Microsoft Power BI

Replacing hardware with Corona obstacles

GrandVision Benelux closed its stores, including all Eye Wish and Pearle stores in the Netherlands and Belgium, completely during the first wave of the coronavirus pandemic. It was an unreal situation for these retailers as well. This not only hindered the reception of customers in the stores, but also brought ongoing IT projects in Europe to a sudden halt due to this crisis.

A courageous decision

Among other things, the development of new POS software and the replacement of workstations, servers, and cash registers in the shops came to an immediate halt. A logical decision – after all, no one knew what the pandemic would entail. Fortunately, as the weeks and even months passed, it gradually became possible to welcome customers in the stores by appointment again, and the courageous decision was made to continue the rollout of new hardware in the Dutch and Flemish stores.

Rapid rollout

However, with a large-scale hardware replacement like this, it is crucial not to run old and new systems side by side for too long. This means supporting two completely different systems, which presents a significant challenge for an internal support department. Therefore, it is essential to implement this rollout as efficiently as possible.

During this project we saw how powerful the Power Platform is.

Cees Stahlie, Teamlead Store Operations GrandVision Benelux

But how do you replace the hardware in almost 1,000 stores with the complex corona measures?

Agerion provided the project management and coordination for this extensive 'SWAP IT' project.

"Due to the coronavirus pandemic, we had to completely revise our planning several times," says Frank Frerichs. "We also deliberately chose a supplier with installers in both Belgium and the Netherlands, so we would have minimal impact on the quarantine regulations between Belgium and the Netherlands. Nevertheless, we hoped we could conduct the pilots in the first stores together in a large store in Belgium. There was plenty of space there. A few days before the pilot, the rules were suddenly tightened again, and we, as 'Dutch people,' could not travel to Belgium without going into quarantine."

No physical meetings using Microsoft Power BI

This has become even more important since the arrival of the coronavirus pandemic. There are no longer any physical meetings in this project. "Whereas the daily schedule would previously have been discussed in person before everyone set off, everyone now collects their materials from a depot and then drives to the correct addresses based on the app we developed," explains Cees Stahlie, Team Lead Store Operations at GrandVision Benelux.

Agerion IT Dashboard Microsoft Power Platform

The power of the Microsoft Power Platform

"During this project, we saw how powerful Microsoft's Power Platform is. Engineers on the road can easily view their installations, report them as complete, and provide feedback to the project team if necessary," says Cees. "We then worked with Agerion on Power BI reports that are displayed in Teams. This allows everyone with access to the reports to see in real time which stores are planned and the progress of the rollout. It is a fantastic tool for both the project team and our steering committee and management. You never have to compile your reports again; they're updated automatically."

The teams are currently in the final stages. Almost all the hardware has been replaced in hundreds of stores without any physical meetings. A massive operation, in collaboration with the installer Central Point and the hardworking team at GrandVision Benelux, something Agerion looks back on with justifiable pride.