CX strategy & cross-functional support for HUBER+SUHNER

HUBER+SUHNER: a concise, seamless user experience

HUBER+SUHNER excels in establishing connections – between people, places, and networks. The company provides robust and reliable connectivity solutions that transmit data and power across networks. They cater to the industrial manufacturing, communications, and transportation sectors with three core technologies: radio frequency, fiber optics, and low frequency.

In valantic, the company found the perfect partner to upgrade their online presence. Discover how the collaboration propelled HUBER+SUHNER to a new level of digital experience excellence!

The company: HUBER+SUHNER

With a strong presence in over 80 countries, HUBER+SUHNER operates worldwide to effectively serve its diverse customer base. The company’s sustained commitment to a customer-centric approach also inspired their decision to work with valantic. The goal: a unified online presence – including configurable products, pricing, quoting and order processing – ensuring a seamless customer experience across all digital touchpoints.

Assembling connectors, Herisau, Switzerland

The challenge

The main challenge was to create a convincing online experience by seamlessly integrating the website, online shop, and configurable products. Additionally, the company needed to facilitate the efficient maintenance and publishing of product-related data – all while working with limited internal resources and within an international context.

Scope and results

valantic’s support comprised the development of a digital touchpoints strategy, including the validation of prototypes with selected customers, and collaboration with the content management (CMS) partner on the UX and UI design of the customer experience platform (CXP).

Additionally, the project involved designing the system architecture and evaluating software solutions for eCommerce (eCom), customer identity and access management (CIAM), as well as product information management (PIM). Following these preparatory stages, the project team handled the implementation process – from eCom frontend/backend development to PIM integration.

The result: clear and concise user guidance – ensuring customers can easily find the products that meet their needs – backed by a robust system architecture designed for long-term scalability.

Inspection, production, Herisau, Switzerland

Pre-study and software evaluation

Starting in 2021, valantic supported HUBER+SUHNER in assessing the status quo, identifying key customer needs and deriving a comprehensive digital touchpoints strategy. This phase also encompassed the evaluation of necessary software upgrades and replacements.

HS Switzerland Herisau office aerial view

Main activities during the pre-study:

specification of business use cases
identification of key customer touchpoints
creation of prototype customer journeys for two use cases
validation with selected customers
development of a digital touchpoint strategy
design of the system architecture
supporting C-level approval for the CX roadmap

During the software evaluation stage, valantic specified the requirements for the eCommerce, CIAM, and PIM systems and established key selection criteria. Subsequently, the team proposed suitable candidates, obtained quotes, and evaluated offers.

Implementation – eCommerce

Integrating content and commerce seamlessly is crucial to ensure users don’t experience any interruptions while navigating between sections – neither visually nor from an information standpoint.

In spring 2022, the design and data logic details were finalized. By mid-2022, development began in the SAP Commerce Cloud and ViaMedici EPIM – including integration with SAP ERP, Kentico CMS, Frontify Asset Management, and Salesforce CRM/CIAM.

The eCommerce solution was launched in summer 2023, offering online product configuration within a unified visual environment (custom visuals). The full platform went online globally in fall 2023.

Implementation – PIM (product information management)

Thanks to the implementation of a central PIM system with global reach, product data can now be enriched with marketing and web-relevant information in addition to the existing technical features.

As a first step, classification structures, attributes, and product tables were created for 6,320 products and 12,250 variants for use in eCommerce. This foundation enabled the automatic creation and maintenance of approximately 6,000 data sheets. The setup can now be used to integrate all other non-eCommerce products into the EPIM system.

The connection to Viamedici EPIM, MAM system Frontify, and the SAP Commerce Cloud via DataStore ensures seamless data transfer across systems and processes. Customized reports and terminology databases enhance communication and efficiency within the company.