Selecta transforms its delivery precision, lead times, and customer experience while quality-assuring its operations by implementing InRule process automation.
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Selecta Digitalizes with the Customer in Focus

With the help of coffee, food, and drink, Selecta wants to contribute to and inspire a workplace where new thoughts can arise, people connect, and work-life comes to life. To our aid is the knowledge we possess of life at work and our tasty offerings. We have been providing coffee, food, and beverages of the highest quality at workplaces all over Sweden since 1956. Today, we are available in 30 locations around Sweden and in 14 different countries. Our coffee machines, water coolers, and vending machines are available at workplaces, schools, hospitals, and other public places – from north to south.

Selecta, the Nordic leader in coffee and vending machines, has, in addition to coffee offerings, even its own roastery in the Group. As an industry leader, you’re constantly challenged by smaller players who want to enter and gain market share. For Selecta, it has become natural to face competition and defend its position by placing the customer at the center of all its work. It’s about, for example, developing offerings, streamlining processes, and removing unnecessary administration so as to streamline the business. The focus is on eliminating activities and waiting times that are not value-creating for the customer. It’s one of these stories that we would like to share here.

THE CHALLENGE – FROM ORDERS TO NEW MACHINE DELIVERY

Selecta had long been wrestling with aging business systems, as well as staff and organizational changes. Machine delivery times were too long; at times, even entire deliveries were not made. Another problem was that customer service had a hard time responding quickly to customers regarding the delivery status and the order location. The existing business system was hard to use and didn’t always give the desired overview to answer these questions. These overall issues led to identifying a number of areas in need of improvement and gave rise to ideas about the Machine Order Process called “MOP” internally at Selecta.

THE WAY TO A SOLUTION

The insight gained from identifying these issues enabled the start-up of the work soon after that, improving processes and ways of working. The first step involved process mapping, and for this, Selecta selected an external consultancy that had previously been hired by the Group. However, the work also entailed a process tool to map and model business processes. It is at this stage that Selecta came into contact with InRule, which presented its business-process platform (BPM) with opportunities to build applications using Low-Code Application Development.

The machine order process was drawn up, and no fewer than 13 sub-processes and 10 roles were identified. No wonder things fell through the cracks, with lead times taking far too long. As the work continued, soon changes and improvements could be proposed. The process would be refined, and new, modern IT support, in line with the new process, needed to be developed. The old business system lacked the flexibility to change. This necessitated a “layer” to link the separate “silo systems” together to communicate as a unit.

InRule is a catalyst for power digitalization and change.

Eva-Kristin Magnusson, Application Manager

Employees from Selecta, InRule, and the external consultancy worked together on iterations to develop prototypes for IT support in order to be able to support the new process, the goal being to improve the customer experience by:

  • Shortening machine delivery lead times
  • Improving delivery precision
  • Creating a better overview and monitoring process
  • Reducing administration and duplication of work
  • Creating state-of-the-art IT support as the foundation for continual improvement and data analysis

ROLL-OUT AND USAGE

Rolling out a new IT support can, at times, require separate planning. To gain internal acceptance, sending continual reminders is necessary, stating the reason for project implementation, the objectives to be achieved, and the obstacles to be overcome.

Since InRule’s platform is cloud-based, the technical roll-out could be done relatively painlessly. What instead required the most time and resources was the training and change management, linked to the introduction of the new working methods.

This part became very important to Selecta since gaining acceptance from employees, and, at the same time, carrying out effect transfer required careful planning. The employees most involved in the work were those who today are the most frequent users of InRule, working in Customer Service, Logistics, Contract Management, and Consultants & Service Managers.

Of the system’s own functionality, it is foremost InRule’s process automation List View and Forms that are used in end-user operations. The List View is a combined inbox containing work tasks, but it also provides a dynamic report where the user can see open and closed tasks. Forms are mainly used to start up cases and ensure good data quality throughout the entire process. It is also in Forms where additional data and customer data are continually recorded.

MEASURABLE RESULTS AND NEXT STEPS

Today, MOP is one of Selecta’s most central processes. It is a business process that starts with the customer ordering a new coffee machine and ends with installing and rendering the machine operational and planning in the regular service loop with coffee specialists, technicians, and maintenance staff – a process for the entire flow, from order to delivery.

Machine order management involves several departments and functions and includes customer service, finance, purchasing, and logistics.

The implementation of a new Machine Order Process (MOP) has meant new working methods and new system support for the staff, which has created the conditions for digital, and operational development, popularly referred to as digital transformation.

When Selecta looks back at the results, they can boast several concrete effects:

  • Lead-Time Reduction: From 1.5 months to 2 weeks
  • Delivery Precision: From 63% to 99%
  • Cost Savings: Streamlining administration has freed up thousands of hours for the business – enabling more time to be spent on value-creating tasks
  • Better Customer Experience: Faster response and a better overview of customer service
  • Quality Assured Operations: Transfer of knowledge to the process rendering the company less staff dependent and easier to train new staff and quality-assure the work

With the Machine Order Process a successful example, work has now begun, looking at how further processes can be digitalized in a similar manner, such as Change Request (ITIL), HR Onboarding, Error Reporting (case management for consultants), GDPR processes, and efficiency of the complaint process.

We congratulate Selecta on its excellent results and hope that it will continue to develop its business for many years to come.

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