An assessment of supplier proNestor at Næstved municipality

The first booking solution was good for nothing - this was replaced by proNestor Booking

Since the new Naestved large municipality became a reality on 1 January 2007, took the same time a new IT system in use for meeting booking. It was chosen after a thorough screening of the different solutions on the market. But it never came to work properly, says Lise Clausen, who works as project manager at the municipality's IT department and has helped all the crucial decisions in the matter:

"In connection with the municipal reform Microsoft Office was made to the administrative platform for all employees in the new Næstved large municipality, and in this context we should also have a new, common booking system. An absolute requirement was that the booking system should integrate 100% with Microsoft Outlooks Calendar and email functionality. After a very thorough market research searching for products with the required specifications and functionality we chose a solution, which actually never came to work properly."

At that time proNestor Booking could not live up to that absolute requirement of 100% Microsoft Outlook integration, so we were forced to choose a different product instead. But it never came to work as promised by the supplier, and gave rise to lots of problems and complaints from users in the organization. Despite the problems we decided to continue the implementation, partly because of the lack of a better solution at that time and because the municipality's IT department was severely strained by other IT tasks in relation to the municipal reform.

But in autumn 2007 we again were contacted by proNestor. Their booking solution had been developed and could now be delivered with the required Microsoft Outlook integrated functionality. And so they got a second chance to show and demonstrate their product, says Lisa Clausen:

"Given all the problems we had with the solution we had in operation, we were very skeptical in our approach toward the proNestor Booking solution and proNestors sales arguments. But we were very impressed and pleased with what they demonstrated. proNestor Booking had all the required functions we needed - including all the functionality that gave us so many problems in our existing and operating solution."

Fast implementation

Therefore we went to the municipality's management with the desire to buy and implement the proNestor Booking solution as a replacement for the existing and problematic solution.

The management team agreed and gave us a go. The implementation process started in July 2008, because of the bustle of the IT department and because July is the least 'meeting plated' months of the year.

So it took a while before we got started with the implementation of proNestor booking. But the implementation process itself went very quick and efficient, says Lise Clausen:

"It only took a few days to get proNestor Booking running, and less than five weeks after getting the implementation process started all users had switched from the old system to the new. Hereby all 2,200 employees in the municipality using Microsoft Outlook, could use proNestor Booking."

And we are very satisfied with the replacement. And this applies also to the support that proNestor delivers says Lise Clausen: "The previous solution provider was very slow to get feedback and support from when we had a problem. Now we always get instant and super efficient feedback and support from the proNestor support department every time it is needed. And every time proNestor is attending a meeting, they show up prepared for the agenda and give a positive debate and solution discussion, so no time is wasted and no questions are left unanswered."

"In short proNestor are always fast, efficient and loyal, which is crucial and necessary when delivering, developing and supporting such an important administrative solution to Næstved municipality." 

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Fact Box

Naestved Municipality and proNestor Booking

Naestved Municipality has 81,000 inhabitants and with its 683 square kilometers it is Zealands largest municipality measured in area.

Of the roughly 9,000 employees in the municipality are approximately 2,200 employees using Microsoft Office and Microsoft Outlook, and thus have access to proNestor Booking.

This whole IT environment runs on a Citrix platform where employees either use ordinary PCs or 'thin clients' without hard drives and programs.

All data in proNestor Booking is stored on a separate Microsoft SQL server.

proNestor Booking is used with a standard setup, and configured to manage our meeting facilities such as meeting rooms, catering services and other meeting equipment. No custom specific setup or configuration needed.

Caption:

Lise Clausen and Flemming Moes are Næstved municipality’s proNestor experts. Here photographed in front of the city's mascot - a giant troll - who created the ridge, which the city was founded on.