About Embru-Werke AG
Embru-Werke AG, based in Rüti in the Zurich highlands, has been a leading manufacturer of quality furniture with a functional design for over 120 years. Embru places particular emphasis on the form, safety and durability of its products. The company is certified according to ISO 9001, ISO 14001 and ISO 45001 and is strongly committed to quality and environmental management. Embru offers a wide range of furniture for schools, offices, care facilities and the home. Its extensive range can be viewed at the locations in Rüti ZH, Payerne VD and Heppenheim DE.
“Over a coffee” with Rolf Ziegler, Head of IT at Embru. He talks about his experiences and the practical use of IT support, case management and project and task management.
Experience with EcholoN
Embru-Werke AG has had consistently positive experiences with the EcholoN Enterprise Service Management Suite. EcholoN is used in IT support and in project and task management. Its stability, flexibility and process-oriented way of working are particularly appreciated.
Using EcholoN has increased the team's efficiency by about 20% and improved both internal and external communication.
General experience with the EcholoN Service Management Suite
Our experience with the EcholoN Enterprise Service Management Suite has been consistently positive. Rolf Ziegler is repeatedly impressed by the wide range of options that EcholoN offers. So far, there has been no requirement that could not be met. The flexibility and adaptability of EcholoN are simply remarkable.
Areas of application for EcholoN
We use EcholoN in IT support and also in other internal areas, such as project and task management. In addition, external partners and developers have been given access to EcholoN, which facilitates cooperation between the teams. This integration enables external teams to process tasks according to their roles. These are tasks from IT tickets, project processes and development tasks. In this way, our internal departments work closely with external partners.
Personal tasks with EcholoN
Rolf Ziegler is the EcholoN administrator. I also process incoming selfservice portal requests and changes and coordinate them with the responsible teams. The processes from the change management – often changes to the ERP / PPS system – are mainly implemented by external service providers.
Frequently used EcholoN features
In day-to-day business, it goes without saying that the processes from case management are mainly used – with their full range of functions. In this context, Rolf Ziegler would like to mention the simple master data maintenance (e.g. entering contacts) and the clarity of EcholoN with the dashboards, for example in the CMDB (Configuration Management Database), Kanban for the tasks and the clarity this provides.
And then there's the Data Workflow System (DWS)! This was set up just once and has been doing its job ever since: whether it's the CMDB import from Docusnap or the AD (Active Directory) import. The DWS is very stable and we've never had an issue: everything is highly automated and flawless. Moreover, interestingly enough, it has never been necessary to make any adjustments to the source. Quite simply a great interface tool.
Use and advantages
Concrete advantages of EcholoN
EcholoN has the concrete advantage that it is absolutely stable and reliable in operation.
EcholoN's process-oriented mode of operation is excellent.
The standard process templates for request fulfillment, incident, problem and change management serve as a best practice model. The configuration management with the CMDB has remained largely standard and also supports EMBRU in its daily work and in reporting with the standard KPIs.
Independent system configuration is very important to us. As a rule, new requirements can be met by pure configuration, as we are using EcholoN Professional. Should there ever be something that we can't do ourselves, then we ask mIT solutions for their fast and competent support.
Increased efficiency in the team
Thanks to EcholoN, our team has become about 20% more effective, although this should not be misunderstood as a reduction in personnel.
Let me answer the other way round... Without EcholoN, a great deal would probably not be feasible at present. And it is unthinkable to return to the old, non-process-oriented way of working, so to speak with “pen and paper”. Despite greater demands and more work, the team was able to cover all topics with the same strength.
Improvement in communication and collaboration
Definitely in both directions: communication and collaboration have improved both internally and externally. EcholoN is THE communication tool for internal and external use.
Process-related communication in particular should be mentioned here!
Implementation and training
Implementation process
The implementation of EcholoN went very smoothly thanks to the excellent project management from North Germany, which provided us with a great deal of know-how. There were no difficulties and currently everything is running smoothly.
Training
We are currently receiving training for the EcholoN Web Client / Web App. The support provided by mIT solutions is very helpful, especially in preparing for the change from the fat client to the web GUI.
Customer support and updates
Customer support
The support provided by mIT solutions is outstanding. Compared to our previous tool from England, where there was practically no support, we now receive immediate responses to our queries. The team is very satisfied with the fast and expert support.
Updates and new versions
The continuous updates of EcholoN are very user-friendly and save a lot of time. The developers attach great importance to making the updates simple and efficient, which greatly benefits us.
Future prospects
Future development
With the changeover to the web client/web app, the EMBRU is still in its early days. So far, all external parties/partners and the developers are working with it and are very satisfied. Now we have to prepare a changeover from the fat client to the web client that is as smooth as possible for our internal colleagues. A changeover like this is always a bit exciting.
We want to replace the EcholoN Selfhelp with an upgrade to the service portal with self-service: How will the users react to then really having everything in a central collaboration portal?
Rolf Ziegler wants to expand the areas of application of EcholoN: For example, the house electrics could be connected and also the sales department with its customer leads... You have to see how all those involved can be included here.
Effects on the company's performance
EcholoN has indirect but significant effects on the efficiency and customer care of our company. It is a central tool in IT that also has a positive influence on the management.
Final thoughts
Cooperation and future wishes
In our experience, our wishes and requirements are always taken into account and implemented in future versions.
Rolf Ziegler says: Keep it up and we'll all be successful!
Conclusion
Embru-Werke AG benefits from EcholoN in many respects. It has increased efficiency, improved communication and offers a high degree of flexibility in the configuration. The excellent support and the continuous improvements provided by updates make EcholoN an indispensable tool in our IT landscape.