In this case study, you’ll discover how Farmers Business Network (FBN), an online platform for connecting family farmers to the resources they need to compete, used Stable to:
FBN is creating a more competitive farm economy, one focused on leveling the playing field for the independent family farmer. They do it with an online platform that reduces the friction between farmers and the resources they need for long-term viability. A free FBN membership unlocks access to a range of solutions designed specifically for independent farmers, including a supplies marketplace, financing options, marketing resources, reporting and analysis, and more. “Any time we’re thinking of trying a new product or service,” said Lynn Bailey, FBN’s Head of Facilities and EHS, “we ask ourselves if it will make things better for the family farmer.”
There is no such thing as a family farmer who works remotely. But for FBN, the rise of remote work reached their business all the same. “The traditional office manager feels like a luxury when so much has gone remote,” Bailey said.
“But,” he added, “the mail still comes.”
FBN gets more than five hundred pieces of mail each month, including a significant volume of checks. So when the company exited its primary headquarters in favor of a remote/hybrid arrangement, the question of what to do about the mail was a natural one. FBN first tried to answer that question, as many businesses do, with their co-working space. “It was a place for the team to collaborate side-by-side, but also serve as a kind of mailroom,” Bailey said.
While an effective collaboration space, FBN quickly discovered that they were going to need a different answer to their mail problem. “We spent several hours a week scanning and digitally routing the mail, which was way too much, in my opinion,” Bailey said. “At one point we added a temp hire to help,” added Jo Ellen Krchnak, FBN Facilities Manager. “And things were getting lost in the shuffle, too. There were definitely some gaps.”
To move forward successfully, FBN needed a more efficient and reliable solution. Their diligence pointed them to Stable. But after the decision was made, Bailey and Krchnak found they had a new challenge on their hands: change management.
When asked what he likes best about his job, Bailey said, “This company is unique in that we are all committed to a vision. Everyone is here because of our mission and because they want to see this company succeed.” Krchnak echoed this sentiment. “The team is made up of dedicated, hardworking people.”
Naturally, a team that invested in its work had its hesitations about the concept of a virtual mailbox: was this secure and confidential? What about changing addresses? And why would the mail processing times be any better with Stable? In other words, was FBN replacing one set of problems with another?
Stable’s customer experience team quickly put these concerns to rest. “The implementation and onboarding was instrumental to our success,” said Bailey. “Also,” added Krchnak, “the ability to reach out to Anna (a Stable Customer Success Lead) with questions was critical. This was quite a big change for the entire company and whenever a ‘what-if?’came up, we just set up a call with Anna. She put everyone’s mind at ease.”
Stable’s intuitive dashboard made the transition easier, as well.
“The filters make things so much easier,” Bailey said. “You can choose what you want to focus on and then do mass assignments of just those mail items. Tags are great, too, for when you need a reminder of what still needs to be done or when multiple people are working on something.”
Krchnak pointed to one moment, in particular, when she knew Stable was going to stick at FBN. “There was a meeting where we were discussing some checks that hadn’t been deposited and the team realized that they could just go into Stable and find them.”
“In the facilities world, no news is good news,” explained Bailey. FBN reports less lost mail and delayed mail since they adopted Stable. The flow of mail is more seamless, too. “When we were doing it manually, the best we could do was to commit one day a week to mail scanning. Now mail is being processed and routed every day.”
Bailey would "absolutely" recommend Stable to another company looking to solve similar problems.
“It’s intuitive and it's simple. It’s a time-saver and a money-saver. And the mail is going to flow better,” he said.
“And I like that I can go back and look at old mail records, make sure I looked at it, and make sure the matter was closed.”
And while indirectly, Bailey believes that Stable is helping FBN to pursue their vision of helping independent, family farmers. “Any time you make your business more efficient, you create an opportunity to do more for your customers.”
In this case study, you’ll discover how Farmers Business Network (FBN), an online platform for connecting family farmers to the resources they need to compete, used Stable to:
FBN is creating a more competitive farm economy, one focused on leveling the playing field for the independent family farmer. They do it with an online platform that reduces the friction between farmers and the resources they need for long-term viability. A free FBN membership unlocks access to a range of solutions designed specifically for independent farmers, including a supplies marketplace, financing options, marketing resources, reporting and analysis, and more. “Any time we’re thinking of trying a new product or service,” said Lynn Bailey, FBN’s Head of Facilities and EHS, “we ask ourselves if it will make things better for the family farmer.”
There is no such thing as a family farmer who works remotely. But for FBN, the rise of remote work reached their business all the same. “The traditional office manager feels like a luxury when so much has gone remote,” Bailey said.
“But,” he added, “the mail still comes.”
FBN gets more than five hundred pieces of mail each month, including a significant volume of checks. So when the company exited its primary headquarters in favor of a remote/hybrid arrangement, the question of what to do about the mail was a natural one. FBN first tried to answer that question, as many businesses do, with their co-working space. “It was a place for the team to collaborate side-by-side, but also serve as a kind of mailroom,” Bailey said.
While an effective collaboration space, FBN quickly discovered that they were going to need a different answer to their mail problem. “We spent several hours a week scanning and digitally routing the mail, which was way too much, in my opinion,” Bailey said. “At one point we added a temp hire to help,” added Jo Ellen Krchnak, FBN Facilities Manager. “And things were getting lost in the shuffle, too. There were definitely some gaps.”
To move forward successfully, FBN needed a more efficient and reliable solution. Their diligence pointed them to Stable. But after the decision was made, Bailey and Krchnak found they had a new challenge on their hands: change management.
When asked what he likes best about his job, Bailey said, “This company is unique in that we are all committed to a vision. Everyone is here because of our mission and because they want to see this company succeed.” Krchnak echoed this sentiment. “The team is made up of dedicated, hardworking people.”
