Bata

Bata is indeed one of the most prominent names in the Indian footwear industry. The brand is trusted by a significant portion of the Indian population for its quality products, comfort, and affordable prices. It has a robust online as well as offline presence within the country.

In order to manage these stores in a more effective and efficient manner, Bata wanted to establish a clear system that could help staff in handling daily maintenance tasks and receive quick support whenever they required it. This is exactly why Bata partnered with D’Art. It wanted us to create and establish a reliable as well as efficient maintenance system that did not just improve store-level operations but made it easier to define responsibility and make coordination seamless and easier.

Bata wanted to set up a maintenance process for its entire physical retail network that was spread within the geographical boundaries of India. In addition to this, the brand was also looking for a fixed schedule for regular maintenance and a quick response system for urgent repairs. Also, it needed a clear process for reporting issues, keeping records, getting approvals, and coordinating with local vendors and field teams. All these steps were very important to ensure that all the stores positively received the right support and followed the same procedures.

D’Art developed a maintenance program that included two types of services: preventive maintenance and reactive maintenance. For preventive maintenance, we introduced a hub-and-spoke model and shared visit schedules in advance. Our teams visited stores as planned, checked different areas, completed minor repairs, and took photos before and after the work. We also carried out quarterly audits of exclusive stores and experience centres.

For reactive maintenance, we created a customized CRM system to collect all reported issues in one place. After checking each issue, we assigned it to the right regional team. Our field teams then visited the stores, fixed the problems, and shared photos and reports to confirm that the work was complete. We also defined clear procedures, response times, approval rules, and costs to keep the process consistent.

The newly developed maintenance system significantly helped Bata in managing its stores in a more organized and effective manner across different locations. The brand seamlessly transitioned from an unplanned repair process to a system that included regular checks and planned maintenance.

The store teams could now coordinate with the brand, local vendors, and the field staff in a better and more streamlined way. Regular reports and records further made it easier for the staff/brand to track work and understand the status of each issue. The system significantly helped the team in responding faster to all the maintenance requests and, at the same time, also manage both regular and urgent repairs in a more effective and efficient manner.