Sylvie Mwila Jonath, Head of IT for Torani, gives us “a taste” of what it looks like when a business grows and how important it is to leverage technology to grow. Torani, known nationwide for making delicious flavored syrups, was founded in 1925 and is a third generation, family-owned business. Sylvie shared with us that the company has grown leaps and bounds since its inception and has witnessed double-digit growth in the past 10 years alone. But, such rapid growth, “comes with all kinds of complexity, you can imagine,” Sylvie stated.
We asked Sylvie what technology Torani is currently using. On the back end, she told us Torani utilizes Oracle which allows them to connect all of the functions within the organization. To connect and interact with their customers, Torani uses Salesforce as a CRM.
She also gave us some great advice about growing a business, “the best way to scale it is to leverage technology.” Here are some of the top ways Sylvie recommends using technology in scaling your business:
Engagement
Technology allows companies to engage with their customers but it also enables companies to collaborate within the company. Sylvie projected that Torani will likely double their size in the next 5 years. That’s a lot of new customers and employees to keep up with, but technology is making it so much easier. Getting information out to customers is faster than ever through social media platforms like Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram.
Technology Helps Solve Problems as You Grow
Technology enables “more interaction with our customer base–not just one-way, but two-way engagement.” Torani uses Social Studio, another one of Oracle’s products. With Social Studio, Torani’s social media accounts send info to the service cloud and their agents see it and then they respond. Sylvie also said they’ve been able to collect and generate leads the same way.
It Keeps Your Business Lean
Technology has helped Torani scale by implementing new technology and using the people they already have in place. Sylvie articulated that just because a business is growing doesn’t necessarily mean you should hire more people. Make the technology work for you.
Leverage Your Partners
Another strategy Sylvie recommended to handle rapid growth and remain lean is to rely on your partners. They do what they do best so, take advantage of their strengths. They will give you the boost that will take your business to the next level.
Take Risks
You won’t always know what tech solutions will be the best fit for you and your business. Sylvie said, “take risks and make mistakes.” Risk taking is an integral part of growth. Just manage your expectations, because failure will happen, but what you learn through those setbacks is what will propel your business forward.
AI
AI is an amazing tech resource in the rapid growth of a business. Torani uses Einstein, Salesforce’s AI initiative. Sylvie shared that they’ve “been collecting structured and unstructured data. How do we make sense of it? AI is bringing it full circle.”
Security
The more a company grows, the more it should invest in security. Sylvie told us that security is, “crucial in everything we do, big or small, as a company, it’s got to be at the forefront.” Luckily so many resources out there have already thought about security, so you don’t have to when you utilize their product or service. Cloud computing comes with built-in security measures. Salesforce as an example, already has it embedded. Security should be a consideration for internal functions within your company as well as external when you are connecting with your customers. Leverage your resources if security is an included feature, but keep in mind that you may have to build in security yourself and it’s important enough to take the time and resources to do so.
