In this article, Jørgen Franke, Director of Operations at Intergamma Bouwmarkten Stores, shares how they engage the store team, overcome resistance, and keep everything running smoothly with an employee experience platform. Ready to take some notes?
Implementing technology can be quite a challenge, right? But not at Intergamma DIY Stores. They have refined their approach to science. We spoke with Jørgen Franke, Director of Operations at Intergamma Bouwmarkten Stores, to hear how they implement technology smoothly without the usual chaos.
Spoiler alert: it’s all about keeping everyone—from the shop floor to the boardroom—on the same page.
Honestly, reactions are mixed. About half of the team dives right in—no extensive explanations needed, they understand it and move on. The other half is a bit more skeptical. You’ll hear things like, "Why change something that already works?" or "This will only complicate my job." That tech resistance can make technology rollout challenging, especially when employees worry that it means extra work or even a threat to their position.
What we’ve learned is that it’s essential to explain the ‘why’ behind the change to those hesitant employees and to make it personal. Instead of simply saying, "This is new," we show them how it will make their work easier, for example, by speeding up tasks or helping them serve customers better. By directly linking the benefits to their daily tasks, they start seeing new technology as support rather than a burden.
To be honest, just “communicating” isn’t enough. It’s about involving employees from the start. When we introduced our first self-service kiosks, we didn’t do enough of that. We thought employees would understand the kiosks on their own, but they resisted. Some employees were worried that the machines would replace their jobs. In hindsight, it’s clear: if employees don’t feel involved in the process, they won’t see the technology as an advantage.
Since then, we’ve adjusted our approach. Now we make sure they understand that new technology, like the kiosks, supports rather than replaces them. Employees realized, for example, that the kiosks make their jobs easier by providing a tool to answer customer questions more quickly. So it’s not just about showing them the technology; we connect it to their needs and show how it helps them do their jobs better. This has become our formula for success.
Getting everyone aligned? That’s one of the toughest aspects. Everyone has different goals: IT wants things completed on time, HR wants to give employees time to adapt, and Operations wants to see the benefits as soon as possible. The trick is to keep everyone focused on the bigger picture—the “why” behind what we’re doing. It’s about basing our discussions on the business strategy so that each leader understands their role in achieving it.
It’s a bit like ballroom dancing. One person leads, but both need to be in harmony and adapt to each other’s movements. We need to feel each department’s concerns and collaborate with them instead of against them. There’s a technical side—deadlines and budgets—but also an emotional side: how do people feel about the project? Are we still on the same page? By keeping these conversations open and honest, we stay in step together.
Continuous improvement? It’s all about employee feedback. We make sure to constantly gather feedback from store employees to technical teams. If we want technology to support our goals, we need to know how it functions on the shop floor. That’s why we use focus groups and regularly work hands-on in stores from Operations. By being hands-on, we can see what’s really happening and make adjustments if needed.
Our employee experience platform, Speakap (internally called Toolz), plays a big role in this. We’ve created various communities within the platform where employees from different parts of the organization can talk directly with each other. It breaks down barriers between headquarters and stores, so everyone is informed and can give input. It’s about creating a feedback loop so that adoption and improvement go hand in hand.
We measure success in two ways: employee satisfaction and customer satisfaction. For employees, we look at eNPS, which is essentially a “satisfaction score” that shows how they feel about their work. For customers, we continuously monitor the NPS. Both align with our goal to be the preferred destination for both customers and employees.
But we also monitor the hard numbers, such as profitability and usage statistics per store. If we notice differences, for example, why technology works well in one group but not in another, we dive in to find out why. This way, we can identify what works, what doesn’t, and what we can adjust to get everyone on the same page. Rolling out technology isn’t just about the tools; it’s about ensuring the people using them are also satisfied.
Jørgen’s approach? Ensure communication flows, make everyone feel involved, and keep returning to the “why.” Whether it’s self-service kiosks in the store or larger system changes, starting with what your employees need makes all the difference. Do this right, and you turn what could have been a nightmare into a well-oiled machine.
Conclusion? Technology adoption can go smoothly if you focus on your people, not just the tools.