The media group Bonnier News is in turn part of Bonnier Group, whose companies include Adlibris, Bonnier Books, Bonnier Capital, Bonnier Fastigheter, Bonnier News and SF Studios. Bonnier News' sales in 2023 amounted to approximately SEK 10.1 billion and EBITDA amounted to just over SEK 1.1 billion.

Bonnier News' partnership with Synerity began in February 2023, when it found itself in a situation where it had little control over its existing ITSM solution.

- Our existing ITSM solution had grown very large by this time and we felt that we were far too dependent on consultants. It was difficult for us to influence the speed of development of the system and it had become a bit 'broken'. We therefore took the decision to start again and tender for a new ITSM system. The goal was to find an experienced and competent partner who could quickly and efficiently help us implement a new solution," says Christer Johansson, Team Manager at Bonnier News IT.

- The choice fell on Synerity and Freshservice, and we began the work of moving our case management to the new system fairly immediately. For us, the goal was to be able to move from an ordering function to being able to operate and perform ourselves. We had the start of operations on May 1, 2023 and already six months later we had achieved the same level in the new system. Synerity has been an important partner, inspiring, engaging and helping us to develop our skills," he continues.

Christer emphasizes the importance of having a local partner who has the opportunity for physical meetings and who can also conduct the dialogue with the supplier. A sounding board that can show the direction and make suggestions for improvements.  

- The main thing for us was to find a local and close partner that we could also meet physically for different types of meetings and workshops. But who could also act as a filter towards Freshworks. Synerity helps us monitor news and update us on what is happening with the solution. We have created a mutual relationship where we exchange skills, and we get all the help we need while having much better control now.

- In addition to signing a support agreement, we also have regular meetings where Bonnier News sets the agenda, and Synerity has the opportunity to provide feedback. We have a joint check-in every week where we discuss upcoming projects, for example. Right now we are focusing a lot on creating various forms of automation to streamline and improve our work, Christer continues.

What are the main benefits of Freshservice?

- First of all, the simplicity. It is very user-friendly and has a low threshold. Initially, only the IT department was involved, but with the successful outcome, several different departments have joined in the form of different workspaces. Even the janitors now manage their cases in the same system. Then, of course, the price is also an important part. You get a lot for your money and there are great opportunities to make your own configurations, concludes Christer Johansson.

The challenge:
Bonnier News did not have much experience in project implementation of IT solutions so a lot of responsibility was assigned to Synerity when it came to interpreting the requirements and needs. Therefore, at an early stage, the parties agreed that the best strategy was to define and implement an MVP of Freshservice using Synerity's agile project delivery methodology. The scope was Incident Management, Service Request Management with a basic Service Catalog for IT, integration to One-Login for account management and also to implement Freshservice ticketing support for both HR and Finance.

The solution:
The implementation project was completed at the beginning of May 2023. In connection with this, the summary of the project evaluation was presented, which was assessed on 9 different points, the result was 4.75 out of 5. An important goal for Bonnier News was not to end up in the same situation as they had with the existing solution. Synerity therefore put extra effort into training the system administrators during the project and letting these resources handle much of the technical configuration. When Bonnier News went live with Freshservice , they were very well equipped to effectively manage and further develop the system. The close relationship that the parties had established was allowed to continue through Synerity involvement in defining the management plan. The parties have standing management meetings once a week to manage the solution backlog. Through regular strategic steering group meetings, Synerity also supports Bonnier News with, among other things, advice and insights on new innovation and market trends, as well as support to take the next step with their upcoming initiatives around service and support and integration/automation.