meant we've had to think about our business differently. We wanted a modern technology that would fit with our brand and our style of working with our customers and our employees," Millington continued.

"Modern Waitrose is all about changing the traditional supermarket business into a business that's ripe for a different, modern time," she added.

A major refresh of enterprise applications is a challenge for any organisation, especially one the size Of Waitrose. That's why the firm opted to employ the services of Cloud Sherpas to aid with the deployment and to help tailor it to the specific requirements of the retailer.

"When you replace your email and calendar system, it's quite high risk because it touches everyone in the business, so I was quite nervous about making the transition. It was really important to us that this was a smooth transition," said Millington.

"Cloud Sherpas' knowledge, patience and ability to roll out the technology in a way that was engaging for our business teams really made a difference," she concluded.

Earlier this year, Lafarge Tarmac, one of the UK's leading construction groups, revealed plans to replace the majority of its Microsoft systems with Google-based alternatives in an effort to boost innovation and cut costs.