CLEARLINK

For many years now, Clearlink has promoted the concept that its point of market differentiation is based on relationships - that people make it happen. Ray Hogan, Clearlink's Dallas-based Account Manager and Nykki Luskey, a Toronto-based Senior Portfolio Administrator make it happen for Graybar Electric Co., in St. Louis, Missouri. They make Graybar's technology easier to use by creating a seamless flow of information and service without any long distance feelings. The more complex the requirement, the better Clearlink responds. And with regard to Graybar, few companies, if any, are more complex. Graybar is a $4 billion distribution powerhouse that provides thousands of different electrical and communication/data items to customers worldwide. It is a model of employee management and ownership. It is staffed by masters of distribution logistics and service excellence. "We are a new economy company that is over 100 years old," says Bob Ksiazek, Graybar Senior Business Systems Specialist. "The business model has been around forever - what we're doing now is entering the 'websphere' and bringing our web application onto one platform." Graybar has had an Internet procurement application for over three years now and used electronic procurement for several years prior to that. This is not a new world for them. What is new is the technology used to get there and its increasing degree of complexity. "What's great about Clearlink is they handle all the paperwork, they follow the leasing, they keep track of all the assets for us" says Ksiazek. "We have asset management tools that we use - and meshed with Clearlink, it ends up being nearly seamless. Regardless of what blend of technology we use, from a range of vendors, it's like one company doing all the work for Graybar." "What gives us the most confidence that everything is being managed properly, and that we don't have to worry, is Clearlink's people; our Clearlink team is phenomenal. They work out the logistics of dealing with different equipment supplies - we have the up front conversation with our suppliers, Clearlink picks up the ball and takes care of everything else." As a self-described old-fashioned new economy company, Graybar values are traditional. They stand by the people they do business with and expect the same in return. "When we changed platforms from Compaq to IBM, it was a significant undertaking," says Ksiazek. "Clearlink handled most of the administrative, transitional details on behalf of Graybar. They said, okay, we understand your issues, we'll take care of it. They got the leases set up and the invoices handled. From my perspective, that's a significant amount of work I didn't have to do and that saved Graybar a lot of money." "Our lease refresh program occurs quarterly - between 250 and 500 PCs at a time - and Clearlink has done a great job there, too. They quickly receive the equipment, do the audit and close out the lease. As quickly as we will continue to make changes, I'm confident Clearlink can handle the administrative work for me - and I know their asset management program is, in my opinion, best of class." In the future, Graybar will move toward giving real-time inventory access to their customers. These customers will know whether inventory exists or not, there will be no hiding or delays - they believe the more their customers know, the better their chances of getting the business. This is about trust - it's not for all companies, but is central to the Graybar culture. "In the computer age, we see less and less of people," Ksiazek says. "So trust becomes more important because of the relationships you've built in the past. You trust the work is flowing smoothly and that you're getting the support you need. That's the foundation of what we have with Clearlink." At Graybar, it really is becoming a wide, wired world. And the faster that world goes and the more complex it becomes, the more important people are to Graybar's business. According to Bob Ksiazek, Clearlink is the right kind of people.