We chose Telavox because everything was so simple.
Magnus Henrichson
IT Manager at Löfbergs
About the company
Löfbergs is a long-standing coffee supplier with over a hundred years in the business. The company was founded in 1906 in Karlstad by the three brothers Josef, Anders and John Löfberg. Today, Löfbergs is one of the largest coffee suppliers in the Nordic region.
The company has a turnover of SEK 1.9 billion and more than 350 employees in seven countries.
The challenge
Magnus Henrichson, IT Manager at Löfbergs, realized that their PBX was becoming obsolete. He was also dependent on an external provider to make changes. Magnus started looking around for alternatives and the choice was finally between Telavox and Telia.
Adjusting the gear on your own
“Telavox was impressive because you can do so much on your own – build and adjust the switch, order new SIM cards, add and remove users, create your own answer groups and expand them. But it was important for us to be part of Telia’s network and be given the same priority as a Telia customer. In the end, we got the best of both worlds: Telavox and good coverage because Telavox operates on Telia’s network,” says Magnus.
Nervous about onboarding
Switching telephony providers is always nerve-wracking for an IT manager, and Magnus was particularly nervous about the onboarding process – his biggest fear was that he wouldn’t be able to make or receive calls.
“I slept quite restlessly that night but it went beyond expectations. We had no perceived downtime and did everything at 5:30 in the morning, then everyone was up and running in half an hour. I breathed a sigh of relief because even though a lot of communication is done via digital channels, it would have been hard if you could neither call in nor out. Our customer contact by phone means a lot to us,” says Magnus.
Both a salesperson and a Project Manager from Telavox, in collaboration with Magnus, had prepared trainings for Löfbergs, both via on-site workshops and digitally.
Telavox for the London office
According to Magnus, the onboarding in England also went smoothly.
“We took the opportunity to switch to Telavox when our two companies moved into the same office. Despite the smaller number of people working in the UK, we have more answer groups and more landlines,” says Magnus.
The first generation of Löfbergs taking a coffee break.
The solution
A united company
Magnus says that Telavox has landed well with the employees. The challenge is to get colleagues to take full advantage of all the functions. He pushes out information via the intranet, highlights good examples and tries to get users to learn from each other. There is also an intro plan for IT and telephony for new employees.
“In the old solution, we didn’t have an app, but now it’s much easier to find colleagues, see what they’re working on, what their status is – whether they’re in a meeting, on leave or on vacation. It’s much easier to get a grip on the whole business, whether you’re in England or Sweden. It feels like a more unified company,” says Magnus.
"Now it's much easier to find colleagues, see what they're working on, what their status is - whether they're in a meeting, on leave or on vacation."
Magnus Henrichson
IT Manager at Löfbergs
The result
Close dialog with the creators behind the product
Telavox develops everything itself and this is appreciated by the IT manager who can thus have a dialog with the development department.
“It’s great to have an ongoing dialog with the people who create the product and the opportunity to make suggestions for improvements. This has never been on the map with other telephony providers,” says Magnus.
Business telephony – cultural differences matter
Löfbergs is present in seven countries: Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Finland, the UK, Latvia, Estonia, Lithuania and Canada. They decide locally on the telephony provider in each country and have their own favorites.
“The cultural differences matter. Everyone likes different solutions and it’s a challenge to match the right supplier to all countries. I would like to see a total solution for the whole group, but not at the cost of losing something locally,” says Magnus.
He is impressed by Telavox’s success and is pleased to have a supplier that is doing well.
“When you have followed Telavox’s historical development and seen the solidity of the company, you are impressed. Of course, a client wants to work with a supplier that is doing well. If we have an IT supplier that is so creative, skilled and also so good at business, this will also be reflected in Löfbergs”, Magnus concludes.
