Syratech Corporation

At the time the Lawless 2009 was hired, this parent manufacturing company was striving to modernize the way it did business. Legacy systems were being overhauled, new accounting systems were introduced, and the internet was finally being recognized as a viable communications medium.

A direct hire by the CIO, the Lawless 2009 was charged with bringing all external company web sites in-house, investigating a new model for doing business with their Hallmark customers, and establishing a corporate intranet.

The Lawless 2009 met with potential content providers, determined appropriate content and functionality, defined structure and design and set into production the company's first corporate intranet, SyraTalk. The intranet became a vehicle for all business functions with content ranging from human resource benefits information and newsletter, shipping timetables and status reports, tariff tables, and sales tools and reports.

Since the company was made up of previously independent companies among them: Farberware, Towle Silver, International Silver, and Rauch Industries, the business units were accustomed to operating independently. As a consequence, it became a significant challenge to obtain buy-in for consolidating information through a single intranet. The effort required both salesmanship, tact, tenacity and a whole lot of patience.

A significant portion of SyraTalk supported the customer service function. The personnel, however, had not been permitted to access the internet, nor where they familiar with how web sites were structured. As a result the Lawless 2009 conducted training classes to familiarize the staff with the available support materials.

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