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The Customer at the Heart of the Process


It is this belief—that the customer should be at the heart of the process—that led to the creation of the SmartClient portal, a suite of modules designed with a single goal in mind—or rather, three letters: KCI (Keep Customer Informed).

Paired with the SmartTech application, which technicians use to share their location, communicate via chat, and update field information, the SmartClient portal allows end customers to follow their service intervention in real time.

A simple ambition, but one that resonates strongly at a time when people are asking for more autonomy, transparency, and a human presence behind digital interfaces.

With SmartClient, customers can track the progress of their intervention, reschedule an appointment, chat with the technician, or simply find out when they will arrive. These features may seem obvious today, but they required careful coordination to implement.

Similar solutions have emerged elsewhere—particularly in other sectors or from certain tech players.

But here, the challenge was broader and more fragmented: seven countries, eight IT teams, and a multitude of scheduling tools. Despite this complexity, there was only one guiding principle: customer experience.

The self-service rescheduling feature (Self Planner), launched in May 2025, is a key milestone in this transformation—a quiet revolution, but a powerful one. Gone are the days of waiting on hold: with just a few clicks, the customer becomes an active participant in their own solution, while call centers can refocus on more complex cases.

Behind this success lie not only technical challenges, but above all, human ones. Understanding field operations, integrating logistical constraints, and adapting to local realities were all essential.

Who would have thought, for example, that a simple five-day delay for a spare part would require a dedicated rescheduling rule? And yet, it’s details like these that make the difference between a well-designed tool and one that’s truly useful.

It’s important to highlight the remarkable work of those who made the portal possible: Rani Meiyammai Natarajan, the IT team lead, along with Thibault Roy, Jérôme Beroud, Fabien Boudard, Christine Minne, David Put, and many others—in France, Belgium, India, the Philippines, and Poland.

Let’s not forget the technicians, who are often the first ambassadors of change. Their quick adoption of SmartTech—thanks to its simplicity, support, and user-centric design—was a strong signal.

In the end, this project is proof that when you truly focus on the customer and embrace simplicity, you can achieve something big.

By Maxence Taieb
Head of Smartfix Competence Center

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