Digitalization brings Allente closer to the customer
Allente is short for “all entertainment”. The idea is for the name to reflect the position of the new brand on the market, as well as what the company is striving to provide for its customers.
“Now we’re unified – not just under a shared Nordic brand, but also through the use of a common invoicing system that’s sure to make our everyday cooperation and communication with our customers both consistent and efficient,” says Mia Brejcha, Customer Communication Specialist at Allente.
The new Nordic TV provider Allente is the result of a merger between Viasat Consumer and Canal Digital. Working closely with Strålfors, Allente has set out on a journey from physical to digital communication, with the objective of establishing a unified voice behind the new brand.
The working relationship between PostNord Strålfors and Allente can trace its roots back 20 years, to when Strålfors was Canal Digital’s partner in the fields of logistics, printing and invoicing solutions.
“We’re absolutely delighted that Allente has shown us the confidence to invite us along on its exciting journey. We’ve been working together to establish the best possible conditions for the digital communication on all Allente’s markets,” relates Mia Jansson, Key Account Manager at PostNord Strålfors.
Mia Jansson, Key Account Manager på PostNord Strålfors och Mia Brejcha, Customer Communication Specialist på Allente.
A complex exercise
Merging two established brands on four different markets is a journey packed with challenges – and just as many opportunities. When Telenor Group and NENT Group merged Canal Digital and Viasat Consumer to form the company Allente in May 2020, they created a giant on the Nordic TV distribution market, with more than 300 employees and over a million customers.
“Merging two companies in the middle of a raging pandemic proved to be a lot more complex than we imagined. Over the course of all our planning exercises centered on the merger, no-one gave a second thought to having to include a pandemic in the risk analysis. There can be no doubt that we ran into a variety of unexpected challenges, which our employees still managed to deal with superbly,” relates Mahmoud Mustapha, Group Chief Commercial & Marketing Officer at Allente.
“We’ve moved from having four different systems for invoicing our customers to using one and the same system throughout the Nordic region. This naturally translates into savings in both time and money for us,” explains Mia Brejcha, Customer Communication Specialist at Allente.
Fragmented systems unified in a single solution
During the merger, Allente realized that it had a variety of highly different systems, not only internally within the two former companies, but also among its suppliers. In addition, the company noted significant differences between the four markets.
“The big differences made it tough to implement common changes and decisions. For example, what they wanted to do in Finland would be impossible to implement in Norway, and what we were doing in Sweden had to be done differently in Denmark,” says Nils Petter Jacobsen, Head of BSS Technical Support at Allente.
Allente has now switched to Strålfors interactive as the shared invoicing system for all markets. The XML files used at the bottom level are simple to load and to work together on.
“We’ve implemented a number of adaptations with assistance from resources at PostNord Strålfors, who took a remarkably service- and solution-oriented approach,” adds Mia Brejcha.
Improved control and same message for all customers
“We’ve moved from having four different systems for invoicing our customers to using one and the same system throughout the Nordic region. This naturally translates into savings in both time and money for us. In addition to that, a common system means increased control; we can quickly implement small changes in content or appearance and, above all, ensure that all Allente customers receive the same message, no matter what country they may be living in,” explains Mia Brejcha, Customer Communication Specialist at Allente.
Another benefit of a common system is that it makes it easier for the different departments to relieve one another across national borders in the event of illness or holidays, for example.
“We’ve implemented a number of adaptations with assistance from resources at PostNord Strålfors, who took a remarkably service- and solution-oriented approach. They’re a Nordic organization just like we are, and it was a real benefit for us that they understand our needs in this context,” adds Mia Brejcha.
Digital work method supported
On account of the pandemic, a large part of Allente’s journey had to be handled from home offices in various Nordic locations. This naturally posed a challenge, but also produced valuable knowledge and a strong sense of solidarity.
“It was pretty special to make this journey during a global pandemic – something that we’d never even considered, of course ...” says Mia Brejcha. She continues:
“But looking back on it, we can see that the digital work method we were forced to adopt at the start has paved the way for a remarkably close working relationship between the Nordic countries. I think that Allente will benefit strongly from it in future.”
Easier to bring all employees on board
Implementing centralized functions at a company, and then asking everyone to understand the journey and its purpose without involving them, risks creating distance or even active resistance from employees. It was therefore important for Allente to include the entire company, i.e. all employees, in this journey.
“In my opinion, the work was actually much easier on account of the new digital work methods,” says Mia Brejcha.
Allente has only just started out on its journey and has an exciting time full of opportunities to look forward to. And the working relationship with PostNord Strålfors is sure to play an important role in this.
“The future with Strålfors as a partner opens up all kinds of new opportunities for us. For example, we will be continuing to develop our Nordic invoicing project; in 2022, all Allente customers will be included in our invoicing system and receive their invoices via Access Interactive. In addition, Strålfors has other services that we’re looking at together – digital mailboxes, for example, and SMS invoices via cellular phones,” adds Mia Brejcha.
PostNord Strålfors’ role in the working relationship with Allente
Working closely with Allente, PostNord Strålfors has built up a system where all invoicing is run via the Strålfors Omnichannel platform, which has helped Allente to increase the pace of its digital journey. Allente uses Access Interactive for the design of its customer communication solutions on all markets. The Strålfors eArchive solution is used to store the invoices, which Allente customers can easily access through “My Pages”. Strålfors has also activated a number of new digital services within the project, including Digital Mailboxes, B2B invoicing and a Mobile Invoice solution in Denmark.
Do you, just like Allente, need to be able to use a shared invoicing system that makes the everyday working relationship and communication with your customers consistent and efficient? With us as a digital partner, you can let your customers decide. Contact us if you want help getting started.
