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Alfa Melktechniek and Alfa Koeling are fully operational with FieldBuddy and AFAS within two months
Customer satisfaction
work orders completed on location
no more errors on location
- Digital Work Orders
Challenges
- Two months to set up a new system
- Previous software too slow, work orders were completed at home
- No overview of customer history
Solutions
- FieldBuddy and AFAS live within two months
- Work orders completed directly on location
- Automatic transfer from work order to invoice
Benefits
- No more evening administration
- Always correct invoices
- Fully operational within two months
A new start
When Alfa Melktechniek and Alfa Koeling stepped out of parent organization DeLaval in 2018 as suppliers of milking machines and milk cooling tanks, they went looking for automation that fit the smaller scale of their businesses. The goal: a clear business package and a solution that would keep the administrative burden for technicians as low as possible.
Alfa Melktechniek and Alfa Koeling, together with sister company Unitank, are based in Lemelerveld in the province of Overijssel. The companies supply milking machines and milk cooling tanks to dairy farms. Alfa Melktechniek also provides service and maintenance in the region from Deventer to Hoogeveen, and Alfa Koeling handles maintenance on cooling tanks across the country. Unitank also refurbishes used cooling tanks for export. Until 2018, the three companies owned by director Albert Mulder were part of DeLaval, a leading supplier of solutions for the dairy industry. The former parent company operated with two sales channels: an indirect channel with franchisees and a direct channel of dealers connected to the importer. The latter group was made independent in 2018, including the Lemelerveld location.
It will be tough, but we'll make it happen. And it was impressive, because that's exactly what happened.
A sledgehammer to crack a nut
The management buyout by Mulder had consequences for the company’s automation. Until then, the importer-dealers had been running on DeLaval’s software. As an international organization, DeLaval used SAP and Siebel. “Becoming independent meant we had to set up our own automation,” says Mulder. “We essentially took a slice out of the administration that had been integrated into SAP/Siebel. We then had to rebuild that in a new system, from bookkeeping and payroll to fleet management.”
That was a challenge for Alfa, but it also brought opportunities. The existing solution didn’t meet Mulder’s requirements in several areas. “It was a sledgehammer to crack a nut: way too broad for what we needed, and what we actually needed wasn’t in it. For example, when a customer called, we had limited insight into the most recent visits we’d made. That costs a lot of time, money and frustration. On top of that, the system was very slow. Technicians often entered their work orders in the evening at home because it took too long at the customer’s location. ‘I can’t stand on the farmer’s yard that long,’ they said.”
As little administrative burden as possible for technicians
Mulder had one clear wish when looking for a better solution. “I wanted to keep the administrative burden for my technicians as low as possible. With that in mind, I went searching, and found FieldBuddy. Their solution with an app where technicians can enter their work quickly and easily appealed to me right away. When I got in touch, I heard about the partnership with AFAS. That also sounded good to me, because AFAS is a Dutch package that stands out for its clarity and simplicity compared to the large enterprise systems.”
Mulder also looked at another solution offering the same functionality as AFAS and FieldBuddy. But then speed and decisiveness became a factor. “We were set to become independent on 1 May 2018,” Mulder explains, “and it was already March. The other party said: no, that can never be done in two months. But AFAS and FieldBuddy said: it will be tough, but we’ll make it happen. And it was impressive, because that’s exactly what happened.”
The combination of AFAS and FieldBuddy turned out to be exactly the right solution, and was implemented in record time.
No culture shift needed
The introduction of the FieldBuddy app went just as smoothly. About 50 of Alfa’s 65 employees became app users. In groups of 10 to 15, they received training at the end of April. “During the session, we had them download the app. FieldBuddy had set up a test environment where they could practice on the spot: create a work order, create a fault report, and so on. We were still available for support in May, but honestly, after two weeks it was barely needed. Everyone was enthusiastic: far less administrative burden, and the speed was a breath of fresh air. The previous system was so slow that technicians often completed work orders at home. ‘I can’t stand on the farmer’s yard that long, it’s just not possible,’ they said. Now it’s done by the time they drive off the farm, and that’s mentally much more pleasant too.”
Mulder had one advantage: he didn’t have to make the cultural shift from paper work orders to an automated solution. “Some technicians had already downloaded the FieldBuddy app before we even started. A few were used to the larger screen of their laptop with the Siebel solution. Those technicians later switched to using the app on their tablet, which was also fine. But most use it on their phone and are very happy with it.”
Enthusiastic customers
Customers have responded enthusiastically, Mulder has noticed. “They find the invoice so clear and easy to read. And that makes sense, because in AFAS we chose ourselves what to include and what to leave out. Partly, it comes down to the review step now possible between the work order from FieldBuddy and the invoice created in AFAS. A customer never receives a ‘strange invoice’ anymore, with abbreviations they don’t recognize, for example. In our sector, no news is good news, so we don’t often get compliments. But a dairy farmer never calls anymore to ask why the technician’s van is still on his yard, and whether he’ll be charged for that waiting time.”
Alfa has plenty of plans for the future with AFAS and FieldBuddy. Mulder: “I think we’re only using about a quarter of the system. I definitely want to do more with the management information in the various dashboards. The mailing functionality from work orders also sounds interesting. And we’ve just launched the pocket app for our staff. They really appreciated that. They can now easily enter their leave days and hours off. They can immediately see their payslips. And submitting expenses is very simple: take a photo of the receipt, add the details and you’re done. My technicians’ wishes are pretty much fully met.”
