WireXpress, a specialty distributor within Wesco/Anixter, relied heavily on relationship-driven, white-glove service to manage customer orders—making even small, routine requests dependent on sales representatives. Leadership wanted sales teams to focus on high-value accounts while enabling smaller customers to independently find products, place orders, and manage quotes. I led foundational research to understand customer and employee expectations, uncover operational friction, and define a research-backed path for how the website could better support the business without disrupting existing relationships.
Challenges
The project faced several intertwined challenges. Culturally, many sales representatives were skeptical of a more capable digital platform, viewing it as unnecessary or as a threat to relationship-driven service. The existing website reinforced this belief—it functioned primarily as a contact point for sales reps and a passive reference for quotes and orders, with most work still handled through email and manual processes.
Technically and operationally, the underlying systems were not designed to support self-service or continuity. Orders, quotes, and product information lived across disconnected tools and inboxes, making it difficult for customers to complete tasks independently or transition between sales reps without friction.
At the same time, while leadership acknowledged persistent customer and internal pain points, there was limited data to quantify them. Pressure to move quickly toward redesign made it necessary to establish the value of foundational research and benchmarking—using evidence to validate assumptions, prioritize problems, and create a shared understanding of what the digital experience needed to support before design work could responsibly move forward.
