Berentzen Gruppe AG

As executive assistant to the CFO of Berentzen Gruppe AG (“Berentzen”), Andrea R’s role demands continual coordination, communication and concentration. In a high pressure environment, not only must she fulfil the tasks required by her immediate manager, but she has to meet the demands of a wider group of stakeholders on the executive and supervisory boards of the organisation.

This is why Andrea’s input was vital when it came to transforming the way that Berentzen organised and ran its board meetings. As the company looked to modernise its procedures and processes, the team sought a solution that would help create a frictionless pathway to completing all the relevant tasks to the full satisfaction of the stakeholders involved, despite the challenges that the company faced in achieving this goal.

Challenges Before iBabs

The team at Berentzen set out to digitise their board meeting process. Their previous processes required a revamp to harness the power of board portal technology and the company generated a specific set of requirements from the modernisation.

In order to achieve their desired outcome, the solution they invested in needed to be able to store all relevant documents in one location, whilst also allowing them to organise meetings, create and publish agendas, pass resolutions during the meeting and more.

There are many apps and programs on the market that can take care of individual tasks within the board meeting environment, but Berentzen required a holistic approach to manage the entire process from planning to implementing actions.

After careful deliberation, Andrea and the team chose iBabs. She said that our solution stood out for a number of reasons. Firstly, it ticked all the boxes in terms of being a single piece of software that managed the entire meeting process, but also she said:

"While researching a software solution for committee management, we noticed that iBabs communicates its rates for using the software openly and clearly on its homepage...The price-performance ratio was very convincing."

Introduction of iBabs

The deciding factor behind Berentzen adopting iBabs came as a result of witnessing the software’s capabilities in demonstration mode. The team was able to try out the features that the platform offers to streamline the meeting process and help to achieve productivity efficiencies.

Andrea found the system intuitive and simple to maintain. She said:

“When we decided to test the system, the demo version was quickly set up, and we administrators were immediately trained. As an administrator, I can create new users myself, taking care of the administration directly and without complications.”

The first step for the administration team was to learn about how the platform worked and to adjust the company’s internal processes accordingly. Helping the team through this stage of adoption was the iBabs support team, who were there whenever the Berentzen admin team had any queries.

The executive assistant to the CFO mentioned:

“I would particularly like to emphasise the pleasant cooperation with the iBabs team, which was always available to answer questions and responded promptly.”

This hard work by the admin function paid off for the company, as the members of the executive and supervisory boards were delighted with the fact that everything that they needed for meetings was now stored in one central location for ultimate convenience.

Effects of implementing iBabs

With iBabs, the board found a simple, easy-to-use solution that automated the process of setting up meetings, taking minutes, updating action points and structuring the way the board works through agendas. It also provided a central location to disseminate information across the board, improving communication and collaboration.

“It's providing a simple interface for doing the type of standard administration type things that a board needs to do," Dominic noted. That's what iBabs brought to the equation.”

Andrea stated that the directors were delighted with the new board meeting software. One of the most satisfying outcomes was the way that iBabs met all of the company’s ideal requirements in a platform and made it easier for board members to carry out their important work in an efficient and productive manner.

The platform is not only packed with features that are essential for modern boards, but it is also simple to implement to achieve instant results. Andrea said:

“iBabs is intuitive and easy to use.”

It is evident that iBabs played a crucial role in enhancing the company’s meeting management process. In recommending iBabs, Andrea confidently claims:

“With iBabs, you have a solid foundation to digitise your meeting management. The iBabs team is always there to help you with any difficulties, questions or suggestions.”