ZenOptics Case Study

ZenOptics Improves Brown-Forman’s Analytics Usage and Business Efficiency

About Brown-Forman:

  • Industry: Beverage Manufacturing
  • Headquarters: United States
  • Employees: 5,200
  • Brands: 40
  • NYSE Ticker:

With ZenOptics:

At a Glance:

  • Challenge:
    Business users have a single interface to easily find and access their reports and analytics assets.
    Brown-Forman improved processes to curate, validate, and govern reports to create a “single source of the truth.”
  • Solution:
    Individuals and teams have realized time savings and increased productivity, efficiency, and confidence.

Background and Drivers

For more than 150 years, Brown-Forman Corporation has enriched the experience of life by responsibly building fine quality beverage alcohol brands, including Jack Daniel’s and Woodford Reserve. Approximately 5,200 employees support Brown-Forman’s many brands sold in more than 170 countries worldwide.

Data from all Brown-Forman’s brands existed in various sources, including Tableau, SAP BusinessObjects, SAP BW, Google Drive, and homegrown “portal pages.” This complex reporting environment created three primary challenges for Brown-Forman:

Frustration and Inefficiencies:

Employees often did not know which tool held the information they needed or if it was available at all, and often requested new reports, leading to duplicates.

Lack of Consistent Reporting for Executives:

Reports for each North American region were sent in different formats, hindering executives' ability to analyze the data comprehensively.

Surveys revealed:

  • Less than 20% of respondents were confident in their awareness of available reporting.
  • Only 30% were satisfied with their experience accessing business information.
  • Over 90% were open to changing the information delivery mechanism.

A “single place” for accessing analytics assets was needed. Brown-Forman's requirements for an “analytics hub” included:

  • One starting place for reporting and analytics
  • Easy to use and aesthetically pleasing
  • Integrate with multiple technologies and business processes
  • Data source agnostic information in a timely manner

Brown-Forman evaluated ZenOptics, which met all requirements.

The Journey to Establish One-Stop-Discovery and Access of Analytics

ZenOptics implementation began in 2019, involving IT staff and ZenOptics product support. The team cleaned up existing reports to determine importance, duplicates, and retirements.

On an ongoing basis, this fosters analytics adoption through consistent access, allowing users to confidently find relevant information.

Thornton's Insights:

With ZenOptics' governance process, it becomes a “single version of the truth.” Regular management ensures reports are consistent and categorized appropriately, with useful metadata attributes like “business owner” for further inquiries.

Outcomes:

Internally branded as “Onestop,” ZenOptics became a trusted information source.

Best Practices to Jumpstart Analytics Adoption

  • Understand the problem through user surveys.
  • Gain business leadership commitment to support BI and reporting strategies.
  • Partner with IT to translate business needs.
  • Focus on process for sustained value.

User Experience:

Greg Wilson, a Brown-Forman retail finance manager, highlights how Onestop saves time and enhances accessibility.

Organizational Benefits:

  • Enhanced user experience with powerful search capabilities.
  • Curated, accurate analytics content.
  • Governing trusted reports.
  • Automating analytical workflows.

Value Summary:

ZenOptics streamlines the user experience for accessing trusted, relevant information, improving confidence in decision-making.

Conclusion

Brown-Forman’s commitment to analytics has led to increased adoption, with quarterly reviews showing:

  • 27% increase in report access and usage.
  • 25% increase in users.
  • 30% reduction in report duplication.

By onboarding more users over time, Brown-Forman continues to amplify the power of its analytics resources.