“We call it ‘Doing a Skovik’”

We spoke with Head of People Services Tina Mårtensson and HR partner Axel Carnelid about how Skovik has been embraced internally, what surprised them most after going live, and how the implementation set the tone from the start.

Appreciated across the organisation

For Axel, one of the clearest signs that Skovik works well is how it’s been received internally.

It’s been a real boost for the organisation, he says. I think everyone across Ahlsell has felt that it’s genuinely fun to have such a good system. The perception of Skovik is very positive across the company. I haven’t heard anything else, quite the opposite. People find it pleasant and easy to use.

Tina shares this view:

“Comments like ‘Skovik is so good’ still trickle in now and then. It’s really nice to hear. It’s an appreciated system that makes everyone’s day-to-day easier”.

Axel adds:

“It’s almost fun to submit expense claims, if you can put it that way”.

The ease of use experienced by the employees is noticeable also through the lack of questions the team receives.

We hardly get any questions about Skovik at all, Tina says. It has created a huge relief internally.

With a large sales organisation and many field sales reps, a well working system makes a significant difference.

“We handle a huge volume of expenses, mileages and per diems every month. It’s not just one expense here and there, they come rolling in. That’s why it’s so helpful to have something that’s this simple and that works this well”.

Control without complication

Tina explains that ease of use is one of the most important factors they consider when evaluating systems used across the organisation.

“A big focus for us is simplicity for our employees, making their everyday work easier. That’s especially important when a system is used across the whole organisation. Not just within one team, but by everyone. Then simplicity is crucial”.

She continues: At the same time, it’s about quality assurance. It’s important to have a system that ensures good data quality, both in and out, and that helps people do things correctly. Making it easy to do things right, that’s what really matters.

These are areas where Skovik stands out, Tina says.

“In my experience, Skovik is ahead of the curve. Finding the perfect system can be difficult, but with Skovik, there’s little that feels like it’s missing. It’s really simple, good, and reliable. It holds up very well”.

She adds:

“I’ve previously worked with another really strong expense system, but it required more effort. What surprised me about you is the simplicity. That it could actually be this easy to administer”.

She expands on this:

“It’s an easy environment to work in as an administrator. A lot of the logic is already built into the system. That makes things much easier for us as customers. It’s very well thought through, and with how few questions we get, it runs almost on its own”.

“Doing a Skovik”

Both Axel and Tina point to the implementation as an important foundation for everything that followed. The experience even turned into an internal reference point, with the team coining their own expression to describe a successful rollout: “doing a Skovik”.

We were replacing our entire system landscape at the time, and so we joked about trying to do a Skovik again, Axel explains. While it was a joke, it says something. It stood out to us in how simple it was.

Axel particularly highlights the support they received during the implementation, including from their Customer Success Manager, Monika.

She was a great person to work with, which made everything feel quite straightforward, he says before elaborating:

“She’s service-minded and very customer-focused, quickly understands your wishes and challenges, and is incredibly fast to respond. And just generally pleasant. Simply an easy person to collaborate with”.

Tina agrees and highlights the proactive approach throughout the process:

“I’d really like to highlight the proactivity, both from Monika and from Skovik. There was a clear drive to follow up and make sure the implementation reached the finish line”.

“You feel taken care of. Nothing is left to chance. Things are questioned, and when you’re unsure yourself, you’re met with ideas and suggestions. That creates credibility and makes you feel safe, just as Axel mentioned earlier. Compared to many systems today, the support is really strong”.

You can probably tell that we’re very pleased, she says to sum it up.