Centralized Field Operations Platform for Archrival’s Brand Activation Teams
Archrival, a youth culture agency focused on building meaningful connections between brands and young adults, relied on a custom-built system to manage its complex field operations across hundreds of retail locations. Over time, that system became difficult to maintain, limiting flexibility and creating operational friction.
To move forward, Archrival partnered with Inovus Technologies to transition away from its legacy platform and consolidate operations within monday.com. The goal was not simply to replace technology, but to design a centralized, scalable system that could support reps in the field, managers overseeing execution, and leadership requiring visibility across the business.
Inovus approached the engagement as a consultative transformation, working closely with Archrival to map workflows, define data structures, and build a system aligned to how the organization actually operates. The result was a unified platform anchored by a centralized “Doors” board, supported by automated task generation, structured scheduling workflows, mobile-first dashboards, and integrated reporting tools.
The impact was immediate. Archrival reduced the burden of maintaining its legacy system, improved visibility across operations, and created a more intuitive experience for field teams. With a flexible foundation in place, the organization is now positioned to scale its programs while continuing to evolve its workflows over time.
The Challenge
Archrival is a youth culture agency that reinvents how brands win the hearts and minds of young adults. That work depends heavily on field execution across hundreds of retail locations, where brand specialists engage directly with consumers, represent clients, and deliver consistent experiences.
Behind the scenes, however, the systems supporting that work were beginning to break down.
Archrival had built and maintained its own internal platform for managing field operations over the course of several years. While functional, it had become increasingly difficult to sustain.
As Michele Featherston described:
“We got tired of maintaining it. Honestly, that was the biggest thing. It was just always a heavy lift when we had to roll out new features and maintain a native app and maintain a web app.”
What started as a custom solution had evolved into a burden. Every update required significant development effort. Supporting both web and mobile experiences added complexity. And over time, the system became less adaptable to the needs of a growing, evolving organization.
At the same time, Archrival had already begun using monday.com internally to rethink how work happened across the agency. Michele had taken the initiative to design what she described as a broader business system.
“I didn’t want people to just see it as a project management tool. The system is quite powerful enough that it could run our entire business if we design it properly.”
This created a clear opportunity. Instead of continuing to invest in a legacy system, Archrival could consolidate its operations into a single, flexible platform. But doing so would require rethinking workflows, redesigning processes, and building a system that could support nearly 600 store locations and multiple user roles.
The transition also needed to happen quickly.
The Inovus Approach
Archrival did not need a vendor to simply configure software. They needed a partner who could help translate an internal vision into a scalable, operational system.
Inovus approached the engagement as a business transformation effort, not a technical implementation.
The process began with aligning around how Archrival actually worked. This included understanding the needs of key personas such as brand specialists managing store visits, managers overseeing compliance and scheduling, and executives requiring visibility across the system
Rather than forcing Archrival into a predefined structure, Inovus collaborated closely with Michele and her team to refine workflows, define core data objects, and design a system that reflected real-world execution.
Michele described the partnership as an extension of her own internal efforts:
“We designed what we felt like the replacement of that product could look like, and then I worked with Inovus to bring that vision to life and build out that workflow and test it and bring the users onto it.”
This consultative approach ensured that the solution was not just technically sound, but operationally aligned. It also positioned Archrival to take ownership of the system long term.
Designing the Solution in monday.com
The resulting solution was built as a unified operational platform within monday.com, anchored by a centralized system of record and supported by automation, mobile access, and integrations.
At the core of the system is the “Doors” board, which serves as a master database for all active store locations. Each location includes critical data such as assigned personnel, visit frequency, and account relationships.
This structure replaced fragmented data sources with a single, reliable foundation.
On top of this foundation, Inovus implemented automated activity generation. Instead of manually creating tasks, the system generates required monthly activities for each location and routes them to the appropriate teams. This ensures consistency while significantly reducing administrative effort.
The scheduling workflow introduced a layer of accountability and structure. Activities move through defined stages, from ready to schedule, to pending approval, to approved execution. Managers gain visibility into planning, while reps have clarity on expectations.
