The Free University of Brussels is located in Brussels, the heart of Europe. With 20,000 students, almost a quarter of whom come from abroad, the VUB is the place par excellence to work on their future and that of the world.
"With high quality scientific research and customized education, our university makes an active and committed contribution to a better and more sustainable society."
According to this vision, a more sustainable solution had to be found for the loan service as well. With so many students, there had to be a self-supporting system to manage reservations and loans. The Vrije Universiteit Brussel's digital transformation was promoted and future-proofed.
About the Free University of Brussels
The lending service of the VUB consists of 2 different departments within 2 different branches. Both in Jette and Etterbeek there is an audiovisual lending service, as well as a logistical lending service. A total of about 10 people are employed here to manage the entire lending service.
In 2020, the first step was taken in the digital transformation within the VUB. A software package was chosen to manage the audiovisual material. This involved switching from paper contracts and internal Excel files to a digital system. Over time, the desire arose to link a web shop to this, where students could effortlessly place a reservation. This was not possible with the current system, so the VUB started market research for good working lending software, which also had the possibility to integrate an online web shop.
There was in fact a great need to make the lending stock available online for the VUB community. With 20,000 students, it is not sustainable to process reservations by mail, phone or physical visit. Therefore, to provide more transparency about the operation and overall better service, the choice of a web shop was a logical step.
Belief and determination
After having spoken positively to a few references, such as the Provinciale Uitleendienst Vlaams-Brabant, the VUB took stock and opted for RentMagic.
"After getting a clear and committed demo, we as a lending service drew up a comprehensive scope to be able to get a correct budget. This process involved extensive thinking by Infodatek to ensure that everything had been taken into account."
A preliminary study was made with corresponding project framework, a project schedule with deadlines and everything lending processes were described in detail. All necessary data such as items, customers, opening hours, locations, prices, stock levels, serial numbers, employee access and permissions were inventoried and provided. This data was then set up in the back-end via convenient templates. It was also important to supply images, manuals, lending conditions and item descriptions to be incorporated into the web shop.
Further, prices were linked to the articles and as a result the invoicing model was set up. Infodatek thought along from their experience in setting up the right reporting and templates. Thus, the documents were formatted from quotation to invoice according to the corporate identity.
In addition, new functionality has been developed especially for VUB whereby a reservation can be made in the front-end that combines items from multiple warehouses, without the webshop user noticing anything. This again provides better transparency and service to the customer.
In order to ensure that the VUB was fully ready to start using RentMagic, two training sessions were organized. These trainings were both theoretical and practical, so that in-depth knowledge of the software was gained among the employees, so that they could then apply it in practical situations. During these trainings, the desktop functionality was highlighted as well as the use of the app. This is because the lending service employees are regularly on the road providing customers with all the materials they have reserved. Working quickly and purposefully, while maintaining all important information in the trading process is essential for the Vrije Universiteit Brussel. In addition, students are now perfectly aware of the extensive offerings of the lending service.
In the process there was intense involvement from both parties and a smooth way of communicating, which made this project come about quickly but carefully. The implementation of RentMagic for the Free University of Brussels shows a perfect example of a professional collaboration to put a sustainable overall picture into practice.
