Working in hospitality is different every day. This requires well-trained and motivated staff. Horeca Stichting Nederland is committed to this. As the trainer for the hospitality industry, they train thousands of students every year. A brand new portal makes it easier for their customers’ employees to register for training and more information is provided about courses. Horeca Stichting Nederland is constantly working on stronger customer loyalty.
The foundation of the portal is a Delphi system. “This version of Delphi is continuously updated by GDK, which means that we can keep up with the times,” says Bas van der Ende, the office manager at Horeca Stichting Nederland. “New opportunities are constantly emerging. Five years ago it was not feasible to link a portal with Delphi, but now it is. If there are opportunities, then we will sit round a table with Marco and his colleagues and brainstorm them.”
The all-in-one portal is extensive. Students can log in with their student number, see which courses are starting soon and what they need to do to prepare properly. They can also see completed courses and the corresponding results. If the student has changed employer, then the profile can be easily transferred. Companies have a separate login area in the portal. They can receive invoices, update company details and see their employees’ results. “The portal is therefore very complete,” concludes Bas. “As much information as possible is shown. This is how we tie companies in to our organisation.”
Horeca Stichting Nederland operates under three brands. This provides an additional challenge. “With these three brands we serve three different target groups,” explains Bas. “In the back-end one system is in use, but in the front-end the three portals look different. Additionally, each portal has different options. For example, on one portal courses are exempt from VAT but that is not the case for the other two. Members of Koninklijke Horeca Nederland (KHN) receive a membership discount within one of the Horeca Stichting Nederland’s portals, but not in the other two. Despite this complexity, we were able to work it out together to our satisfaction.”
The new portal was primarily set up with the aim of increasing customer loyalty. However, employees are also saving time. “The database communicates directly with the portal,” says Bas, “So I no longer need to export and import data. The information on the website is updated immediately. Another useful feature: if a company has filled in their billing information, then this does not have to be entered again by a new student.”
Bas van der Ende, Horeca Stichting Nederland
The collaboration with GDK Software is going very well. “We enjoy working with companies for a long time. I am not concerned with the fact that a company is cheap or that someone there has the best chat. It is all about engagement. The developers at GDK know exactly what we are doing, what we are looking for and what we mean. This also applies the other way round. If a company does not meet expectations, I will look for someone else. That is absolutely not the case with GDK.”
Bas has a lot of direct contact with Patrick, Erwin and the members of the student team. “I like that I can reach them really quickly via Slack, e-mail or telephone. Problems are always solved promptly. If I want to develop something new, I contact Marco. GDK is an excellent partner. The developers think along with you. They are helpful and the company keeps up with the times. If I see the new portal now – and think about the complexity of the project – then I think ‘cool’. We did a great job together.”
Contact
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