Saving time, saving money – Woolworths at Work helps ECEC to get the job done

There has been significant discussion of late about the challenges facing the early childhood education and care (ECEC) sector. Private organisations, such as Woolworths at Work, have begun to take notice too, and create solutions which recognise and respect the uniqueness of the ECEC sector and the need to support it.  

 

“With our tailored approach to supplying goods to busy businesses of all kinds, including ECEC, Woolworths at Work has been designed to solve challenges we hear from business every day,” Woolworths at Work General Manager Jarad Nass said. 

 

Woolworths at Work brings a tailored solution which is designed to save businesses of many types, including those in ECEC, the most valuable thing of all – time. 

 

“Our business solutions make the management and purchasing of business groceries easy for everyone,” Mr Nass continued. “Our aim is to free up as much time for ECECs so they can spend more time on what matters – the children in their care.”

Those who work alongside ECEC providers in fields such as operations management, procurement and finance can make small changes which make a big impact to the daily operations and cost efficiencies of services through using Woolworths at Work. 

 

The team who created Woolworths at Work spent countless hours putting together a unique space which is built by business, for business. 

 

Using the experience gained as one of Australia’s biggest grocery retailers, Woolworths at Work is a whole new business grown to take care of business. It brings together the high quality and freshness Woolworths is known for with a specially curated B2B experience which recognises the challenges of keeping ECEC and other specialised sectors well stocked, and meets them head on. 

 

Here are five key Woolworths at Work features that make ordering groceries and everyday essentials more efficient, freeing up ECEC professionals to do what they do best – educate and care for children and families.  

 

 

• A range built for business 

 

Don’t waste precious time scrolling through too many options, Woolworths at Work has a curated business range of more than 20,000 products from fresh food to cleaning supplies, and the everyday essentials, which gives business shoppers what they need quickly – no sorting through thousands of items.  

 

The platform offers consistent pricing at great value without the volatile sales cycles to make forecasting and budgeting easier. 

 

There are a number of different delivery options including free next day delivery for orders over $99* to support the rhythms of an ECEC day, with no service fees, and no charges for packaging, ensuring that services get the best value possible.

 

• Work Hub – Everything you need in one place 

 

Once customers register their business to shop on Woolworths at Work they also get access to Work Hub. 

 

Work Hub is a digital “back office” that enables businesses to manage their Woolworths at Work account. From adding shoppers to applying for a line of credit and spend reporting, Work Hub provides everything a business needs, right at its fingertips.

 

From procurement to finance to accounting, the smart solutions are designed to give services the power to set up, self-manage and control their business shopping management – and to give unique insights to help them to shape their strategic decisions. 

 

The Work Hub allows busy leaders, procurement officers, chefs and other ECEC professionals to undertake a number of functions including: 

 

– Managing people: Users can add shoppers and admins with different levels of access, or simply message Account Management from the Work Hub who can manage everything instead!

 

– Managing the budget: Apply for a line of credit^ in 15 minutes [^Subject to credit approval – standard processing times are 2-5 business days]

 

– Managing the product range: Users can remove categories that are not in line with the  organisation’s policies and preferences. For example, services can choose to remove access to confectionary, alcohol, or anything else which doesn’t suit the needs of children and families.

 

WorkHub can also give valuable reporting insights, the dashboard is quick and convenient, and gives decision makers important topline insights around online spending that can help them to understand buying trends, to shape purchasing decisions and respond quickly. 

 

These insights include monthly online spend over six months (at organisational level), average order value and month-to-date orders. Additional in depth spend reporting can be created from business level transaction data.

 

 

• Working together to make switching suppliers easy

 

“The best onboarding experiences happen when we work together to make sure you get the most out of our total business solution,” Mr Nass said. 

 

Woolworths at Work set you up for success by supporting your onboarding with a simple process,great tools and resources. You can do it all yourself and invite your teams to start shopping straight away through their online platform ‘Work Hub’ – or if your business is more complex, they will tailor your onboarding to your business needs.

 

“We make onboarding to Woolworths at Work easier for complex businesses with our ‘Full Service Onboarding’ experience. We work with you to tailor your onboarding process to suit your business needs.” 

 

 

• Free ECEC meal plans 

 

Thanks to an innovative collaboration with Nutrition Australia, ECEC services can access menus and recipes that meet nutritional guidelines while also saving time and helping children to form positive relationships with food. 

 

To cater for the number of different allergies, cultural considerations and dietary preferences present in ECEC services, Woolworths at Work have made it easier to find accessible options and products through the use of dietary and lifestyle filters (please note: Filters are provided as a guide only, please always check the product label or enquire with the manufacturer before consuming.)

 

Produce guides are another useful tool which ECEC services can use to shop in season, save money, and serve children fruits and vegetables when they are at their best. 

 

• Delivery options that supports your ECEC needs 

 

The Woolworths at Work delivery network is built to support the needs of ECEC businesses around Australia, using the power of one of the country’s biggest delivery networks.

 

“We have huge capacity and a great range of delivery options to make sure your business gets what it needs, when your teams need it,” Mr Nass said. 

 

“We reserve a portion of Woolworths’ delivery capacity exclusively for Woolworths at Work customers. Your team gets more assurance they’ll get the delivery window that suits their schedule – so they’ll be ready for the day ahead.”

 

Understanding that those early morning moments are critical to set ECEC services up for success, Woolworths at Work offers 2 hour delivery windows* between 6am and 9am exclusively available for Woolworths at Work ECEC customers to help them get up and running. 

 

Next day delivery is available free of charge for orders over $99.* 

 

To learn more about Woolworths at Work visit the website where you can sign up and shop in less than 5 minutes. All you need is your ABN to get started. 

 

*Orders over $99, Excludes Partner Delivery. Subject to availability, excludes remote locations.