When you step into a Herbal Farmer store, it's like taking a quick trip through time. On one side, there's a nod to old-school herbal medicine. On the other, it feels like any other modern retail store you'd walk into today. Started in 2017, Herbal Farmer takes herbs processed in their own factory and sells them in modern retail outlets. Their main goal? Make herbal health food products accessible and appealing to the younger generation.

The Challenges

1. Efficient communication in an expanding landscape: With the brand's rapid growth, it faced a critical challenge - how to keep the lines of communication open and efficient across its expanding network of outlets. The team's primary communication tools, WhatsApp and WeChat, had served them well in the past. Still, as the volume of messages grew, essential requests like payment approvals, stock updates, and quality concerns often got lost amidst casual conversations. The blending of personal and professional exchanges in these messaging platforms hindered overall productivity and clarity.

   
   

2. Overseeing widespread operations: With eight primary retail locations spread across Malaysia and several pop-up stores, Herbal Farmer had a diverse and geographically dispersed team. The absence of onsite supervisors in many of these locations added an extra layer of complexity to managing operations. Traditional methods of tracking employee attendance, such as manual sign-ins, proved inadequate in ensuring accurate attendance records.

   
   

3. Up-to-date inventory insights: Herbal Farmer boasted an extensive product range, comprising nearly 400 unique items. While their factory maintained records of inventory and packaging, not everyone in the organization had instant access to real-time data. This lack of immediate visibility into stock levels made it challenging to strategize and execute promotions effectively.

The Solution

Bridging communication from top floor to shop floor

Lark introduced Herbal Farmer to a streamlined, transparent, and traceable communication model. When a store identified a quality concern or any other issue, it was logged into Lark Approval. These entries were more than just complaints; they became comprehensive reports that provided detailed insights into the issue's origin and potential solutions.

Herbal Farmer leveraged Lark’s flexibility to design over 30 custom workflows, spanning from in-depth stock analyses to intricate customer feedback systems. Lark's user-friendly interface empowered Herbal Farmer to optimize their processes without relying on external expertise.

"With Lark, our processes have become both sharp and timely. We’ve not only identified but also crafted specialized workflows tailored to our needs without leaning on outside expertise."

Streamlined attendance and announcements

Given Herbal Farmer's expansive operations across eight stores and pop-up locations, Lark's attendance feature brought significant relief.

Every team member, regardless of their contract duration, was mandated to mark their attendance using Lark. This system included location verification and a facial recognition feature, ensuring the authenticity of attendance records.

In addition, Lark Announcements feature streamlined company-wide communication. Herbal Farmer could now broadcast company news, promotional campaigns, and updates uniformly across all locations, keeping every team member in the loop.

Clear stock views for quick business moves

Lark Sheets revolutionized how Herbal Farmer managed its extensive inventory. The factory's weekly stock and packaging data were meticulously inputted into Lark Sheets, offering a clear and real-time picture to all stakeholders. When certain items were running low on stock, the teams instantly received notifications, prompting them to hold off on promotions for those items. Conversely, items with a surplus triggered notifications to the Person-in-Charge to kickstart promotional campaigns.

The detailed planner within the sheet kept everyone in sync with what was being packaged, ensuring harmony between management and store-level operations. This improved visibility into inventory enabled Herbal Farmer to make informed decisions about stock levels and promotions, ultimately driving efficiency and cost savings.

Conclusion

Herbal Farmer's journey with Lark is a testament to the remarkable transformation that can occur when tradition meets innovation. By integrating multiple tools into a cohesive platform, communication became not only more manageable but also more transparent. Cross-departmental collaboration flourished, and the frontline operations gained clarity and efficiency. The brand harnessed the power of technology to eliminate hidden costs, streamline processes, and drive overall efficiency.

As aptly put by the team, "once you experience the cohesive environment that Lark creates, it's challenging to revert to the old ways. It's not just about management; it's about valuing every team member and fostering a transparent, systematic structure." For Herbal Farmer, Lark has played a pivotal role in realizing that vision of a seamless blend of tradition and modernity.