Interview with the management of ISS Austria

Digitalization needs clean solutions

EDITEL has been supporting ISS Austria as an EDI partner in the digitalization of processes for around eight years. This includes, among others, the successful implementation of an electronic invoicing process and, just recently, the implementation of a supplier portal for handling ISS Austria’s “taste’njoy” employee catering business as an addition to the integrated EDI solution. In the interview below, Erich Steinreiber, CEO of ISS Austria, and Harald Denk, Head of Country IT at ISS Austria, talk about the importance of corporate digitalization and about working with EDITEL.

Erich Steinreiber, CEO ISS Austria

How relevant is digitalization at ISS?

The global ISS world aspires to become the market leader in digitalization in facility management, which is also the focus of our group strategy. We have a clear commitment to make investments this area. Our goal is to set specific trends while better serving our global customer base. In Austria, too, we want to become more digital, but with a focus on the interplay between people and technology.

Where do you see opportunities for taking further steps towards digitalization in your industry?

Digitalization opens up many new options for us, which ultimately creates opportunities for growth. We need to find out where it really makes sense for us to pair the work done by people with digital technologies.

What do you see as the biggest challenge here?

The biggest challenge here is certainly motivating employees: we need to ask ourselves how we can improve people’s skills so that they are not afraid to rely on new technologies or use them to communicate. This is something we need to take one step at a time. All it takes is human will because the possibilities are already there.

Harald Denk, Head of Country IT, ISS Austria

How would you describe the collaboration with EDITEL?

EDITEL has become a very important partner for us, especially in the area of interface issues. All joint projects to date have been implemented extremely swiftly, which is not always a matter of course, especially in the IT sector. The experts at EDITEL are highly knowledgeable, especially when it comes to the hospitality industry. It is a great asset for us that EDITEL’s employees also know a lot about ERP systems such as Delegate (hospitality ERP system). Since true experts are involved, they can make projects happen in a short period of time.

How important is EDITEL as an interface between you and your business partners?

EDITEL is THE reliable hub between us and our suppliers. While we might be able to solve this with servers we set up ourselves, we lack the necessary expertise as well as the stability of the solution. EDITEL offers exactly what we need: we receive 24/7 assistance by true experts in their field in a high-security data processing center, which is something we highly appreciate. After all, we and our partners depend on this chain working at all times. For example, in the early morning hours we order the meat that we want to cook for lunch. If there was a break in the supply chain, we wouldn’t be able to cook lunch. This means that to a certain extent, we are dependent on this service. So far, we have really done very well with EDITEL as our partner.

Do you have initial feedback from your partners regarding the supplier portal?

For our large partners, digital communication is a standard process, but we have also been receiving very positive feedback from some smaller companies. Some had a few reservations at first, but now the added value is obvious to everybody, such as the fact that it’s much easier to maintain the product catalog online than to send an Excel spreadsheet back and forth several times. We also get very positive feedback from our internal customers (which in our case is the purchasing department).

What do you particularly appreciate about EDITEL?

First and foremost, it is certainly their flexibility! For example, projects such as the supplier portal cannot be planned in detail in advance. This is an “agile framework” where certain specifications exist, but they are defined as you go. In this respect, EDITEL proved to be very flexible and uncomplicated right from the beginning. And the great thing about it is that everything stays on budget!

Do you see further potential for EDI at ISS?

The catering business is now largely covered. A great option would be to expand the “technical services” area. This means, for example, connecting large suppliers of electrical or installation items who are already familiar with EDI.

If EDITEL were a city in Europe, which one would it be and why?

A city where you feel good, safe, and at ease. Probably somewhere in the south, where there is a certain closeness and warmth and where people understand each other. I think it might be a city on Lake Maggiore or Lake Garda.