Leergeld Netherlands

Before writing this customer case, we spoke with Bob van de Burgt, Director of Leergeld Nederland and Wietse Ouwerkerk one of our employees at Referit who was responsible for the creation of this project.

what was the reason for you to enlist IT help?

Bob: "There are unfortunately more people in need of help every year, which requires more administration. Since the system was not yet automated, we could easily make a mistake. Creating a report was a lot of work; it took an entire afternoon. The fact that this can now be printed out at the push of a button is just ideal."

"There is now a better connection with accounting as well. Earlier we had to enter everything manually. It was a necessity to stop doing everything by hand by automating it with the help of a program. It was also important to take the future into consideration, so we are able to work more accurately."

"There is now a better connection with accounting as well. Before, we had to enter everything manually."

what was the purpose for Leergeld Nederland?

Wietse: " Leergeld Nederland was looking for a way to reduce the administrative burden and to be able to help more children with the current staff. The chairman of the board was already familiar with Referit and contacted us. They were looking for technical support to assist them with the current process. They were already using a software, but unfortunately it was not adequate."

how was the transition to a new system?

"Because the original work process at Leergeld Nederland was based on 'manual' processing, we first analyzed the entire process together with Leergeld Nederland. This allowed us to see how this could be designed into a workflow. We did this through weekly sessions. We explored all the steps in their work process and outlined them in a (partial) workflow. Based on this we then started working with CRM. Before we started implementing the workflow in CRM, we first migrated the mail to Office 365. This made it possible in CRM to also link the permissions for the users to their Office 365 account."

what did the startup phase look like?

Bob: "The start-up phase to a new system is always difficult for staff. They have to get used to a new way of working. We also gradually discovered, after analyzing our way of working, that we were always doing things in a certain way. It turned out that it could actually be done better in a different way. So the system has become even more efficient. Of course, there are also many updates to secure our data, which is of course very important in our branch. We also work a lot with volunteers, so it was important to have a clear picture of the process. We wanted it to be clear when a task was actually completed. This was the main focus in the first six months of developing this solution."

accurate data.

"The customer portal has also been added, so that customers can also update their own data, which is important for accurate data. In practice, it often happens that we don't have the most recent data in our system. We hope this portal will fix this problem."

Wietse: "I had just joined Referit and was immediately put on the project for Leergeld Nederland. I first studied this well. Then I looked at what the specific working method of Leergeld Nederland was. The employees all had their own tasks, but this was never well defined. We had to bring a clear structure to this. During the process, we created a task flow that ended up being much more efficient."

what tools and programs were used for set-up?

"Especially the workflow we set up for them is a great system. From the moment a client requests help via a registration form on the website, the ball starts rolling. The data they enter are immediately put into the system and the employees in the office are notified. Once the client's file is complete, a series of actions is followed from checking the data to a home visit, application and payment. Because everyone has a different task, it is an ideal system to be able to see when a certain step is completed. This allows the client to quickly take advantage of the extra financial support for their child."

Wietse: "The program we created runs on Dynamics 365 (CRM), this runs through an Office 365 license we provided to Leergeld Nederland. From CRM, they also use AFAS Profit."

microsoft azure service bus.

We created a link between the two which could be realized thanks to Microsoft Azure Service Bus. The systems are linked so that they can also continue to run independently of each other. Should one of the two programs have problems, it does not affect the other. As soon as the program is running properly again, everything that has been placed in a queue is automatically pushed through again. Think of it a bit like Inbox/Outbox, this guarantees that data is never lost. Things like payment details, reservations and the entry of new clients are pushed through 1 on 1.

were there any adjustments after this?

"To make the transition as smooth and easy as possible for the client, we have gradually made more and more adjustments and automated them. As an example, assessment forms can easily be created from the system and sent to their clients. This shows, for example, whether the application has been approved and how much budget is available."

Wietse: "We are currently working on creating a client portal so that each client can easily log in to see his/her data at all times. We have now been able to create a customized system in a period of 4 years that works well for Leergeld Nederland."

why was Referit chosen?

Bob: "We especially love the director! Someone from our board had already been in contact with the owner of Referit and had recommended them to help us with our IT. This had come up because our current IT partner could not meet a good solution. There was immediately a good feeling about Referit's expertise. The link with Microsoft especially appealed to us because they too regularly commit to charities. We could also make use of a discount through Referit, which made it even more advantageous for us as Leergeld Nederland. "

No matter wherever you are in the world, you can always look at any data!

Bob van de Burgt - Leergeld Nederland

how do you like the new system?

Bob: "Although at first it was a challenge to introduce the employees to the new system, they now also notice the many advantages it has. Because it's a web-based application, there are many benefits, which provide more convenience while doing their work. It is all better automated than before. Because it was rolled out slowly, employees are getting used to it well over time. The transition never goes right all at once. As we keep making small adjustments, it fits our company better and better. They don't have to do as many tasks themselves. Sending letters, doing the accounting and payments all used to be done by hand."

You become more proficient at it yourself. You can also make very nice analyses. In addition, you have a nice dashboard and with the push of a button you can pull out a nice overview. That's real gold!"

what is the most positive outcome of this project?

Bob: "That Referit thinks along, especially the service they give is very nice and they are always available. They are also open to new changes if, for example, on reflection you would like to see certain things different."

Wietse: "In the beginning of the project we sat together a lot, this created a nice informal atmosphere which made it easier to switch. The fact that we can offer a fixed contact person here was very nice for both parties to be able to arrange things immediately without too many intermediaries. Bob was here recently and mentioned how much he appreciated the contact and how we always think along proactively. Things like that make it a lot easier and more pleasant for them to work together."

Bob: "Referit carries Leergeld Nederland with a warm heart! They have a lot of expertise. It's nice when you can put that to work for your own organization. It is a partner where people have two feet on the ground, and that works well!"