Partner Success Story
With Shareflex, intex Informations-Systeme GmbH closes a strategic gap in its portfolio and lays the foundation for new market opportunities.
intex Informations-Systeme GmbH is a medium-sized company based in the DACH (Germany, Austria, Switzerland) region that provides consulting and design services for digital business processes. This includes the digitisation of incoming invoice processing, contract management, quality and document management. “The majority of our customers are in the mechanical and plant engineering and transport and logistics industries. But breweries and service companies are also part of our customer base,” explains David Naßler, Member of the Executive Board at intex. Until a few years ago, the company operated exclusively in the on-premises sector. But then came the pandemic…
“Since Corona, more and more companies have been increasingly active in the Microsoft world,” recalls Toni Pick, Solution Consultant at intex. “Integrated solutions in Microsoft Office and SharePoint were in particular demand.” At the time, intex simply had no suitable solution to offer in this area. “Five years ago, the company would barely respond to such enquiries,” Pick continues, “because we had other priorities.”
intex Informations-Systeme GmbH was founded in 1991 and is headquartered in Lauf an der Pegnitz. The company employs more than 45 people and has additional offices in Munich. intex specialises in the digitisation of business processes, in particular through the integration of digital document management solutions (DMS) into existing ERP systems to make business processes more efficient and transparent. The portfolio also includes solutions for purchase-to-pay processes, digital process and file solutions, and solutions for Microsoft 365 for seamless integration into the Microsoft 365 environment. With more than 350 customers, intex is active in more than seven countries, including Germany, France, Austria, the Netherlands, Switzerland, the USA and the Czech Republic.
We didn’t really cater to customers who were specifically looking for a SharePoint-based document management system (DMS). “We just assumed they’d come back anyway if they couldn’t find a suitable alternative.” However, this attitude has changed fundamentally with the increasing demand and growing importance of the Microsoft platforms.
In addition to a few existing customers, it was mainly new enquiries that repeatedly brought up a specific topic at intex: Microsoft-based document management. “We were increasingly encountering questions we didn’t know the answers to or requirements we couldn’t meet,” recalls Toni Pick. The company had already heard about Shareflex at trade fairs and from customers and had gained some initial impressions.
But that was it for the time being. Until sales manager and shareholder Jürgen Ehard picked up the phone, took the initiative and pressed ahead with contacting Portal Systems. “The gap in our portfolio, combined with demand from customers, led us to Portal Systems,” summarises Toni Pick.
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intex’s expectations of the partnership with Portal Systems were primarily business-driven: “We were looking for a solution for our customers that pursued a long-term strategy for the future,” emphasises Toni Pick. In doing so, it was important to find a partner with whom genuine cooperation was possible – “in other words, a partnership in which both sides benefit and are successful.”
The main intention behind establishing a partnership was to strengthen the company’s own business with the new product and thus be able to better serve its customers. According to Toni Pick, the expectation was correspondingly high: “To become more competitive with the new solution and make better use of market opportunities.”
“Without the partnership, we wouldn’t have lost any customers, but there were definitely sales opportunities that intex couldn’t win in the past because we didn’t have the right solution to offer.”
And what were intex’s requirements for a potential partnership with Portal Systems? “They focused primarily on training and support during the onboarding process for the new SharePoint-based DMS,” says David Naßler, highlighting the most important point. Since intex was only familiar with its own DMS up to that point, it was essential that Portal Systems offered them the opportunity to get to know the new product from top to bottom. “This included both structured training and close support during the first projects so that we could gain experience by watching and learning.” In addition, intex had to do some intensive ‘homework’ to familiarise itself with SharePoint, which took some time.
The initial discussions with Portal Systems focused primarily on the solution itself. At first, intex wanted to understand what the product could do, how Shareflex would fit into its existing portfolio, and in which areas it would offer added value. “Only then did we hold internal discussions, as introducing a new partner meant a significant change process within the company,” explains David Naßler. “Strategic issues were discussed, such as the creation of a new consulting team, the expected revenue from the new solution and the possible impact on our existing business.” Once the internal strategy meetings had confirmed the positive mood regarding intex’s new pillar, it was finally time to negotiate the contract.
As a partner of Portal Systems, intex has a comprehensive role in the entire customer process. “We are responsible for acquiring new customers, consulting them before the purchase, and guiding them through every step until the contract is signed,” says Toni Pick, providing insight into the range of activities. intex acts as the sole contractual partner for customers and is their primary point of contact. “In addition, we take care of implementing the solution and providing comprehensive consulting and support to customers.” Except for software development, which remains the responsibility of Portal Systems, intex thus covers almost all tasks in the sales and implementation process.
What impresses intex most about its partnership with Portal Systems is the open and relaxed atmosphere from the very beginning. “We felt very welcome right from the first partner day and the collaboration felt almost like being part of a small family,” says David Naßler with satisfaction. Communication has remained open and constructive ever since, even at management level. Today, intex is able to implement projects independently and has built up its own team, which underscores the successful development of the partnership.
“What particularly impressed me was the shared determination on both sides to ensure the success of the partnership and to develop it further.”
It took about six months for intex and Portal Systems to agree on the terms of their partnership and for the first order to be placed. “During this time, various details were clarified,” explains Toni Pick. One of the biggest challenges for intex in the following period was the switch to the Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) model, as they had previously mainly been active in the on-premises sector.
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“Although we had already migrated some customers to the cloud, the SaaS billing model was a completely new experience,” says David Naßler. It required the creation of new terms and conditions to ensure that the legal framework was correct and legally compliant. “This change was a significant innovation for intex, but communication with Portal Systems was always excellent, so we were able to master this challenge easily.”
The partnership with Portal Systems is still very new. “We are right at the beginning,” says Toni Pick. He is firmly convinced that the collaboration will have a long-term financial impact and is ‘an investment in the future.’ Currently, intex has won three projects that it probably would not have been able to realise without this partnership. “These orders are high-quality and contribute to the company’s development,” says Pick. “However, the partnership also means investing in training consultants and our internal resources.” At intex, the partnership is therefore seen as a measure that will pay off in the future. This is particularly true given the growing interest from new customers in sectors such as finance and large retail chains.
The training at intex mainly consisted of a combination of presentations and practical experience. On the one hand, there were sales training courses in which Portal Systems showed the intex sales team how to best present the solution. “Learning the technology and the software itself was more a case of ‘learning by doing’ and observing experts,” reveals David Naßler. “There was also a training platform with videos. But a large part of the knowledge came from direct exchange with contact persons at Portal Systems and their partner company IBTG, who are involved in the development of the solution.” intex also visited this partner and was shown the technology, which made it easier to get started.
Are you interested in a cooperation, solution or technology partnership? Are you looking for a DMS/ECM solution that perfectly complements your portfolio as an ERP system provider (e.g. in the Microsoft Dynamics 365 BC environment)? Or do you have an idea for a new business application or industry solution based on Shareflex?
Then learn more about our partner programme and make an appointment to discuss your requirements. We look forward to your questions!
From intex’s point of view, there is great potential in further cooperation with Portal Systems. The integration of Microsoft solutions, which many companies already use, will make it much easier for new customers to get started. “Relying on Portal Systems was exactly the right decision,” says David Naßler. He also has a thoroughly positive view of the role of conrizon AG, which recently acquired Portal Systems. “This development shows that intex is on the right track and made the right decision two years ago. It further facilitates discussions with customers and simplifies the sales process.”
Patrick Carl
Chief Sales Officer
Email: info[at]portalsystems.de
