Putting the ‘super’ back in Super Bock Group

This article was originally published in the Summer 2019 issue of The Record. Subscribe for FREE here to get the next issue delivered directly to your inbox. 

What was Super Bock Group’s requirement? 
Cláudia Oliveira, internal communication, Super Bock Group: We have about 1,300 employees. They are mainly spread across Portugal, but some are in Spain, Switzerland and Asia. Our intranet enables us to communicate with them, but it needed improvement. We wanted to introduce new functionalities, making it more interactive and available for all employees, including those who work mostly out of the office. We also wanted to help staff more intuitively find tools and assets such as presentations, images and logos. 

Patricia Crispim IT architect, Super Bock Group: We desperately needed a refresh – we wanted to give something new and responsive to our users that they could access via their mobile phones. 

Francisca Peixoto, customer and partner success manager, BindTuning: The goal was for the refreshed intranet to reflect Super Bock Group’s strong brand identity and to work as an engaging workspace that drove users across different teams, departments and plants to the same, central hub. 

Ricardo Calejo, portals and collaboration team manager, DevScope: Super Bock Group asked us for a complete revamp of its intranet, including a new layout and new functions.

What are the primary business needs when building a modern workplace? 
Joao Batalha, partner sales lead, Microsoft Portugal: We increasingly need to work from anywhere, through multiple devices, at any time. We expect to have access to all the information we need, always at our fingertips, in a fast and secure way. Collaboration is key - more than 80% of our time is spent collaborating with others. These are critical changes that organisations like Super Bock Group must pay serious attention to.

Why did Super Bock Group choose BindTuning/DevScope? 
Crispim: We found BindTuning after hearing about the firm at a Microsoft event. DevScope became involved because we had a few web parts that were really custom to us, such as our canteen’s menu, our image gallery and employee information. DevScope, a BindTuning partner, built these web parts for us with the same look as the BindTuning web parts.

Peixoto: The team at Super Bock Group was impressed by the flexibility and the customisation possibilities of the BindTuning solution and was excited by the speed at which we would be able to deliver. The fact that DevScope, an IT provider they were used to working with, was a BindTuning Partner, also helped them build confidence in the solution and in the partnership. 

Calejo: DevScope and Super Bock Group are long-standing partners, having worked together for over 10 years. We all hail from the same region in Portugal and, given Super Bock Group’s scale and the IT needs that come with it, our paths inevitably cross. Besides this portal, we’re also developing a Power BI dashboard for Super Bock Group. 

How are BindTuning and DevScope building on Microsoft technologies? 
Peixoto: As a Microsoft Gold Partner, BindTuning works hard to build solutions that complement and add value to Microsoft, out-of-the-box. Because the Super Bock Group intranet was built on premises, and the goal of the project was to give it a modern, refreshed look, the layouts were built to look very much like SharePoint, making use of BindTuning Themes and Web Parts. 

Calejo: We’ve always embraced SharePoint and Office projects, as well as Dynamics CRM and Azure integration services. We started exploring Power BI in beta and it’s a bet that greatly paid off. We also teach Power BI and have a suite of products directed at users of all levels of expertise. 

Why is the combination of different partners so powerful? 
Batalha: Technology alone does not deliver digital transformation. It is only the enabler. Partners play a fundamental role in understanding the specific needs and challenges of the customer, and in building the solutions that bring value and transform their business. This is why combining different expertise from different partners is, in many cases, the key for a successful transformation. 

How is the implementation benefitting Super Bock Group employees? 
Peixoto: The new intranet increases productivity and enables far better collaboration. With a large number of employees working outside main offices, the improved navigation through previously scattered platforms, documents and news boosts employee engagement and helps drive a sense of purpose and belonging as well as recognition for personal and team achievements. 

Oliveira: Since the refresh, things have definitely improved. We don’t have people asking us where things are. We also now have a blog with up to date news and images, to which employees can contribute. This change has been very positive. We are already receiving suggestions about things that we can improve – which is great as it means we are all working together to create something that works for everyone. 

Are there any further plans for the future? 
Peixoto: The BindTuning product portfolio keeps developing to match the evolving needs of complex organisations. Our latest announcement of compatibility with Microsoft Teams demonstrates our commitment to customer needs and attentiveness to the market.

Crispim: We would like to migrate to SharePoint Online. When we do that, we will have a lot of good ideas and new ideas to put there. We’d like this to be a hub for other applications; the starting point for everything else in our daily jobs. When someone has to do something in one of our many applications, I want them to come to the intranet first.