Smooth operations at Apotek 1 after digital transformation journey
Apotek 1 is Norway’s leading pharmacy chain and aims to be number one in customer experience. However, they lacked a unified case management system to provide support from the central office to their 456 pharmacies and 5,000 employees. Apotek 1 therefore decided to implement a new, shared service platform. The goal was to modernize their way of providing internal service and ensure more efficient internal collaboration within the chain.
Apotek 1’s service center receives approximately 300,000 inquiries annually from the respective pharmacies. These inquiries cover a broad range of issues, questions, and orders related to daily operations, such as logistics and inventory flow, personnel matters, ordering marketing materials, and IT support. The inquiries must therefore be directed to the correct department within the service center, and the employees there are constantly managing a large number of cases.
Fragmented communication
Apotek 1 experienced the previous setup, consisting of a service management solution used by a few departments and heavy reliance on email, to be both costly and not user-friendly. The navigation in the system they used was difficult for users, and they also lacked the functionality for effective collaboration between departments. This resulted in fragmented communication, which in turn led to delays and misdirected cases.
With the ambition to be number one in customer experience, both externally and internally, Apotek 1 decided to modernize. The need for an integrated solution was reinforced by the upcoming rollout of the new pharmacy system, Alfa, and it was expected that there would be a period with a greater need for support from the IT department for pharmacy employees. This required a robust support structure for 456 pharmacies across Norway and over 5,000 employees.
Atlassian Jira Service Management for better case management
After a preliminary project, Apotek 1 chose to implement Atlassian’s service platform, Jira Service Management (JSM). Apotek 1 were already using Atlassian Jira, and the preliminary project showed that Jira Service Management would meet their needs for better case management, scalability, and integration with their existing systems.
To ensure a successful implementation of Jira Service Management, Apotek 1 partnered with Computas Opus. This IT company has extensive experience implementing Atlassian solutions for Norwegian customers and is one of the few providers in the market with Atlassian specialization in IT Service Management (ITSM). Computas Opus was also able to provide consulting on digital work processes and user training.
A user-focused change journey
Computas Opus assisted Apotek 1 with technological expertise and project management throughout the entire process. The implementation project also took user participation, training of 400 case handlers (agents in JSM), and other necessary tailoring needs into account. The transition to the Atlassian-based Jira Service Management has proven to be more than a purely technological change.
– Computas Opus didn’t just deliver a technical solution and an IT tool – they also helped Apotek 1 through a major change process. Service at all levels is now seen as a key strategy, and we have a stronger focus on the user,” says Apotek 1’s IT Director, Karl Magnus Von Krogh.
He believes Computas Opus’ expertise in Atlassian products was crucial to the success.
– The consultants from Computas Opus were good at both identifying and communicating opportunities within the solution that fit our needs, including brand new features from Atlassian, says Von Krogh.
Sky-high user satisfaction
Feedback on the new system from users at both the Service Center and the pharmacies has been very positive. Since implementing Jira Service Management, Apotek 1 has measured user satisfaction at 4.8 out of 5, showing that employees are highly satisfied with how service requests are handled.
The new system has led to significant improvements, including:
Increased Insights and Statistics: The system provides detailed overviews of case types, processing times, and areas for improvement. This data and insight are used for continuous optimization.
Simplified Case Management: Pharmacy employees can now register issues through a user-friendly service portal, and requests are automatically routed to the correct team at the Service Center. This gives the person reporting the issue better predictability, while Service Center employees have a clear overview of cases that were previously hidden in various email inboxes.
Expansion of Service Offerings: Previously, the system was mainly used for IT-related issues. Now, it also handles requests related to HR, payroll, marketing, logistics, and professional guidance.
Improved Collaboration: Internal communication between support teams has significantly improved, leading to faster and more efficient case handling.
Focus on automation
The project is now in its second phase, which aims to expand the new system across the entire organization. Moving forward, the focus will be on further automation, better training, and even more user-friendly solutions. With improved data insights and a more efficient service platform, Apotek 1 is well-positioned to further develop its internal service and support pharmacies throughout the country.
The technology we used:
Jira Service Management in Atlassian Cloud
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