bofrost
Implementation without the need for extensive Programming knowledge − Process optimization with OnBase by Hyland
The Challenge
For more than 55 years, bofrost* has been synonymous with first-class quality, outstanding service and, above all, individual advice. Founded in 1966 and headquartered in Straelen on the Lower Rhine, the family business is now the European market leader in direct sales of ice cream and frozen specialties with 254 branches in 11 European countries. 3.9 million customers, around 2.1 million of them in Germany, appreciate the seamless frozen food chain and first-class freshness, as well as the purity and taste guarantee. Sustainability, the responsible use of natural resources and social commitment are important components of the company's philosophy. Internal processes and working methods are designed to meet these service and quality standards and to provide the best possible support for the sales teams with their individual recommendations and advice for customers. In the IT area, there is a strong focus on content-based processes. The company uses them to comprehensively digitalize processes that are still analogue and securely integrate content and data into the business systems for the day-to-day business of its teams.
Low Code Is an Indispensable Prerequisite
The family-owned company has special requirements for its technology suppliers. IT is held in extremely high esteem at bofrost*. "The IT team is well staffed and is happy to incorporate its extensive know-how into in-house developments as well. “That's why low-code solutions are so important to us,” says Lee Robinson, Team Lead of IT Corporate Services at bofrost*. This means that the used standard software must be very flexible and easily integrated with in-house developments and have to be ready to be implemented quickly. This also means that - after an initial central rollout - many newly launched solutions are then offered company-wide to the specialist departments, who are then able to work with them. In addition, bofrost* has a dedicated cloud-first strategy and also requires flexibility with a clear focus on data storage, data protection and data security.
The Solution
OnBase by Hyland serves bofrost* as generic enterprise content management system that is used at various points in the company and to which numerous solutions such as SAP and legacy systems are connected. The direct seller uses it extensively in its Human Resources department for personnel file maintenance. Complex contract documents from the purchasing department are also archived in OnBase using the Contract Management Point Solution. And: All 6,000 vehicle files used by the head office throughout Europe are managed via OnBase. “Our sales staff are on the road every day. Inspections, cost estimates or damage files: in the past we used Outlook to manage these things. Just searching for documents was time-consuming and inefficient. Now we have a smooth digital process,” says Robinson. At bofrost*, individual programming and standard solutions go hand in hand, which is another reason why they are very satisfied with OnBase.
OnBase as the “Swiss Army Knife of Document Management”
This is also reflected in how quickly the solution has established itself in the company. The market leader in direct sales of ice cream and frozen specialties started with two departments, afterwards the implementation of OnBase quickly expanded; around 150 users are now using the system, and the trend is rising. From contract management to IT procurement. “Once you understand the basic principle, the solutions can be easily adapted and replicated to meet the requirements of other departments. The implementation doesn't take long, as you can use what already exists. For us, OnBase is the 'Swiss army knife' of document management,” explains Robinson. In detail, this means that document-intensive fleet management has independently developed various types of cost estimates and entered them into the solution. Where there used to be meters of documents in the archive, there is now a fully digitized system that can also be easily used from the home office on a cloud basis. Thanks to the authorization concept that has been developed, employees in the various departments as well as the branch managers can see the information that is relevant to them. Master data management in SAP and Workday, document and contract generation in OnBase or signature processes in DocuSign: “We as IT can implement required specialist applications and offer solutions much faster with OnBase. It's getting easier and easier from application to application,” says Robinson.
Fitting Corporate Cultures
The collaboration with both Hyland and the Hyland partner Data Market, which is responsible for OnBase hosting on Azure, can also be considered as real stroke of luck for bofrost*. Robinson: “The three of us fit together well, it's the right cultural fit for us, so to speak.”
bofrost* has already implemented a very broad digital foundation for its document-based processes and is now steadily rolling this out. Further increases in efficiency are being realized, such as the onboarding process, which is soon to be completely mapped in Workday. The goal throughout the company: Replace paper wherever possible and speed up processes. This also includes the use of the OnBase App Builder, which has its place at the top of the IT agenda. All in all, this is digital change management, which is also taking place thanks to the good cooperation with Hyland and Data Market.
bofrost* had already taken its first steps with OnBase before the coronavirus pandemic, primarily to give employees the opportunity to work from home. “I don't know what we would have done if we hadn't been able to use it at the time,” says Lee Robinson, who is very confident that he made the right choice. And also, because it created the basis for comprehensive mobile working. “The low-code strategy with OnBase was just right for us. We can implement quickly without having to do a lot of programming.”
The Difference
OnBase is an intelligent content services platform that organizes, manages and optimizes content, processes and cases. It enables companies to become more agile and efficient and deliver better customer and employee experiences. OnBase users get a personalized, complete view of the information they need to make informed decisions and drive their business forward. OnBase can be easily integrated with core applications. This gives companies information from their key applications to automate processes in OnBase. With OnBase, they keep all data synchronized across systems.
Our search for documents alone was time-consuming and inefficient. Now we have a smooth digital process.
— Lee Robinson, Team Lead IT Corporate Services bofrost* Dienstleistungs GmbH & Co. KG.
Once you have understood the basic principle, the solutions can be easily adapted and replicated to the requirements of other specialist departments.
— Lee Robinson, Team Lead IT Corporate Services bofrost* Dienstleistungs GmbH & Co. KG.