Monuta

THE GOAL 

Monuta is a funeral caretaker and insurer that prioritises customer satisfaction. Personal service, empathy and efficiency are essential values and the company aims to continuously improve its service. That’s meant committing to the ongoing digitalisation of processes and modernisation of its systems.

Monuta recognises that every client’s situation is different and that the market changes all the time. Being able to adapt flexibly and quickly is vital. To ensure its customers’ needs are always at the heart of each interaction, the company created the De Rode Loper programme a few years ago, which deprioritised more traditional KPIs such as turnover.

To bring the various elements of this initiative to fruition, Monuta needed a partner that would deliver operational excellence with a unique, innovative approach. It turned to low-code and no-code solutions expert CLEVR.

CLEVR’s use of the rapid application platform Mendix met the need for a high degree of adaptability, speed and scalability, while the knowledge and flexibility of its team made it the ideal partner to help Monuta achieve its many goals.

THE APPROACH

CLEVR came up with several innovative solutions, the first being a Customer Display that benefits Monuta’s employees and customers. It was the beginning of many years of successful partnership between the two companies.

The Customer Display is a simple-to-use system enabling more than 100 Monuta employees to quickly and efficiently respond to customer queries. It allows them instant access to the details of the customer they’re speaking to, such as their name and address, insurance policies, payment status and history. Previously, this information had to be accessed from five different systems. As well as being inconvenient, this lack of integration led to duplication and outdated information.

In less than two months, the team realised the huge benefits of the Customer Display. The application essentially forms a shell around Monuta’s core systems, meaning the relevant data can be consulted quickly and easily whenever needed. Monuta employees are now able to efficiently and easily provide personal advice and service to around 1.5 million customers.

Thanks to the success of the Customer Display, CLEVR’s flexibility and the development speed of the platform, it was an easy decision for Monuta to partner with CLEVR and Mendix for further projects.

This included a consumer trend-based initiative to enhance the customer experience. Gedenken.nl [which translates as ‘to remember’] is a personal, online page dedicated to commemorating a deceased person. Family members design the page in the style and with the features that suit them. Depending on the wishes of their loved ones, the next of kin can support each other in the grieving process by offering condolences or sharing memories with words, photos and videos. The platform also serves as a source of information on, and invitations for, the funeral.

Another collaboration with CLEVR enabled Monuta to create an inventory recording each client’s funeral wishes. Based on this, users receive tailormade advice and can arrange to finance the funeral directly through insurance. It has proven to be an excellent resource for next of kin, increasing customer loyalty, and is a useful tool to confirm the insurance cover is appropriate in each case.

CLEVR, using Mendix, has enabled all these initiatives, making it easy to bring ideas for better business to life quickly and simply.

THE RESULTS

With Gedenken.nl, Monuta is supporting the consumer trend for online sharing, while its Customer Display fulfils a completely different need for employee convenience and quality customer service.

The challenges that came with the development of each application were fundamentally different. With the Customer Display, backend integration of the system was the priority, whereas with Gedenken.nl the biggest challenge was getting the visual design right so that it looks like a website.

Both CLEVR and Monuta value the Agile approach, working as a unified team for each project. CLEVR closely monitored Monuta’s strategic roll-out of Mendix and knowledge-sharing has meant the funeral specialist has furthered its expertise and independence in using the platform. As part of this process, a Mendix coach has trained a Monuta employee to become a Mendix developer.

Monuta is committed to further digitalising and modernising its application landscape via its Ready for Digital program. IT no longer supports the business; it has become the business.

The relationship between CLEVR and Monuta has also evolved. CLEVR supports Monuta with consultancy, development and management, with less emphasis on development as Monuta gains greater expertise in using Mendix. This enables the company to adapt to changing customer requirements as and when needed. Instead of being a challenge, changes have become opportunities.

CUSTOMER QUOTE

“The CLEVR experts know the platform inside and out. The first project we tackled together was the development of the Customer Display. The fact that operational excellence also went up sharply as a result was a nice side effect”

Martin van den Bedum, portfolio and program manager, Monuta