Mobile-first dashboards were critical to adoption. Field teams rely on their phones to manage schedules, view assignments, and complete tasks in real time. The dashboards provide a streamlined interface that surfaces only what is relevant, reducing friction and improving usability.
Reporting was also reimagined through dynamic forms. Each activity generates a unique form that allows reps to complete visit reports on site. These forms are pre-populated with relevant data and support progress saving, making them practical for real-world conditions.
The system also integrates with key tools to extend functionality. Outlook supports scheduling, Slack enables communication, and OneDrive manages file storage and synchronization
Together, these components created a cohesive environment where planning, execution, and reporting are fully connected.
Enabling Field Teams with a Mobile-First Experience
A defining element of the solution was its focus on the end user.
Brand specialists operate in fast-paced, distributed environments. Any system that slows them down risks low adoption and inconsistent execution.
The monday.com environment was designed to minimize clicks, simplify workflows, and provide immediate access to the most important information.
From scheduling visits to completing reports, every interaction was optimized for mobile use. This ensured that the system supported the realities of field work rather than adding complexity.
Automating Complexity at Scale
Managing hundreds of locations and thousands of activities each month requires more than visibility. It requires automation.
The automated generation of activities removed one of the most time-intensive aspects of the previous system. Instead of manually coordinating tasks, the system ensures that required work is created, assigned, and tracked automatically.
This shift allowed Archrival’s team to focus on execution and quality rather than coordination.
“We got tired of maintaining it. Honestly, that was the biggest thing. It was just always a heavy lift when we had to roll out new features and maintain a native app and maintain a web app.”
Michele Featherston
Archrival
Implementation
Guidance through six-step process to build their tailored solution.
Analysis & Strategy
Collaborate with stakeholders to assess, identify, and define top priorities and goals, and strategize a framework that promises success.
Discovery & Strategy
Collaborating with MTS to map out a flowchart that included their current processes, identifying inefficiencies and duplicated work. This helped Inovus Technologies define a new business process management model that would eliminate their current manual process.
Building and Testing
Inovus created an automated process improvement framework for end-to-end data collection and calculation. Each aspect of the new process was broken down into the smallest possible component, with Inovus testing each small part then adding them together to make sure they all worked in sequence from start to finish. Each component was demonstrated and tested weekly.
Training
The Inovus team developed in-depth documentation on how to use the new Creatio tools and workflows, training the MTS Tax Specialists to ensure they were proficient in utilizing the tools and workflows that had been built.
Platform
Support from Inovus doesn’t end when a new process is launched. Creatio automatically tracks and checks data submitted, which allows Inovus to quickly address any issues as soon as they occur. Another benefit of Creatio’s low-code workflow management software solution is that bugs are easy to fix as they don’t require users to look through lines of code for an error.
Results
- Working with Inovus improved organization and efficiency in managing complex projects.
- The partnership enhanced client collaboration and satisfaction through shared board views and streamlined feedback processes.
- This project created total centralization of information, documents, and processes in one platform.
With the help of Inovus, KPM was able to use monday.com to improve project organization, efficiency, and client satisfaction.
Outcomes
The transition to monday.com fundamentally changed how Archrival manages its field operations.
Work that was previously fragmented across systems is now centralized. Teams operate from a single source of truth. Planning and execution are aligned through structured workflows.
Managers have clearer visibility into schedules, compliance, and team performance. Reps have a more intuitive experience that supports their day-to-day responsibilities.
The organization also gained flexibility. Because the system is configurable, Archrival can continue to evolve workflows as needs change without relying on heavy development cycles.
Results and Business Impact
While the most immediate impact was operational, the broader business benefits are significant.
Archrival reduced the burden of maintaining a custom-built system, freeing up internal resources and eliminating ongoing development overhead.
Execution became more consistent. Automated workflows and standardized processes reduced variability and improved accountability across teams.
Visibility improved at every level of the organization. Leadership can now understand what is happening across hundreds of locations in real time.
The system also created a foundation for scale. As Archrival grows its programs, the platform can support increased complexity without requiring a complete redesign.
Perhaps most importantly, the organization moved from maintaining technology to leveraging it strategically.