Driving BI Excellence at Dynavox Group with Affingo and TimeXtender

Dynavox Group, an innovative leader in augmentative and alternative communication solutions, is dedicated to its mission of helping individuals with communication and mobility challenges live richer, more meaningful lives. The company empowers people with complex communication and mobility needs to make their own decisions about what to say and do.

When Urban Falk, Head of BI and Analytics, joined Dynavox Group, he discovered that the company was struggling with a fragmented and inefficient Business Intelligence (BI) system.

To support Dynavox Group’s rapid growth and ensure data-driven decision-making, Dynavox partnered with Affingo, a renowned BI consultancy based in Stockholm. This customer story explores the challenges they faced, the solutions implemented, and the transformative impact of this collaboration.

The Challenges

Upon his arrival at Dynavox Group, Urban identified several critical challenges:

1. Fragmented BI Systems: Over the years, Dynavox Group BI landscape had evolved organically, resulting in a patchwork of homegrown solutions that were difficult to manage and integrate.
2. Dependency on Key Individuals: The existing system was heavily reliant on specific individuals for maintenance and troubleshooting, leading to operational risks and bottlenecks.
3. Siloed Data Solutions: Different departments had developed their own BI solutions independently, leading to data inconsistencies and making it difficult to reconcile information across the organization.
4. Lack of Data Trust: Due to these inconsistencies, there was a general mistrust of the data among the employees, affecting decision-making processes.

The Solution

Urban decided to engage Affingo based on a previous successful collaboration at his former workplace. Affingo’s ability to provide a comprehensive BI solution using TimeXtender, a data warehousing automation tool, was a decisive factor. This choice was influenced by several factors:

• Efficiency: TimeXtender would allow Dynavox Group to implement a robust BI solution with minimal personnel.
• Expertise: Affingo's consultants had a deep understanding of BI best practices and could provide the necessary guidance and support.

Implementation Process

The implementation process was meticulously planned and executed to ensure minimal disruption and maximum efficiency:

1. Technology Setup: Affingo assisted in setting up the necessary infrastructure, including the installation of TimeXtender and relevant data structures. This foundational step was crucial for building a robust BI environment.
2. Creative Problem-Solving: Affingo's consultants worked creatively with the existing resources to overcome technical challenges that arose during the process, ensuring a seamless integration of new solutions.
3. Effective Communication: Affingo facilitated effective communication between Dynavox Group internal IT resources and the BI team, fostering collaboration and preventing potential conflicts.

“Affingo’s consultants come in and are able to communicate with almost anyone in the organization and get good cooperation going.”- Urban Falk, Head of BI and Analytics at Dynavox Group

Key Improvements in Metrics

The collaboration with Affingo led to significant improvements across various metrics, transforming Dynavox Group BI capabilities:

1. Data Accuracy and Timeliness:
   • Before: Frequent data discrepancies and delays.
   • After: Implementing a new, stable data model for sales and revenue data provided accurate and timely information, enhancing the reliability of reports and fostering better alignment among the sales and revenue teams.
2. Operational Efficiency:
   • Before: High dependency on specific individuals, leading to bottlenecks.
   • After: A reliable row-level security system allowed for better data distribution, reducing dependency on key individuals, increasing overall team efficiency and elminating repetitive time consuming tasks. .
3. User Adoption and Satisfaction:
   • Before: Low trust in data and limited user adoption.
   • After: Implementing structured BI solutions and clear data governance increased user confidence and satisfaction, with over 150 active BI users now regularly leveraging the data for informed decision-making.
4. Decision-Making Speed and Quality:
   • Before: Before: Decision-making processes were less data-driven.
   • After: Enhanced Power BI dashboards are enabling a more data-driven approach, reducing time to insights and improving decision-making quality, with decisions backed by more comprehensive data and insights.

Key Improvements in Metrics

The improvements brought about by Affingo's interventions were multifaceted:

1. Enhanced Data Governance and Clarity:
   • The new BI framework provided a clear and structured approach to data management, significantly improving data governance.
   • With better data quality and consistent methodologies, the BI team could work more effectively and collaboratively.
2. Strategic Decision-Making:
   • The sales team, equipped with accurate and timely data, could make more strategic decisions, improving sales processes and customer journey mapping.
   • The ability to reconcile sales data with revenue data provided a clearer picture of performance, aiding in better strategic planning.
3. Scalability and Flexibility:
   • The scalable BI infrastructure now supports Dynavox Group growth, allowing for the addition of new data sources and users without compromising performance.
   • The flexible system can adapt to changing business needs, ensuring long-term sustainability and agility.

“Now we have a structured BI solution and platform to discuss with our customers and users about their needs and requirements. We have been able to provide new reports in Power BI, and the sales team is quite happy with them and continuously gives us ideas on how to improve them.”- Urban Falk, Head of BI and Analytics at Dynavox Group

Future Plans

Dynavox Group views Affingo as a long-term BI partner, ready to assist with future projects and ongoing BI needs. Urban plans to continue leveraging Affingo’s expertise for:

• Workshops and Training: Regular workshops and training sessions to keep the BI team updated on the latest best practices and technologies.
• Continuous Improvement: Ongoing refinement of the BI infrastructure to ensure it evolves with the business.
• New Projects: Collaboration on new projects as they arise, ensuring Dynavox Group remains at the forefront of BI innovation.

Conclusion

Affingo's strategic intervention and use of TimeXtender revolutionized Dynavox Groups BI landscape. The transformation from a fragmented, unreliable system to a structured, efficient, and trusted BI environment underscores the value of choosing the right BI partner.

This case study illustrates the profound impact a well-executed BI strategy can have on an organization, driving efficiency, accuracy, and strategic decision-making.

For enterprise BI leaders, the success at Dynavox Group serves as a compelling testament to the power of expert consultancy and robust BI solutions in navigating complex business challenges and fostering growth.

Read more about Affingo here.