About AZL
AZL is a leading pension administrator in the Netherlands, responsible for administration, management consulting, actuarial services and communications advice for dozens of pension funds. The company supports more than 1.5 million people across the Netherlands.
The challenge: modernising service management
AZL wanted to make the move from traditional IT Service Management (ITSM) to fully-fledged Enterprise Service Management (ESM). The existing system, BMC Service Desk Express, was outdated and no longer supported. The organisation also wanted to move away from traditional communication tools and switch to a cloud-based, self-service platform.
Maurice Dassen, Quality Manager at AZL, explains: "We were looking for a modern cloud application with a fresh, fast look and feel. It had to be intuitive, support self-service and offer all the functionality our users need."
AZL based its market research on Gartner studies and drew up a longlist of well-known, widely used tools: Xurrent, Freshworks, BMC Helix Remedyforce, ServiceNow, Samanage and ASSYST. After comparing on flexibility and cost, Xurrent and Freshworks' Freshservice remained on the shortlist.
Why Xurrent was the best choice
Maurice explains: "After the presentation of Xurrent by partner onITnow, we immediately had a good feeling. Xurrent offered a huge range of possibilities and a licensing structure that gave us freedom. We're no longer tied to restrictive contracts and can manage user rights flexibly, at no extra cost."
Mike Clappers, Head of IT Run at AZL, adds: "Xurrent scored well on price, flexibility, insight and having one central portal for all employees. Implementation speed was also crucial — and Xurrent met all the requirements."
Implementation: fast and on budget
The implementation was completed in just six weeks, fully on schedule and within budget. "In that short time, we implemented an extensive set of processes," says Mike.
The initial rollout took place within IT, but thanks to its success, other departments soon wanted to join in. After seven months, IT, Facilities, HR and Finance were all working with Xurrent. "We now have one central point of contact for the whole organisation. All questions and tickets are handled the same way," Mike explains.
Functionality and integrations
Scope: Request Management (Incident & Request Fulfilment), Change, Problem and Configuration Management, Service Level & Knowledge Management, Workflow Templates, and a self-service portal in AZL's own house style, including a product catalogue.
Integrations: Single Sign-On, Active Directory, Event Management and Microsoft System Center Configuration Manager. In phase 2, AZL added a fully automated AD integration via onITnow's integration platform. Several internal applications were also migrated to Xurrent, including an application for controlled changes in production.
Results: more efficient, compliant and better insight
"Xurrent helps us work much more efficiently by streamlining processes and offering an intuitive self-service experience," says Mike.
Thanks to Xurrent, AZL now has full transparency, logging and controlled approvals — essential in a strictly regulated financial sector. "Previously, it was difficult to get data out of our old system. Now we have standard log files and clear workflows, which makes audits easier, especially towards De Nederlandsche Bank," says Mike.
The audit function saves an average of 10 minutes per ticket and gives auditors direct access to the information they need. Automation rules route tasks straight to the right colleague, eliminating email delays. The IT department can now also better manage the 3,000 requests per month through real-time dashboards.
Why AZL is enthusiastic about Xurrent
- Adapts to business processes
- No strict ITIL constraints
- Strong compliance functionality
- Fast, straightforward automation
Collaborative, pleasant, fast, agile, flexible, instructive.
The role of onITnow
The implementation was carried out by onITnow, which AZL praises for its pragmatic approach. "onITnow encourages self-sufficiency, which speeds up adoption. The collaboration was based on trust and mutual commitment, not formal agreements. That was a big plus," says Mike.
We're proud of what we've achieved with Xurrent. The project was a success, and many departments came on board smoothly. I would definitely recommend Xurrent to organisations looking for a modern ITSM or ESM platform.