How Univet Cut Sales Effort by 90% in 5 Days—and Sparked a Company-Wide Shift Toward Innovation

When you’re the expert in your field, progress can feel paradoxical. You know more than anyone else. You see the opportunity. You understand the stakes. And yet—something’s stuck. 

That’s where Univet found themselves. 

Their team had a sharp view of a breakthrough that could change everything: a new way to scale their global sales model that would reduce friction for customers, increase accuracy, and open up massive potential for growth. 

The problem? They couldn’t get it moving. 

Despite deep knowledge, strong intent, and clear opportunity, momentum just wouldn’t build. The process of aligning stakeholders, testing ideas, and getting to action was slow and uncertain. And time was slipping away. 

So they did something bold. They reached out to Centered—not just for a solution, but for a spark. 

 The Situation: A Clear Opportunity, Stalled Progress 

Univet had built their reputation on precision—especially when it came to crafting premium safety eyewear and delivering tailored solutions to customers around the globe. But the very thing that made their model strong—high human involvement—was becoming the barrier to scaling it. 

Every new market entry required significant effort from experienced reps. Onboarding was slow. Miscommunications crept in. And most critically, it was hard to guarantee a consistent customer experience. 

The Univet team knew they could do better. They weren’t looking to replace their people—they were looking to multiply their impact. 

But attempts to innovate internally ran into the usual suspects: 

• Functional silos 

• Misaligned priorities 

• Endless debates without action 

• A culture where expertise often trumped experimentation 

They needed a reset—something to break the pattern and accelerate forward motion. 

The Turning Point: Partnering with Centered 

Univet chose to partner with Centered to run a 5-day design sprint—a focused, high-intensity week designed to break through complexity, surface untapped ideas, and build real solutions at speed. 

More than just a tool for product design, the sprint would become the proving ground for a new way of working. 

Together, we assembled a powerful cross-functional team: 

• Product leaders 

• Sales experts 

• Customer experience reps 

• External distribution partners 

• And yes—real customers 

We also brought in AI expertise to challenge assumptions and expand the possible. 

From the start, the energy shifted. 

We weren’t asking people to brainstorm in a vacuum or sit through endless meetings. We were asking them to get their hands dirty, fast. To work side-by-side. To bring all the knowledge in the room into play—and test it against reality. 

The Process: Five Days. One Problem. One Breakthrough. 

Here’s what we did in just one week: 

Day 1: Map the Terrain 

We kicked off by aligning around the business objective and mapping the full customer journey—from the first interaction to the final sale. We highlighted pain points, frictions, and opportunities, using input from both internal experts and external partners. 

Day 2: Hear from Customers 

Instead of guessing, we listened. We conducted rapid interviews with customers and distributors to hear their struggles and desires firsthand. The insights were clear: people didn’t want more handholding. They wanted clarity. Speed. Accuracy. Confidence. 

Day 3: Generate Bold Ideas 

With real insight in hand, we challenged the team to break from their defaults. We used creative constraints, rapid ideation, and decision-making frameworks to explore solutions that could dramatically change the game—not just tweak it. 

Day 4: Build the Prototype 

We co-created a lightweight, testable version of the solution. Not a presentation. A working experience. Something we could show to users and get immediate feedback on. 

Day 5: Test and Learn 

We put the prototype in front of real customers and watched how they engaged. The response was enthusiastic—and the learnings were rich. 

The final concept? A reimagined sales experience that reduced the need for human intervention by over 90%—and actually improved accuracy and ease for the customer. 

 The Shift: From Siloed to Sparked 

But something else happened that week. 

As the prototype took shape, so did a new kind of culture. Leaders let go of old assumptions. Teams that rarely spoke began building together. The mood shifted from “Why can’t we…” to “What if we could…” 

People saw what was possible—not just in the solution, but in themselves. 

“Centered has been an invaluable partner to launch an operational and culture change program to drive innovation. They’ve transformed the way we think and collaborate, helping us to unlock the full potential of our deep but siloed expertise.” 
— Lara Bowen, Chief Innovation Officer, Univet 

 The Impact: Months of Progress in Just 5 Days 

The Univet team didn’t just walk away with a great idea—they left with a working prototype, real customer feedback, and momentum to implement. 

But more importantly, they left with something even harder to create: belief. 

Belief that transformation can be fast. 
Belief that cross-functional collaboration can actually work. 
Belief that the culture they’ve always wanted is within reach. 

In the days and weeks that followed: 

Why It Worked 

At Centered, we know innovation doesn’t happen by accident—it happens by design. And it happens fast when you get the right people in the room, with the right mindset, focused on the right goal. 

The Univet story is proof. 

Not just of what can happen in five days, but of what can happen when a company chooses to believe in its people—and gives them the structure, space, and spark to lead.