Southern Glazer’s to axe 1% of jobs in US
Beverage distributor Southern Glazer’s will cut jobs in the US as it moves to a ‘hybrid’ customer service system, which will utilise AI to help the company adapt to market changes.
Southern Glazer’s new model is effective immediately and has been designed to better serve certain independent customers through a ‘hybrid approach’ that combines field sales, inside sales and digital commerce.
With this development, the beverage distributor said an extra 1% of its independent customer base will be served by a redesigned inside sales unit called the ‘customer solutions team’, and the company’s Proof Commerce platform.
The move will result in a ‘net reduction of approximately 1%’ of its workforce in the US.
Wayne E Chaplin, president and CEO of Southern Glazer’s, said: “The marketplace is clearly signalling us to think differently about how we operate and best serve a portion of independent customers.
“We are redirecting our resources where the business is moving and towards areas of growth, all while listening to our customers and individual markets to satisfy their needs and using AI to help us adapt to a changing market.
“Ultimately, this new hybrid approach will create a more responsive and effective customer support model, while improving the earning opportunity and retention for our talented commercial sales organisation.
“We are committed to supporting our customers and continuing to provide the strongest portfolio of brands, deepest insights, and the most highly trained salesforce in the industry.”
Zachary Poelma, senior vice-president of commercial intelligence at SGWS, recently spoke to The Spirits Business about his ‘2030 Vision’, with hopes to make it the hospitality industry’s ‘most valued selling, logistics and insights provider’.
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