Case Study winkler Group
“Our aim was to free ourselves of this old-fashioned mass of paper – and we’ve managed to do just that.”
Optimization of structures and processes
Intelligent document management with aconso‘s human resources software: winkler introduces secure and mobile access to employee files for HR and managers.
Company
- 42 sites
- 1,600 employees
Challenges
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Large number of paper files and high storage costs
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Further specific requirements after project start
Solution
- Digital Personnel File
Project
With 42 sites, 1,600 employees and a full range of 200,000 parts, the winkler group is one of the largest commercial vehicle specialists in Europe, and the first port of call for light commercial vehicle owners, bus companies, agricultural businesses, workshops and international trading partners. For over 100 years, the company has been a distributor of spare parts, accessories and workshop equipment for commercial vehicles. At its company headquarters in Stuttgart, the personnel department looks after all aspects of HR – from recruitment right through to the management and development of personnel. After introducing the aconso Digital Personnel File, the winkler group, acting as a pilot company, was able to contribute to the further development and optimization of the cloud platform, and today benefits from its mobile and secure HR processes.
winkler says goodbye to paper files
When winkler was searching for an appropriate solution to finally put an end to the era of paper filing, not only did they look at the actual software and functionality, they also took into consideration the people responsible for helping to implement the system. Head of Human Rescources at the winkler group, Sabine Zinke, says: “With such a fundamental change process, it was important to us that we were not only convinced by the product, we also wanted the right fit on a human level between the responsible parties at winkler and aconso.”
“Once we had got to know the project managers, it was clear to us that our final choice was going to be aconso. We just clicked straight away.”
Significantly lowering administration efforts
After introducing the Digital Personnel File, the administrative burden within the HR department at winkler was substantially reduced. Sabine Zinke is happy to confirm: “Our aim was to free ourselves of this old-fashioned mass of paper – and we’ve managed to do just that. Introducing the Digital Personnel File has enabled us to significantly shorten HR processing times and by doing away with paper files we are also saving on storage costs.” Over the course of time, two specific requirements arose which the executive board of winkler expressed a desire to incorporate: that particular personnel files should be available to view for managerial staff and also that user-specific information be made available, with a notes facility enabling managers to attach personal notes to employee files.
Recording of comments
“Our CEO Rüdiger Hahn works in regular, close collaboration with our staff,” Sabine Zinke explains. “His concern was that after employee appraisals he wanted it to be possible to record comments and personal notes for use in future discussions.” The historical systems for recording notes no longer complied with winkler security requirements. What’s more, they could not be integrated into the Digital Personnel File, which increased the administrative burden. That’s why the winkler group turned to the aconso team and shared their ideas.
“After the development and programming phase at aconso, we had the opportunity to carry out a test phase from November 2017 and put the newly developed functions through their paces. We regularly gave aconso suggestions for improvements, providing fresh momentum, and together we made the solution into what it is today, step by step.”
Taking the route to digitization
The winkler group particularly values the quick digital and mobile access to employee documents afforded by aconso. This is particularly true for winkler managerial staff when they conduct employee appraisals at different locations: the system makes it possible to view important documents directly via a laptop computer or tablet and, as a result, there is no longer a need to send the documents back and forth, which increases data security immensely. winkler is also satisfied with the functions that were developed jointly. Not only does aconso let management staff view specific files, it also means that following an employee appraisal they can attach individual notes to the personnel file.
Ms Zinke states: “For us, the introduction of aconso represented the first step on the route to digitization. For both HR and managerial staff, it has given us a convenient and transparent process with a high level of security.” winkler is also very satisfied with the support it receives from aconso and the mutual cooperation.
“From our experience with other suppliers we can say that those responsible at aconso work to very high standards. The main factors contributing to aconso being implemented so smoothly in our company were the high level of commitment from our contact partners, good communication and professional project management.”