Success story – DLL Group (De Lage Landen) – DLL chooses Bechtle for a seamless global AV experience with Microsoft Teams Rooms.

When DLL (De Lage Landen) decided to embrace Microsoft Teams as its standard communication platform, it quickly became clear that its existing AV setup didn’t integrate well with Microsoft. To ensure better collaboration and a seamless user experience, DLL chose Microsoft Teams Rooms as its standard solution. For the implementation, Frank van Helvoirt, Global Service Delivery Manager Enterprise Technology Services at DLL, reached out to Bechtle. 

Working together with the IT service provider and the international partner network Global IT Alliance (GITA), DLL delivered a global transformation of its meeting spaces. In total, more than 200 Microsoft Surface Hubs were deployed (at the time of publication), spanning over 25 countries—from the United States to India, from the Nordic states to Singapore—with the Netherlands as the starting point.

This was a project that required overcoming cultural differences, legal hurdles and complex delivery processes, and in this customer success story, Frank van Helvoirt, Sander van der Aa (Account Manager at Bechtle) and Olaf Neven (International Business Manager at Bechtle) share how DLL, Bechtle and GITA worked together to make this transformation a success.

Frank’s team is responsible for Member Services, supporting more than 5,800 employees worldwide with everything they need to work efficiently every day—from laptops and printers to Microsoft 365 and modern meeting rooms. “My ‘customer’ is the internal DLL employee,” Frank explains. “We take care of everything they use to stay productive—workplace services, unified communications, contact centres and meeting spaces. And it all has to be intuitive and user-friendly.”

During the pandemic, the need for a future-proof meeting solution became ever more apparent. The existing AV setup no longer met user expectations and failed to deliver a smooth Teams experience.

Frank: “Employee feedback was clear: our meeting solutions no longer supported the hybrid way of working. When part of the team is at home and the rest is in the office, virtual meetings need to be intuitive, reliable and seamless.”

It was time for a new approach—a solution designed for the modern workplace, where flexibility, ease of use and connectivity take centre stage.

DLL decided to completely rethink its meeting room technology in partnership with a trusted IT provider: Bechtle. Several alternatives were trialled in pilot projects, including Logitech, Neat, Cisco, Jabra, Poly and Microsoft Surface.

“We set up multiple rooms with different solutions so end users could try them out,” explains Frank. “It quickly became clear that people preferred all-in-one devices—one board with a touchscreen, camera, microphone and Teams integration. Intuitive, efficient and easy to manage.”

Two options made it to the shortlist, and Microsoft came out on top. “We ultimately chose Microsoft because it integrated seamlessly with our IT environment and simplified management. The decision was to go with Surface Hub, available in 50-inch and 85-inch models.”

A global rollout comes with challenges and DLL and Bechtle faced several hurdles along the way:

Frank: “The project wasn’t without its challenges, but Bechtle supported us every step of the way. They brought the right people together, coordinated with partners when needed and kept the project on track. Exactly what we needed to make this a success.”

At DLL’s headquarters in Eindhoven, 54 meeting rooms were upgraded. In the US, the Wayne office followed with 29 small and 5 large Surface Hubs. Today, there are 211 Surface Hubs in use worldwide. “The difference compared to the old setup is huge,” says Frank. “Users walk into a room, tap the screen and the meeting starts immediately—no more workarounds.”

For IT, management has become much simpler, and the number of support tickets for meeting rooms has dropped significantly.

The switch delivered other clear results:

What Frank values most is the way Bechtle worked—not just locally, but internationally and the Global IT Alliance (GITA) played a key role in that. Olaf: “GITA is more than a list of partners. It’s a close-knit network where we know each other well. We meet regularly and build long-term relationships, which means we can deliver consistent support for customers like DLL worldwide.”

Frank agrees: “Thanks to Bechtle’s network, we didn’t have to source and vet suppliers in every country ourselves. That saved us an enormous amount of time and gave us confidence in quality and reliability.” He also praises Sander’s leadership throughout the project: “With many IT providers, involvement ends once the contract is signed, but Sander kept checking in even after implementation. That level of service made all the difference. We felt like partners, not just customers.”

The culture fit was another factor as both organisations share a pragmatic, straightforward approach. “We could be honest when challenges came up. That openness built trust on both sides,” says Sander.

In 2020, DLL faced a complex challenge: replacing an outdated AV environment worldwide all while navigating cultural differences, legal frameworks and supplier issues. With Bechtle as its partner and GITA as the international backbone, DLL successfully transformed more than 200 meeting rooms into modern Teams Rooms.

“Bechtle’s strength lies in its network—and its people,” concludes Frank. Without GITA, we could never have achieved this global rollout, and without Sander and his team’s commitment, it wouldn’t have gone so smoothly. That makes Bechtle my go-to partner for projects like this.”