Alzheimer Nederland is getting to grips with its IT processes using Freshservice and Gorilla Services

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Mirella Bulsink
Mirella Bulsink Functional Administrator

Alzheimer Nederland is committed to a future without dementia and to a better quality of life for people with dementia and those around them. The organisation has grown significantly in recent years, from around 70 staff members in 2018 to approximately 150 people at its head office by 2026, alongside nearly 4,000 volunteers and tens of thousands of fundraisers across the country. Mirella Bulsink, functional manager at Alzheimer Nederland, explains how this growth called for an IT solution that could scale with the organisation rather than hold it back.

Alzheimer’s Netherlands

“You want an application that helps you with your work. Not one that makes you even busier.”

– Mirella Bulsink, Freshservice functional administrator at Alzheimer Nederland.

Alzheimer Nederland

Significant growth From 70 staff members in 2018 to 150 at head office in 2026, supported by nearly 4,000 volunteers and tens of thousands of fundraisers.
A cumbersome and complex system Jira did not fit in with Alzheimer Nederland’s way of working. Making changes was a faff, and the screens felt unnecessarily complicated.
No autonomy For every minor change, the team had to rely on bespoke solutions or an external provider.
Varying working methods The lack of a centralised overview for each user made processes such as the onboarding and offboarding of staff inefficient and prone to errors.

At the controls yourself A system that the team could customise themselves to suit their own needs, without needing external help for every change.
Simplicity and clarity A tool that feels simple and intuitive, for both the IT team and the requesters.
Room to grow A solution that, in the long term, can also be used by other teams within the organisation.
An expert partner nearby Be able to liaise with a Dutch partner who contributes ideas based on their experience with other clients.
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The solution

Following a thorough comparison, Alzheimer Nederland opted for Freshservice from Freshworks. Freshdesk was initially considered, but Freshservice was a better fit for the organisation’s ITSM requirements. Gorilla Services supported the team throughout the selection process with demos, detailed explanations and advice on configuration, and subsequently continued to work alongside the team as a specialist whilst Alzheimer Nederland carried out the configuration itself.

The implementation began with a kick-off day on-site, followed by weekly sessions in which questions were discussed and resolved. After going live, Gorilla Services remained available via a pay-as-you-go package, enabling Alzheimer Nederland to seek rapid assistance even whilst fine-tuning the system. For instance, after a brief consultation with Gorilla Services, it turned out that linking a second Microsoft tenant for SSO was possible after all, even though this had initially seemed unfeasible.

What Alzheimer Nederland is now doing differently

  • Tickets, changes, assets, tasks and the knowledge base are now managed via a single centralised environment, rather than through an outdated ticketing system.
  • Standard requests, such as licences or new applications, automatically trigger the correct workflow, involving the right tasks and the right people.
  • Major application changes go through a fixed change management process, including workflows and approvals.
  • The team now sets up workflows, fields and processes themselves, with Gorilla Services acting as a specialist at their side via a pay-as-you-go scheme for more complex issues.

Impact in figures

Mirelle Bulsink 'With Freshservice, you’re less reliant on whoever happens to pick up the ticket, and the process remains consistent.'
Freshdesk 14
hour
Per employee, per year
Estimated time saved through faster and more consistent IT processes

Why Alzheimer Nederland switched from Jira to Freshservice

In practice, Jira proved to be too complex and cumbersome for the dynamic organisation that is Alzheimer Nederland. Following a thorough market comparison, the team opted for Freshservice. Three factors were decisive.

The tool – Freshservice was the perfect match in terms of ease of use, configurability and value for money.

Control – No more expensive bespoke development. The IT team now customises workflows and fields themselves.

The partner – The ability to work with Gorilla Services as an expert, local Dutch partner.

Results

Educatie (Freshservice) 2

A single central helpdesk

Staff and volunteers can now submit queries via a single central point, rather than through multiple channels.
FW Implementatie

Consistent processes

Changes, tasks and approvals follow a fixed, predictable workflow, regardless of who handles the ticket.
Freshdesk en Freshservice – Chatbot & AI (Freddy) training

Taking control

The team is now adapting the layout itself, as soon as this better aligns with internal processes.
Account manager Gorilla Services 1

Scalable foundation

Other departments are already exploring their own workspaces within Freshservice, for example for registering desks and office chairs.
Curious how we can implement this for your own organisation?