Impact
2 to 3 days time savings
in handling reports, a boon for franchisees.
Backups now running 75% faster
and queries ready in seconds, happy developers, less frustration.
Three successful pilots
New revenue streams
thanks to the simplicity of linking additional services to the sales interface
About
In 1986 Pieter van Spaendonck began with one clear mission: to raise quality and service in vehicle glazing to the highest level. His one-man business in Brabant grew into an organization with 54 branches and the highest customer satisfaction in the Netherlands.
Ten years ago, Autotaalglas became part of Belron, global market leader and parent company of Carglass. What remained? A rock-solid confidence in the franchise formula. And that confidence was rewarded: in 2023, Autotaalglas celebrated a uniqueness. All branches are now 100% franchise, and it is precisely former employees who become owners themselves.
That requires a robust foundation. But under the hood, things were cracking considerably.
“What makes Team Rockstars IT special is how they treat their people. As a result, you don’t just get technical skills, you get someone who puts their heart and soul into your problem. Someone who understands that getting a grip on dead code is golden.”
Driving with the handbrake on: old code and customers digitizing faster than you do
Behind every window repair is a process. One that for years ran on outdated software, a patchwork of systems that were once smart but now mostly got in the way. Franchisees noticed the delays in processing reports. Large customers, such as insurers and leasing companies, expected fast API links. But Autotaalglas’s digital backbone was under pressure.
Migrate? Inevitably. But it had to be done with the engine running. The operation had to go on, from morning to night. There was still a lot of functionality in the old system that was simply indispensable. The challenge: renew without downtime.
The biggest bump? No one really had a grip on the old Java code. The original developer was long out of the picture. Then Team Rockstars IT came along with a passionate software engineer.
“Your Rockstar really became a key figure: he dove deep into the code, like a true Sherlock Holmes. At the same time, he kept the old environment running, which provided more stability. This allowed us to finally make something out of the old environment again.”
More than a migration to the Cloud: a redesign that unburdens franchisees
Team Rockstars IT didn’t deliver just any developer. They provided a Rockstar who bit into the almost antiquated code. At the same time, he kept the environment running while parts were already being renewed but could still fall back on the old systems. The company was able to move on, regaining control of its IT.
But it didn’t stop at code alone. The real transformation began with the right questions:
- What do franchisees really expect?
- How do we create value for customers as well as headquarters?
- Where do we start, without wanting to do everything at once?
Instead of blindly migrating to the cloud, the full context was mapped first. What are the core processes, how are the data flows, and where are the bottlenecks?
For example, the 54 franchisees want to focus primarily on handling calls, and not be too concerned with what happens on the back end. Head office has specific expectations; the sales department wants to make upselling easy. Approval and billing by insurers and leasing companies is done through their own internal processes.
And that insight came surprisingly quickly, according to Autotaalglas’s Enterprise Architect: “Thanks to the quality of your people, context knowledge within an assignment is built quickly, making extensive industry knowledge less necessary at the start.”
The outcome: a strategic Business Model Redesign, with an IT landscape that not only fits today, but grows with tomorrow. New tools and infrastructure quickly followed. Consider:
- An acceptance environment in which developers test with near-live data.
- Local development tools, where previously only production was running.
- Shorter backup times, faster response times, better insights.
And more importantly, a landscape in which franchisees can do what they love most – business.
How time savings, insight and innovation merge into a smooth-running franchise business
The results are not only technically impressive, but above all humanly tangible:
- 2 to 3 days time savings in handling reports, a boon for franchisees.
- Backups now running 75% faster and queries ready in seconds, happy developers, less frustration.
- Three successful pilots: franchisees receive a turnkey IT environment that is 100% aligned with Autotaalglas processes, without losing their independence.
- Flawless integration with customers such as leasing companies and insurers thanks to modern APIs.
- New revenue streams thanks to the simplicity of linking additional services to the sales interface.
In short: Autotaalglas is back on digital alert, and franchisees can move forward with confidence.
Collaboration
The Enterprise Architect at Autotaalglas is clear: “What makes Team Rockstars IT special is how they treat their people. As a result, you don’t only get technical skills, but also someone who puts his heart and soul into your problem. Someone who understands that getting a grip on dead code is golden.”
The collaboration was characterized by openness, mutual respect and a remarkably quick understanding of the context. “What you Rockstar brought is hard to buy into: curiosity, professionalism and the courage to understand even less sexy systems.”
That attitude made the project go faster and smoother. And that industry knowledge wasn’t even necessary at the beginning, because the understanding was built at lightning speed.
Conclusion:
Autotaalglas has not only renewed a technical foundation, but has also created an organization that allows franchisees to do business with more freedom, speed and peace of mind. With a partner who understands that IT only becomes valuable when it helps people move forward.
“With Team Rockstars IT’s open two-way communication, challenges and therefore understanding come quickly.”
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