Great apps“The managers love the Live Tiles. They get instant updates on what’s happening on their social media apps,” says Denny. He explains how they are starting to download apps to keep them updated on sports fixtures and events so that they can share the information with their customers via social media.

“They couldn’t wait to use Cortana,” says Denny. He gives an example of how Lumia’s personal assistant app is proving useful:

“When they’re driving past the brewery and they need to pick something up, they can ask Cortana to remind them.”

The manager’s choicePub managers are delighted with their Lumia devices. They find it easier to stay in touch with head office and are starting to use them to engage with customers.

Managers at head office have noticed an improvement in communication, too. They find it easier to get in touch and share vital event and promotional information with the pubs. “It’s easy to send a quick text message to all our estate with Lumia,” explains Denny. “Before, we could only message 15 or 20 pubs at a time. Now we can message up to 200 recipients, enabling the company to streamline it’s communication channels and become far more productive.”

Connecting with customersImportantly, it’s also easier for customers to keep in touch with Joseph Holt pubs. The numbers are on the website, and the new Joseph Holt app is soon to launch on the Windows Phone store. As Denny concludes, “Lumia smartphones will make it easier for us to deliver an outstanding online experience.”

“The Windows Phone store has lots of new apps that will be really useful to our pub managers.” Denny Chan Digital Marketing Co-ordinator, Joseph Holt

© 2015 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. Microsoft, Windows and the Windows logo are trademarks of the Microsoft group of companies.

“Lumia has made our business communications process easier and more efficient.”Denny Chan Digital Marketing Co-ordinator, Joseph Holt

“The pub managers were caught off-guard by the amazing camera features on their Lumia.” Denny Chan Digital Marketing Co-ordinator, Joseph Holt

Why Lumia?Denny reviewed a range of possible options, and concluded that: “Based on functionality and features, the Lumia presented the best benefits.”

“Our pub managers needed a device that was easy to use,” he explains. “The Lumia’s big, clear screen and easy navigation tick all the boxes.” It’s easy to send and receive email, and to access and amend Microsoft Office documents. “With Lumia, our pub managers can view spreadsheets, invoices and sales reports quickly from the palm of their hand.”

Improve your image“It’s difficult to get a customer in a pub to stand still,” explains Denny. “Lumia’s Smart Sequence mode makes it easy to take great pictures at live events, and you can edit the lens and adjust the exposure and brightness too.”

In an increasingly competitive hospitality sector, Joseph Holt chooses Lumia to improve communication and help pub managers deliver an outstanding experience to their customers.

“Customers like to stay connected to their favourite pubs, even when they’re not in them,” explains Denny Chan, Digital Marketing Co-ordinator at Joseph Holt. “They want to interact with the pub online, find out about events and promotions via social media and get an instant reply when they call or email.”

The business needed a solution that would help its 112 directly employed pub managers to better engage with customers and improve communications with head office – so that the pubs had the information they needed to deliver the best customer service.

Life before LumiaMany of the Joseph Holt pub managers rely on mobile phones to stay in touch with head office and to respond to customer queries. However, communication was limited by the basic feature phones they were using, which only allowed calls and limited texts. As Denny explains, “They just weren’t feasible in terms of business operations.”

The Joseph Holt pub managers needed smartphones that would:

• Integrate with the full Microsoft ecosystem being installed throughout the estate

• Make it easy to open, read and edit documents sent by head office

• Make it easy for head office to communicate with them via Outlook

• Enable them to engage with customers via social media

Customer snapshotOrganisation: Joseph Holt Ltd

Overview: Family-owned brewery and pub operator

Size: Managed estate of 112 pubs (plus 9 independents).

Website: www.joseph-holt.com

Chosen solution: 112 x Lumia 630 devices

Enhancing the customer experience Joseph Holt case study

“The decision to move to Microsoft Lumia was a no-brainer. It’s the best fit for what we want to achieve.”Denny Chan Digital Marketing Co-ordinator, Joseph Holt

microsoft.com/mobile/lumiaforbusiness