Netmore was founded in 2010 in Stockholm, Sweden. The company has grown into 60 employees in 6 different countries, with development and management located in Sweden.
As an IoT and Telecom provider, the demand to stay on top of recent trends is high. So is the demand for fast and well-structured deliveries that concerns both external and internal stakeholders. The need for agile and clever systems was deemed a must-have to stay competitive.
Background
Netmore is a company in expansion. Organizations in that stage quickly start to outgrow their ways of working. Netmore was not an exception, although it began its journey to future-proof both systems and processes before it was too late.
Offering its products mainly to the real estate industry and utility sector, Netmore has its work cut out for them. Netmore can support its customers whether it’s an IoT Network solution, digital cyber security of the properties, or indoor 5G connectivity. When all of our devices turn smart, so follow the properties.
Netmore was forced to overlook how its services were delivered with increased demand.
The need for new solutions
Processes are deeply rooted in Netmore’s delivery methods with the company’s origin as a telecom provider. The next step is soon to follow when one part is deployed, focusing on integration. That states for both development and delivery.
Our delivery methods have always been regulated and dictated by processes and events. With that in mind, it was natural for us to start automating these workflows.
Martin Edofsson, COO
Netmore’s ambition is to remain a “small” company but still have the ability to deliver its solutions to many. That calls for scalability and automation.
We identified great potential in a platform like InRule process automation that would allow us to scale the way we supply our customers with smart solutions. Not only in our current state but also when moving forward and automating even further.
Martin Edofsson, COO
Coordinating a large number of stakeholders is often a nuisance. The complexity elevates with both internal and external stakeholders present in the process. One of the main reasons for Netmore was establishing structure from order to delivery.
Providing an overview of the process for us is crucial, and providing that overview for our customers is equally important for us to be efficient and professional.
Martin Edofsson, COO
They also suffered from information chaos, with most communication via emails and phone calls. Making it impossible for Netmore, its customers, and suppliers to get a holistic view of the status of different projects.
Security and integrations
When evaluating different platforms and systems that could help relieve Netmore of its challenges, two things stood out; security and integrations.
With its ISO-27001, Netmore felt comfortable that the data stored within InRule was safe. Sensitive information needs excellent care, and Netmore was confident that InRule’s safety standards were up to the task.
Furthermore, another aspect that set InRule process automation aside from its competition was the integration capabilities.
Integrating InRule process automation with our internal systems will help us tremendously and streamline our everyday work situation.
Erika Bosnyák, Quality Manager
Implementation
Through education and receiving tips on best practices, Netmore has become self-reliant. They develop their business applications in InRule process automation without the need for InRule’s solution architects.
When identifying a new application area, most of the time is spent mapping out the process, analyzing who’s included, the different steps, and so forth. With the planning phase done, development starts.
Once we’ve identified the application area, the step to having a live application is fast. Usually, it only takes an Automation Developer a couple of hours before it’s ready for everyone to use.
Martin Edofsson, COO
Streamlining internal ways of working
Onboarding and offboarding of employees are two examples of the processes Netmore has chosen to automate by using InRule process automation. Both processes include several different stakeholders in different departments.
Adding to that complexity, every new employee needs the correct access rights in different systems, not only for the new co-worker but also for security declarations and documentation. At the other end of the spectrum, clearances need to be withdrawn from every employee who leaves the company.
Managing access rights to different systems is crucial for us. We value security above all, and InRule process automation helps us to enforce our security standards.
Erika Bosnyák, Quality Manager
Monitoring progress in each process has also enabled Netmore to identify improvement areas. They have, for example, a deviation process that empowers the employees to take ownership of the business’ progress. By either reporting a deviation or suggesting improvements, Netmore can make swift changes and stay agile when refining its ways of working.
We can’t afford to be managing a change for several months. We have to be agile and act fast. InRule process automation permits us to do just that and also measure the throughput time.
Erika Bosnyák, Quality Manager
Monitoring and analyzing throughput times and bottlenecks are vital for improving the business. Something that has been made easier by using the list function and task view in InRule process automation. The way Netmore has its list setup is like a classic stop sign. When a task is completed, it’ll show as green in the list, and red is equal to not done.
When several projects are running in parallel, it’s difficult to know everything by heart. The list view gives us a holistic view of all the running projects, and that’s amazing for everyone involved.
