Case Study: HORNBACH Baumarkt AG

Achieve greater transparency, interconnectivity, and future-proof service processes with EcholoN

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The Initial Situation

HORNBACH operates a group-wide IT support system that places high demands on reliability, speed, and process clarity. Until 2015, however, the support team worked with a proprietary ticketing system that was technically outdated and nearing the end of its lifecycle. A lack of interfaces prevented the integration of key applications such as email systems, ERP systems, or partner solutions.

At the same time, the user interface was outdated, and the system logic had limited potential for further development. There was no web access for external use, and while emails could be sent, they could not be reliably received or managed. For a service team that processes around 80,000 cases annually, it was clear: The system was hindering transparency, automation, and scalability and had to be replaced with a modern service management platform.

Conclusion:

HORNBACH has replaced its outdated ticketing system with the modern, process-oriented service management platform EcholoN, thereby laying the foundation for consistent, controllable, and scalable service processes. Thanks to self-service, integrated email management, and KPI reporting, transparency and efficiency in IT support have been improved, opening up clear prospects for expansion—including use in logistics services.

About HORNBACH

HORNBACH is an independent, family-owned retail company and one of Europe’s leading home improvement and garden center chains. It operates more than 150 stores in nine countries and employs approximately 17,500 people.

“With EcholoN, we have created an integrated service management platform that provides us with a high degree of transparency, efficiency, and security.”{iflng}}

Thorsten Lang
IT Technician & Project Manager, HORNBACH Baumarkt AG
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Goals and Challenges

Group-wide standardized service processes:
Central platform for IT support and, in the future, also for logistics services (SCM).

High interconnectivity:
Easy integration of external systems and third-party solutions via clean interfaces.

Self-service and SPOC:
Portal for ticket creation and status tracking with the goal of establishing a central “Single Point of Contact.”

Integrated email management:
Full-featured, structured processing of incoming emails, including case assignment.

Flexibility for custom workflows:
Customization of processes and forms without reliance on the vendor’s development team.

Transparency and controllability:
KPI reporting for throughput, turnaround times, root cause clusters, and optimization measures.

Solution Approach with EcholoN

In an internal workshop with all stakeholders, HORNBACH defined the requirements for a new service management solution, prioritized them, and translated them into a structured bidding and evaluation process. The original plan to have a custom help desk solution developed was rejected due to cost and complexity concerns.

During the presentation phase, it became apparent that many systems either offered too little flexibility for customization or allowed adjustments only by the vendor’s development team. EcholoN stood out as a process-oriented platform with an open architecture, the ability to flexibly customize workflows, an integrated email system, and a self-service portal. Additionally, it was crucial for HORNBACH that mIT solutions, as a German provider, offered German-language support and had references from companies of comparable size.

Key Measures

Icon eines Monitors mit Schraubenschlüssel als Symbol für Systemwartung, IT-Service und technische Unterstützung

Basic installation of the EcholoN Framework following the project launch in the summer of 2015

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Data migration, including the cleanup of inconsistent master data (e.g., cost centers, installation locations) through consistency checks

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Two-month testing and fine-tuning phase without parallel operation in preparation for the direct transition

Go-live in February 2016, followed by a four-week optimization phase to stabilize day-to-day operations

Icon einer Benutzeroberfläche mit Checkliste und Lupe als Symbol für Analyse, Prüfung von Prozessen und strukturierte Aufgabenverwaltung

Launch of a web-based self-service portal for creating tickets and tracking their status

Migration of email processing to a central inbox with pre-filtering, classification, and automatic task assignment

Icon mit zwei ineinandergreifenden Zahnrädern und Pfeilen als Symbol für automatisierte Abläufe, Prozessoptimierung und kontinuierliche Workflows

Establishing a reporting framework for managing service processes and identifying root cause patterns

Results and Added Value

  • Central platform for end-to-end documentation:
    Correspondence, activities, documents, and status changes are consistently consolidated
  • Significantly improved control over service processes through KPI reporting based on a central database
  • Introduction of a self-service portal as the foundation for a group-wide SPOC and further process automation
  • Professionalized email processing including case assignment and efficient routing to help desk teams
  • High future-proofing thanks to open architecture:
    Interfaces, new technologies, and additional service areas can be integrated as planned
  • Scalable platform for international rollout and expansion to logistics services (SCM)

About EcholoN

EcholoN is a modular service management platform from mITsolutions that enables companies to digitize and efficiently manage their complex service processes. From IT service management to workflow automation and reporting, EcholoN combines flexibility, transparency, and integration.

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mIT solutions GmbH
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+49 4101 6969 3
vertrieb@mitsolutions.de