How Leviton is brightening up customer engagement
Leviton, founded in 1906, is well-known as a lighting leader. Lately, the company has been a shining example of how to reach customers in new, meaningful ways, through its lively locations that serve as showrooms, training centers, event venues and more.
Steve Anson, Leviton’s senior director of marketing, shares more about the Leviton LIVE concept below.
Q: How do your "customer experience centers" help you compete in such a competitive industry?
Anson: Our Leviton LIVE locations extend the value we bring to our loyal customers with meaningful, in-person engagements. Leviton LIVE customer experiences go beyond sales and training events. We host business reviews, product demonstrations and individualized meetings with our dedicated sales team so customers can learn firsthand how our controls, lighting, electrical and network solutions can solve their unique problems.
Q: How long have you had your centers, and what kind of impact do they make on the business?
Anson: We have been operating our Leviton LIVE experience centers for more than a decade. One takeaway we consistently hear from customers after a Leviton LIVE tour is, “I didn’t realize Leviton did that!” because while their particular role might be focused on a narrow industry or solution, they can see how the full breadth and depth of Leviton solutions can do more for their projects.
Our in-person Leviton LIVE experiences open their eyes to more possibilities to solve challenges on projects in unexpected ways, and in turn helps to expand our business.
Q: What items, products or part of the business do you display at these centers?
Anson: The full range of Leviton’s controls, lighting, electrical and network solutions are on display at each Leviton LIVE location, but the design, development and manner in which products are showcased is unique. This is because each location is a real-world case study of how Leviton solutions can be used to update the infrastructure of an existing space.
In Lake Nona, Florida, we updated a residential space to demonstrate how builders and contractors can create a truly connected and electrified home to increase safety and convenience. This includes our line of Decora Smart lighting and load control products, our AFCI and GFCI receptacles, USB charging outlets and EV charging stations.
Our newest Leviton LIVE location in Nashville was developed by retrofitting an existing space that was originally built as an industrial wholesale building in 1892. Our commercial lighting, cabling and network infrastructure solutions and residential and commercial energy management offerings brought the space up-to-date in terms of technology and sustainability, and these solutions are showcased alongside the original architectural features, such as columns and brickwork. No matter what location customers visit, they are immersed in real-life applications of Leviton solutions that light, power and connect everyday spaces.
Q: How did you come up with the idea for Leviton's brick-and-mortar locations?
Anson: We believe there’s no replacement for in-person engagements and building long-standing relationships with our customers. Our Leviton LIVE locations are the perfect environment for serious and immersive conversations.
When coming up with the concept for Leviton LIVE, we wanted to pair the hands-on product demonstrations and in-person networking opportunities that trade shows offer with the valuable, individualized support customers expect from Leviton. It was also important to create a center of excellence for internal and customer training that could simultaneously demonstrate the depth and breadth of Leviton’s nearly 120 years of innovation. Finally, we wanted the location itself to be an entertaining destination so customers can get even more out of their trip.
Q: What do customers like best about your centers?
Anson: Customers have said they appreciate the opportunity to interact with our products and solutions in a realistic setting and consulting with our knowledgeable sales team on a wide range of issues, product needs and more. Most of our customers are multidisciplined in the services they offer, and they enjoy partnering with Leviton for more than one offering.
Q: What technologies are you using to maximize the effectiveness of these centers?
Anson: Integrating Leviton’s products and solutions throughout the Leviton LIVE spaces has proven to be the most effective in terms of sales tools, demonstrations, storytelling and much more since they naturally showcase their benefits to customers as they walk through the experience center.
Additionally, each Leviton LIVE location is thoughtfully designed to enable productivity for meetings, trainings or whatever type of event a customer desires. For example, Leviton LIVE Nashville is equipped with a 40-seat, versatile classroom that can be reconfigured based on event needs – expanding to both a hospitality and experiential learning area – and hybrid technology also allows for virtual participation as well.
We also utilize digital signage throughout the space to bring Leviton's purpose to life for visitors, showcasing how the company addresses the needs of residential, commercial and industrial environments. These features help to complement and highlight Leviton’s products and solutions, so customers can have a hands-on experience.
Q: What metrics do you use to determine success in these centers?
Anson: There are several factors we use to measure success, but ultimately, success is based on the feedback we receive from customers and how well their visits helped them meet their unique needs to grow their own businesses.
Q: Any specific objectives or goals you're aiming for with Leviton's centers?
Anson: Building on the genuine connections we have with our customers so we can provide the best solutions for their unique needs is our top priority.
While our increasingly digital workplace provides more opportunities to connect virtually than ever, there is no substitute for an immersive, in-person collaboration and learning. Many Leviton products and solutions are installed by contractors and integrators who ultimately want hands-on demonstrations that showcase best practices. It’s a similar comparison to online versus in-person learning – the opportunity to interact with likeminded people and talk through how to use technology and solutions provides more benefits than listening to a training online.
Being able to address the problems our customers are facing in person is invaluable, and we believe that utilizing spaces like Leviton LIVE Nashville will become more and more common down the road. We see the future of in-person experiences as being even more personalized and data-driven, and Leviton is committed to continuing to invest in technology and training to ensure that our Leviton LIVE centers provide exceptional value to our customers.
