Restek
            

Founded in 1985, Restek is a leading developer and manufacturer in the chromatography industry. The 100% employee-owned company provides tools to analysts around the world to monitor the quality of air, water, soil, foods, botanicals, pharmaceuticals, and chemical and petroleum products. As passionate as the company is about science and innovation, Restek also prides itself on providing exceptional service to its customers, which it calls “Plus 1” service.

The needs of the modern world have been good for the chromatography industry. From stricter environmental regulations to the increasing legalization of cannabis, there has been a surge in demand for chromatographic analyses. For Restek, a leading developer and manufacturer of chromatography consumables, including columns, reference standards, and instrument accessories, this means opportunity. However, the market is surprisingly competitive, and it can be hard to offer a differentiated product. Restek’s solution to distinguish itself from its competitors is to provide exceptional customer service and support.

In fact, the company’s entire ethos is built on “Plus 1 in everything we do,” meaning Restek goes above and beyond to exceed customer expectations. For Restek’s customers, that means quality on time, every time.

“At Restek, we pride ourselves on our ‘Plus 1’ customer service. When you call us, you speak to a real person, and we strive to help the customer in any way we can. We believe our Plus 1 customer service sets us apart—it’s the experience of working directly with an individual who is ready to help,” said Nathan Gerst, ERP Systems Manager at Restek.

But Restek recognized that to maintain the high levels of service its customers expected, it needed to modernize its business and digitalize customer interactions. For example, Restek wanted to streamline the entire customer interaction process and make it accessible to every employee. This would give the company more flexibility to unlock new opportunities for its customers.

How they did it

Restek started on the back end, rolling out a new enterprise resource planning (ERP) system a year and a half ago to better track the core of its operations and supply chain. The company also began building a new website to serve as its digital storefront, which launched earlier this year. But while it had all of the pieces in place to enable an exceptional customer experience, Restek found itself with a bit of a silo problem. In order to provide the ultimate Plus 1 service it wanted, everyone at the company needed to be able to access a 360-degree view of the customer. To do that, Restek needed to break down the silos between their ERP, CRM, website, and other ancillary systems.

“It quickly became very clear to us that we needed some kind of software to connect all of our systems and data. Otherwise, we would have to do point-to-point integrations for everything, which becomes a nightmare,” said Gerst.

The solution was something that Gerst and his colleagues have come to call “the hidden platform”—an integration Platform-as-a-Service (iPaaS) solution that connects data across all of Restek’s systems. And it does it so well that no one even knows it’s there.

Unlocking new opportunities for customers

Restek selected Software AG’s webMethods.io as their (hidden) integration platform of choice. Since going live earlier this year, the company has unlocked opportunities to transform its business model and enhance its level of customer service.

webMethods.io seamlessly connects all of Restek’s systems so data can flow between them. Time isn’t wasted trying to track down customer or recent transaction information in one department system. Instead, there is now a consistent view and instant insights, regardless of the department accessing it.

With all their systems connected, Restek is now ready to deliver on their Plus 1 promise like never before. As the sales team speaks to customers—remotely or in person—they can access their recent order history to anticipate what they might need next. They also have a clear line of sight into inventory and timelines, so they can answer customer questions and make recommendations with confidence.

“An integration platform is very, very important to the organization as we move forward. Connecting these systems together is only going to help our customers and our employees at the same time,” said Gerst.

Even with all of those connections, webMethods.io has helped Gerst configure them quickly. He said the platform is powerful, intuitive, and easy to use—a process made easier by the team at Software AG.

“It’s a great product, great support all around. It’s honestly been one of the easier systems I have implemented,” said Gerst. “Anytime we needed something, our Software AG representative calls us immediately. He has made sure we’re up and running smoothly.”

With webMethods.io in place, Restek is ready to put a modern, connected spin on their Plus 1 customer service.