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Challenges faced

• Manual processes. Softbank struggled to manage all its processes manually using spreadsheets and emails as it was extremely tedious.

• Delay in approvals. Since emails were used to get approvals, executives found it difficult to track the requests and approve them on time.

• Increased cost. Softbank tried using different tools for different processes, such as Concur, for managing travel requests. Each license cost a few hundred dollars, and this increased their expenses.

Solution

In 2016, Softbank started using Kissflow in their US Team. On seeing the benefits of Kissflow, their Europe office adopted the platform.

Softbank found Kissflow to be extremely user-friendly, and the mobile app was very handy. After the initial testing went so well, they started using the same platform for their offices in the UK, San Francisco, and Germany. Everyone, including executives, was extremely happy with Kissflow. They found Kissflow to be very affordable, and could do what other expensive products can do, but quicker and with less effort.

Oliver Umehara, the IT Manager for SoftBank Telecom, America, said, "The drag-and-drop part of designing workflows is amazing. But, pretty much everything about the product is good. Since Kissflow is based on Excel formulas, my boss was able to create a lot of conditions and advanced features easily (she’s an Excel Guru!)."

He shared that the VP of North America was mostly in the air, so approvals were hard for him to pull out of email and could get delayed in the old system. The greatest thing was that he could now approve requests on the phone using the Kissflow mobile app. Some of Softbank's leaders approved 10-20 requests a day from multiple subsidiaries.  

When talking about what stood out for him about Kissflow, Oliver said, "Two days ago, I created an application–Reimbursement for Gym Memberships–and I was able to create that in 30 minutes. That’s the beauty of Kissflow, being able to create apps quickly." He added, "I’ve been pretty amazed at how responsive and attentive the chat support is. As soon as I have a question, someone is there with an answer for me. I’ve had a lot of complex requirements, but I’ve always had someone eager to help me out. Having videos in the documentation goes a long way in helping me figure out the basic functionality of Kissflow. I would give it a 10 out of 10!"

On being asked about internal adoption, Oliver said, "I don’t have to train other employees. It takes about 10 minutes for me to show them the system, and then they figure it out on their own."

To express the value of Kissflow and its role in Softbank's internal operations, Oliver explained Softbank's expense and travel reimbursements process, which was managed using Concur, and they were pretty expensive. They had something similar to Kissflow. "Thanks to Kissflow, we are not using it anymore. Their software fee was a few hundred dollars per month for a few licenses, so we are saving a lot of money now. It’s pretty complicated, so we don’t use their workflow," he said.

Results

Softbank Telecom could realize several benefits using Kissflow:

• Leaders could approve 10-20 requests per day

• Apps were developed in just 30 minutes

• Employees could learn the platform in 10 minutes

In a few months, Softbank is planning to adapt Kissflow to its other two subsidiary offices and will continue to use it for a long time.