Martin Edofsson, COO
Managing internal processes can be tricky; adding external partners becomes even more complex. When delivering a solution to a customer, multiple parts need aligning. Simply by connecting an order to a case number and allowing customers and suppliers to monitor the process, Netmore has created transparency for all stakeholders.
We no longer need to chase information and rely on phone calls and emails. I just need the case number tied to a customer in InRule process automation, and all the necessary information appears.
Martin Edofsson, COO
Netmore has not only facilitated everyday work for themselves since implementing InRule. Both customers and suppliers widely appreciate transparency.
Scalability enabled
Almost every innovation project meets resistance at first. Change is hard, and maintaining the status quo is easy.
Netmore is an agile and focused organization with 60 employees. Therefore, making the change was a strategic initiative already starting to establish itself. They have conquered the first hurdle in the process, and employees have accepted the new ways of working. Even those previously reluctant to implement now see the platform’s benefits.
As a smaller company, I believe we could still manage by using emails, phone calls, and spreadsheets. However, when we get more projects and more customers to tend to, so does the complexity. InRule process automation enables us to scale the way we offer our solution, which is vital for an organization such as Netmore.
Martin Edofsson, COO
Results and value
Since implementing InRule process automation, Netmore has mitigated its individual dependencies immensely.
Previously, we were often dependent on the accessibility of one individual. InRule process automation allows us to mitigate that dependency by simply replacing or adding people to a specific task. This has also shortened our lead times.
Erika Bosnyák, Quality Manager
One result of implementing a digital process automation platform has been the revelation that the processes themselves were not structured the way they should have been. It’s been both a challenge and one of the significant benefits since implementing InRule process automation.
InRule process automation has forced us to overlook the way we used to work and where our ambitions lie. It was instrumental for us to scan our current ways working, given the fundamental structure the platform enforces.
Martin Edofsson, COO
Netmore has also identified an unexpected benefit from InRule process automation. Customers have started to request to be invited into InRule process automation when Netmore delivers a project. This way, Netmore can integrate the customer’s process into its own, tie everything together, and enable the customer to improve the transparency of its internal processes.
We’ve seen some significant business opportunities from integrating our processes with our customer’s processes. Not only by allowing for greater transparency but also goodwill from our customers.
Martin Edofsson, COO
Results regarding the delivery process have been improved drastically. Coordinating different departments, parts, stakeholders, deadlines, etc., is complicated. Yet, the customer expects fast deliveries. That makes lead times all the more important for a company like Netmore.
We’ve measured the lead times in a delivery project before and after implementing InRule process automation, and the results are immense. Eliminating the chase for data and incomplete information has saved us an enormous amount of time.
Erika Bosnyák, Quality Manager
What sometimes feels good initially may end up biting you in the end. For example, when sending an order for a part needed in a project with a short deadline. Stress can cause an employee to leave out vital information. It feels good when the order is sent, but then there’s a blockage down the stream due to insufficient details, and you’re back to square one. Mandatory fields in InRule process automation have made this an issue of the past, collecting all the correct data on the first try, which enables progress. Making it easy to do things right is often a recipe for success.
Life for services and support has, since implementing InRule process automation, taken a positive change. In fact, overall communications with customers have been simplified. All the information tied to a customer is stored in InRule.
When a customer contacted me with an inquiry about a project, I opened InRule process automation to find all the necessary information right there. That was truly an aha-experience for me.
Martin Edofsson, COO
InRule process automation has also provided Netmore with a competitive edge. If Netmore stands head-to-head with another provider, they feel confident that a controlled and structured delivery flow will give them the upper hand.
I’m convinced that us being able to offer an adaptable and automated delivery flow to our customers provides us with a competitive advantage.
Martin Edofsson, COO
What’s next?
Moving forward, Netmore has already identified new application areas that could benefit from implementing automated solutions. However, on top of the list is integrating more business intelligence and dashboards for monitoring.
In a perfect world, I’d have a dashboard to look at each morning that provides an overview of ongoing projects and the status of each step. I believe it’s feasible, and I’m eager to get there! Until we get there, the list view provides a great alternative.
Martin Edofsson, COO
Having taken the larger steps toward automated ways of working, the next step focuses on refining and optimizing the processes. An endeavor that, fortunately, never ends.
Furthermore, besides refining processes and establishing dashboards, Netmore will continue integrating its core systems to build a close-knitted support system.
Whatever the future holds for Netmore, we’re sure it will be both innovative and exciting, and we look forward to following their automation journey!
