- Copyright 2024 LINKITSYSTEMS
- former ITProsper
- Privacy Policy
- Cookies
Menu
Hollard Investments, part of the privately-owned Hollard Group, has spent years trying to find the right workflow system for its call centre. But thanks to the use of low-code, LINKITSYSTEMS was able to develop a workflow model in just six months which not only fitted the bill but exceeded all of Hollard Investments expectations.
Hollard Investments was looking for an efficient customer call centre workflow system to streamline their administration and communication around customer cases. Zainub Khan, Project Manager and Business Analyst at Hollard Investments, explains: “We wanted to move away from using manual processes to manage daily tasks, have a central place where the admin team could manage their work, and have an overview of all the work distributed amongst the team, including automatically generated task reports and team stats.”
Next to optimising these day-to-day activities, they wanted to be able to source case information quickly. Their current solution wasn’t sufficient and posed a number of data risks. Zainub continues: “We had looked at different solutions in the past, but most were too complex, required many plug-ins or simply did not meet all our requirements. All in all, those solutions would become too expensive and take too much time to develop and adjust to everchanging business needs while we were set on being quick-to-market.”
“We wanted to move away from using manual processes to manage daily tasks, have a central place where the admin team could manage their work, and have an overview of all the work distributed amongst the team, including automatically generated task reports and team stats.”
Hollard Investments challenged LINKITSYSTEMS to come up with a customised solution. Given a basic scope document, LINKITSYSTEMS applied its unique 4D Model (Dream, Design, Develop, Drive) to ensure that every aspect of the brief was addressed and that all stakeholders would be happy with the result.
Key to the solution was the use of low-code within the OutSystems platform. Thanks to low-code’s pre-built components, it was possible to create the first demo in double quick time as part of the ‘Dream Phase’, which established that OutSystems fitted the team’s overall strategy. “It was like they had built it especially for us,” says Zainub. “Our team could immediately picture themselves working with it as all the requirements were there in front of us. We were impressed! It was clear that using OutSystems and its low-code ‘drag and drop’ functionality would help us deliver what we wanted within a short period of time – in fact, a quick time to market was one of our main goals. Right then and there we decided to give LINKITSYSTEMS the green light.”
The ‘Design’ and ‘Development’ phases were all about collaborating with Hollard Investments to ensure real user impact. These began with an initial 3-day scoping workshop during which the details of the project were analysed and assumptions validated. Timelines were set, resources identified and architecture outlined. Thabo Sibeko, Team Lead and Principal OutSystems Developer at LINKITSYSTEMS, explains: “That also meant looking at all the possible personas involved in different tasks. What were the touchpoints and how should we break those down to screen level?” Wireframes created during the scoping workshop immediately showed the team what each persona would see on screen, what the functionalities were and where to go next. Using 2-week Agile sprints helped drive collaboration and results while ensuring work was carried out in the most efficient way possible.
After approval of the wireframes, one of LINKITSYSTEMS’ UX/UI designers then created a clickable prototype. This way the team could really experience the usability and functionalities before the full application was actually built.
Thanks to the 4D process, Hollard Investments already knew what they were getting. And users at every level of the organisation had been able to try out the system as it was being developed, so there were no surprises in functionality, budget or timings.
“It was clear that using OutSystems and its low-code ‘drag and drop’ functionality would help us deliver what we wanted within a short period of time – in fact, a quick time to market was one of our main goals.”
“We signed off the designs and within six months LINKITSYSTEMS was able to develop the initial MVP,” says Zainub proudly. “The low-code development addressed various challenges: it provided a visual and collaborative environment, accelerated development, simplified integration and enhanced adaptability to changing business requirements. The result is a system that fully fits the needs originally set out and which has significantly increased satisfaction levels among case workers and customers alike. Today, around 10 Hollard Investments staff members are using the workflow system daily.
Now that the ‘Drive’ phase kicks in, the team is focusing on the next steps. Zainub has big plans: “We definitely see potential to use the platform for future builds which include optimisation of the current workflow, but we would also like to build a document repository and potentially a correspondence solution as well. Looking back, it was a pleasure working together on this project. LINKITSYSTEMS engaged with us every step of the way, understood the business process and requirements, and worked hard to develop an end-solution that would meet our needs.”
“Looking back, it was a pleasure working together on this project. LINKITSYSTEMS engaged with us every step of the way, understood the business process and requirements, and worked hard to develop an end-solution that would meet our needs.”
At the outset of the project, Hollard Investments had multiple requirements and a diverse set of users to please. That explains why they struggled for so long to find an off-the-shelf solution. But LINKITSYSTEMS delivered a unique and scalable system at lightning speed that not only met all requirements but – thanks in large part to low-code – was also neither too complex nor too expensive.
Could you also get some help with your workflow system? At LINKITSYSTEMS we would be happy to guide you! Contact one of our experts for more information.
LINKITSYSTEMS Office
272 West Ave, Centurion
Gauteng
Tel.: +27 (83) 270 1748
E-Mail: info@linkitsystems.co.za