Naturally, a team that invested in its work had its hesitations about the concept of a virtual mailbox: was this secure and confidential? What about changing addresses? And why would the mail processing times be any better with Stable? In other words, was FBN replacing one set of problems with another?
Stable’s customer experience team quickly put these concerns to rest. “The implementation and onboarding was instrumental to our success,” said Bailey. “Also,” added Krchnak, “the ability to reach out to Anna (a Stable Customer Success Lead) with questions was critical. This was quite a big change for the entire company and whenever a ‘what-if?’came up, we just set up a call with Anna. She put everyone’s mind at ease.”
Stable’s intuitive dashboard made the transition easier, as well.
“The filters make things so much easier,” Bailey said. “You can choose what you want to focus on and then do mass assignments of just those mail items. Tags are great, too, for when you need a reminder of what still needs to be done or when multiple people are working on something.”
Krchnak pointed to one moment, in particular, when she knew Stable was going to stick at FBN. “There was a meeting where we were discussing some checks that hadn’t been deposited and the team realized that they could just go into Stable and find them.”
“In the facilities world, no news is good news,” explained Bailey. FBN reports less lost mail and delayed mail since they adopted Stable. The flow of mail is more seamless, too. “When we were doing it manually, the best we could do was to commit one day a week to mail scanning. Now mail is being processed and routed every day.”
Bailey would "absolutely" recommend Stable to another company looking to solve similar problems.
“It’s intuitive and it's simple. It’s a time-saver and a money-saver. And the mail is going to flow better,” he said.
“And I like that I can go back and look at old mail records, make sure I looked at it, and make sure the matter was closed.”
And while indirectly, Bailey believes that Stable is helping FBN to pursue their vision of helping independent, family farmers. “Any time you make your business more efficient, you create an opportunity to do more for your customers.”
In this case study, you’ll discover how Farmers Business Network (FBN), an online platform for connecting family farmers to the resources they need to compete, used Stable to:
FBN is creating a more competitive farm economy, one focused on leveling the playing field for the independent family farmer. They do it with an online platform that reduces the friction between farmers and the resources they need for long-term viability. A free FBN membership unlocks access to a range of solutions designed specifically for independent farmers, including a supplies marketplace, financing options, marketing resources, reporting and analysis, and more. “Any time we’re thinking of trying a new product or service,” said Lynn Bailey, FBN’s Head of Facilities and EHS, “we ask ourselves if it will make things better for the family farmer.”
There is no such thing as a family farmer who works remotely. But for FBN, the rise of remote work reached their business all the same. “The traditional office manager feels like a luxury when so much has gone remote,” Bailey said.
“But,” he added, “the mail still comes.”
FBN gets more than five hundred pieces of mail each month, including a significant volume of checks. So when the company exited its primary headquarters in favor of a remote/hybrid arrangement, the question of what to do about the mail was a natural one. FBN first tried to answer that question, as many businesses do, with their co-working space. “It was a place for the team to collaborate side-by-side, but also serve as a kind of mailroom,” Bailey said.
While an effective collaboration space, FBN quickly discovered that they were going to need a different answer to their mail problem. “We spent several hours a week scanning and digitally routing the mail, which was way too much, in my opinion,” Bailey said. “At one point we added a temp hire to help,” added Jo Ellen Krchnak, FBN Facilities Manager. “And things were getting lost in the shuffle, too. There were definitely some gaps.”
To move forward successfully, FBN needed a more efficient and reliable solution. Their diligence pointed them to Stable. But after the decision was made, Bailey and Krchnak found they had a new challenge on their hands: change management.
When asked what he likes best about his job, Bailey said, “This company is unique in that we are all committed to a vision. Everyone is here because of our mission and because they want to see this company succeed.” Krchnak echoed this sentiment. “The team is made up of dedicated, hardworking people.”
Naturally, a team that invested in its work had its hesitations about the concept of a virtual mailbox: was this secure and confidential? What about changing addresses? And why would the mail processing times be any better with Stable? In other words, was FBN replacing one set of problems with another?
Stable’s customer experience team quickly put these concerns to rest. “The implementation and onboarding was instrumental to our success,” said Bailey. “Also,” added Krchnak, “the ability to reach out to Anna (a Stable Customer Success Lead) with questions was critical. This was quite a big change for the entire company and whenever a ‘what-if?’came up, we just set up a call with Anna. She put everyone’s mind at ease.”
Stable’s intuitive dashboard made the transition easier, as well.
“The filters make things so much easier,” Bailey said. “You can choose what you want to focus on and then do mass assignments of just those mail items. Tags are great, too, for when you need a reminder of what still needs to be done or when multiple people are working on something.”
Krchnak pointed to one moment, in particular, when she knew Stable was going to stick at FBN. “There was a meeting where we were discussing some checks that hadn’t been deposited and the team realized that they could just go into Stable and find them.”
“In the facilities world, no news is good news,” explained Bailey. FBN reports less lost mail and delayed mail since they adopted Stable. The flow of mail is more seamless, too. “When we were doing it manually, the best we could do was to commit one day a week to mail scanning. Now mail is being processed and routed every day.”
Bailey would "absolutely" recommend Stable to another company looking to solve similar problems.
“It’s intuitive and it's simple. It’s a time-saver and a money-saver. And the mail is going to flow better,” he said.
“And I like that I can go back and look at old mail records, make sure I looked at it, and make sure the matter was closed.”
And while indirectly, Bailey believes that Stable is helping FBN to pursue their vision of helping independent, family farmers. “Any time you make your business more efficient, you create an opportunity to do more for your customers.”
