"We weren’t getting what we needed. Communication was bad, there was no strategy, and we needed someone to help us move forward.”

GTS and their Director of IT & eCommerce, Jordan Ullom, were grappling with unresolved platform issues, limited strategic guidance, and a lack of responsiveness from their previous partner. These challenges manifested in:

• Unmet Customer Needs: GTS was unable to be responsive to customer requests. When they wanted to change site behavior or even display a simple piece of information, it would take years to accomplish, if ever.
• ERP Integration Struggles: Misconfigured jobs during an ERP upgrade caused significant inefficiencies, including orders disappearing and delays leading to angry customers.
• Strategic Stagnation: GTS’s eCommerce efforts were reactive rather than proactive, leaving untapped opportunities for growth and innovation.

THE SOLUTION

"The knowledge we’ve gained has changed how we think about our site and how our customers interact with it.”

TRANSFORMATION

GTS performed an extensive vetting process and found that others had cookie-cutter solutions, taking the same approach to every customer. It was something they were proud of. 

"That was concerning for us because there’s no way we would stand out from our competitors if they received the same solution from our mutual vendor. We would have the same exact website."

GTS partnered with Layer One to tackle their issues head-on. The collaboration brought immediate clarity and results:

• Problems They Didn’t Think Could Be Fixed: Layer One resolved long-standing technical issues that had been left unaddressed, including the order processing failure from a lingering integration error that caused orders to disappear between the site and ERP.
• Problems They Didn’t Know Existed: Layer One’s proactive analysis uncovered hidden inefficiencies, like underperforming product data affecting search and user experience. Addressing these issues led to measurable improvements in search functionality and increased cart size.
• Teaching New Ways of Thinking: Through coaching and strategic collaboration, Layer One helped GTS reimagine their approach to eCommerce.

RISK MITIGATION AND SCALABILITY

When GTS faced a daunting migration from Optimizely’s Classic to Spire, Layer One turned what others estimated as a year-long endeavor into a seamless six-month process. Furthermore, at GTS’ request, Layer One pivoted the roadmap and worked it into their current engagement.

"We were scared this would take a year, but Layer One’s expertise and adaptability made it possible in six months.” 

LAYER ONE'S MODEL

Layer One’s model provided GTS with a consistent partnership rather than a transactional vendor relationship. Initially, Jordan Ullom expressed apprehension about the fixed monthly cost but quickly realized the value of this approach:

"I’m not wasting time and energy managing the budget because it’s set for the year. I don't have to worry about running out of hours in September, hitting my development budget for the year, and then not doing anything the last three months."

This predictable structure also motivated GTS to maximize their investment. "Paying monthly drives me to look at what else we could be doing and then do it.”