McKeen Metro Glebe

McKeen Metro is a trusted, family-owned grocery store serving residents of the Glebe in Ottawa and surrounding areas since 1910.

• A safer community and workplace. Increased capacity to serve those who are most vulnerable.
• An effective online ordering system that keeps customers in the know and able to get what they need has led to happier customers and increased sales.
• Staff is less overwhelmed than they were, and a supported staff is more likely to follow necessary protocols – and not quit.

The Challenge

“With the pandemic, the sales we’re doing in one day now were the sales we used to do in an entire week,” said Rebecca McKeen, Executive Director, McKeen Metro Glebe. “Our sales have increased through our online site seven times – even more in the past month. Our site was crashing because there was too much traffic.”

McKeen Metro was losing sales and, even more importantly, trust within their community because those who needed them most were unable to get the staples they needed during the worst crisis we’ve faced in generations.

We would not be where we are without Saucal, and they’ve helped us make a crazy situation manageable.

Rebecca McKeen, Owner, McKeen Metro Glebe

The Stakes

Lives are literally at stake:

• For some customers, reliable online ordering from McKeen is a matter of life and death
• Fewer people in our stores means fewer people at risk
• An overwhelmed staff will make mistakes that could cost them – and customers – their lives

The business:

• A pandemic is not the time to be trying to hire and train new staff
• Canceled orders and refunds would cut into profits and take time away from ensuring customers have what they need
• Building for the future through customer trust and confidence in uncertain times critical for a return to normal operations after the pandemic

A legacy:

• A reputation built up over 100 years and 4 generations will either be cemented or torn down in this most critical time.

Process

“Everyone I’ve worked with and spoken to from Saucal has been above and beyond amazing with every aspect that we’ve had to work with them,” said Rebecca McKeen, Executive Director, McKeen Metro Glebe. “I’ve been very impressed from the beginning with the help and assistance and value that Saucal has been able to bring to my business.”

Responsiveness:

“Saucal has been amazing and so responsive. They’ve been able to help us with a variety of issues and improve our site tremendously. I’ve never had a situation where I’ve been disappointed or had to wait very long even to get a response at any time of the day pretty much that we’re open.”

Better Customer Experience leads to higher revenues:

“Saucal’s work has increased our revenue by providing a better customer experience on our site. Customers needed that and we did too.”

Smart Investment:

“We would not be where we are without Saucal, and they’ve helped us make a crazy situation manageable. The investment has paid off way 100% with the functionality of our site and the troubleshooting they do. Saucal’s work is extremely valuable.”

Solutions

• The site now puts the customer experience first, making it much more intuitive, helpful – and profitable.
• Caps on the number of orders processed in a day mean more effective management of orders, the ability to meet customers’ expectations, and happier staff members.
• Card-on-file functionality that frees them up from manually taking credit card information over the phone.
• The ability to self-schedule in the calendar for future deliveries has helped customers get what they need in a timely fashion without jeopardizing the health and safety of the community and staff.