Mobile tools make a difference at XL-BYG

XL-BUILD DIY STORES

December 26, 2020

Mobile tools make a difference at XL-BYG

XL-BYG is implementing a new solution for employees that acts as the mobile checkout system in the timber store. CF Petersen Køge is the test store and has already experienced a big difference in everyday life.

As one of Denmark’s most prominent DIY chains, XL-BYG also needs to be at the forefront of technology in order to develop its business.

At the chain office, they create the framework for the meeting between customers and stores to come together. They are constantly looking for new initiatives that can help optimize operations, the customer experience and other key business areas.

As consumers, we have quickly become accustomed to implementing new technology and solutions – as long as the experience is intuitive and you don’t need a manual to get started. When it comes to mobile applications, there are high expectations for user experience, functionality and speed.

"Now we have a solution that has helped optimize workflows for our staff. It allows us to streamline our most important tasks."

Steen Villsen, IT Manager at XL-BYG

FROM OLD-FASHIONED TO MODERNIZED SOLUTION

Most recently, XL-BYG has initiated a project to optimize the employees’ mobile tools, which are used for virtually all tasks, but especially as a mobile POS system in the timber trade. The solution consists of handheld terminals with the timber loading application ASPECT4, which is also used by many others in the industry as an ERP system.

On the handheld terminals, there was a need to elevate and improve the entire user experience for employees. The application itself was based on an old-fashioned Windows Telnet solution. A solution that requires many shortcut keys and was complex to use unless you were a “system expert”.

OPTIMIZE WORKFLOWS AND STREAMLINE TASKS

Training new employees could be challenging and time-consuming. They wanted to change that. In collaboration with Delfi Technologies, IT Manager at the chain office at XL-BYG, Steen Villsen, initiated a project to help the DIY stores modernize their mobile tools.

– We simply needed to create a fully modernized user experience that, in addition to improving the employees’ everyday life, also provides a better customer experience in the end, he says.

– We were also about to replace our hardware. In this connection, we were able to completely scrap the “old green”, as we call it – and switch to the new terminals for all the tasks in the business.

– Now we have a solution that has helped optimize workflows for the staff. This means that we can streamline our most important tasks,” concludes Steen Villsen.

EASE OF USE LIKE NEVER BEFORE

In this connection, a test store was needed as a local driving force to develop the right solution on behalf of the entire XL-BYG chain. The choice fell naturally on the Køge store, as CF Petersen & Søn A/S is already involved in running many projects in XL-BYG.

At XL-BYG in Køge, the handheld terminals are used as mobile POS systems for warehouse expeditions in the large drive-in halls, where employees roam large areas. Here it is possible to create a sales order for a customer on the spot and send them on immediately.

– In the past, staff almost had to write down the shortcut keys to remember how to use the handheld terminal. Of course, this is a hassle when you have to train new people,” explains Peter B. Bentsen, department manager in drive-in & goods reception at CF Petersen & Søn A/S (XL-BYG Køge)

– Thanks to Delfi Technologies, we now have an ease of use that we have not been used to before.

– It means a lot that we can help customers along the way, and we can’t drag a large cash register system around with us. That’s why the handheld terminals are an important tool,” adds Bo Zederkof, warehouse clerk at CF Petersen & Søn A/S.

XL-BYG also uses the handheld terminals for other tasks, such as receiving goods.

FROM TELNET TO ANDROID APP

Delfi Technologies has upgraded and modernized the legacy Telnet solution at XL-BYG to a new generation Android platform. The application itself has been lifted through Ivanti Velocity – a solution that can be used to migrate a specific application to a more user-friendly Android app.

Today, most of the handheld terminals at XL-BYG are from Zebra, one of the market’s leading manufacturers of mobile computers and tablets. This guarantees XL-BYG high-quality hardware, a long service life and the necessary service. At XL-BYG, Zebra TC52/TC57/TC72/TC77 are used, among others.

ELECTRONIC SHELF LABELING TO FREE UP MORE TIME FOR CUSTOMER CARE

With the goal of being able to free up more time for advisory customer care while managing campaigns and prices on a completely different level, the CF Group, which is part of XL-BYG, has chosen to introduce electronic shelf labeling with Delfi Technologies as partner and supplier. The implementation will take place in May 2018 – but already now, the employees are full of anticipation.

In the future, it will be possible to plan campaigns and price changes without the time factor of printing and replacing paper labels. An initiative that makes work for employees, management and suppliers much more flexible than before.

ABOUT XL-BYG

XL-BYG is a Scandinavian chain of DIY stores, where the individual stores are independently owned companies. In Denmark, the chain has 111 stores with an annual turnover of approximately DKK 8.5 billion.