Henderson Group is a family-owned wholesaler and retailer employing more than 5,500 people, which makes it Northern Ireland’s third largest employer.
As a member of the global SPAR retail network, it owns 108 of the 500 convenience retail stores that it supplies in Northern Ireland, and it also operates a successful Foodservice Company serving 5,000 customers each week. This positions it as the leading convenience retail specialist in the region.
Challenges
With a lack of clarity and complex processes siloed in various platforms, meaning it was impossible to keep them up to date, Henderson Group had challenges with inefficiencies.
Crucially, when an employee left the organization, often their process knowledge left with them. They needed to digitize manual process recording and eliminate the outdated documentation so that they could streamline operations effectively.
Recognizing the need for efficient process mapping and improvement, Henderson Group were looking for a solution to enhance their understanding of workflows to facilitate better decision-making.
Following a proof-of-concept journey, with two carefully selected departments participating, they could see the benefits of Liberty Spark, Netcall’s process improvement solution, and began to roll it out across the rest of the business.
Solution
Henderson Group had relied on manual process documentation using spreadsheets, free tools, and whiteboards – a disjointed, time-consuming approach that lacked visibility and consistency.
Process mapping was ad hoc, driven mainly by the Information Services team, and those using tools like Draw IO, Visio, and Bizagi found them complex and difficult for wider teams to understand. Different versions were often maintained simultaneously, leading to confusion and errors.
After adopting Liberty Spark, Henderson Group quickly achieved greater process visibility and standardization.
Its intuitive interface made process mapping accessible across teams, with users finding it simpler and faster than previous tools.
Employees became more engaged, empowered by clear documentation that supported a culture of process excellence. Spark also helped identify bottlenecks and inefficiencies, improving workflows and training.
Departments across the organization saw measurable benefits: Payroll reduced onboarding time with easy-to-follow process maps; Learning and Development maintained continuity during departmental changes; and the Property team used Spark’s Quantify tool to demonstrate time and cost savings for system investments.
Overall, Liberty Spark has helped Henderson Group become more efficient, competitive, and consistent across its operations.
Results
- Created dynamic process maps
- Increased collaboration across teams from across the group
- Improved efficiency
- Reduced onboarding and staff training time
- Process performance can be analysed and reported on
- Provides business continuity and accurate, data-driven insights
- Shifted the focus from siloed processes to holistic views
- Able to drive continuous improvement across the organization.
“Liberty Spark has transformed our approach to process management. It provides us with the agility, transparency and the ability to adapt swiftly to changing business needs.
As a business, we’re more resilient against disruption by having all processes mapped centrally in one open space. The impact is streamlined communication, reduced ambiguity and more informed decisions based on accurate process data, leading to smoother operations.
It is an important enabler for our “Simpler, Faster, Better” transformation strategy,” said Patricia White, Business Transformation Analyst at the Henderson Group.
This blog post has been re-published by kind permission of Netcall – View the Original Article
For more information about Netcall - visit the Netcall Website
About Netcall
Netcall is trusted by organisations worldwide, with 9 out of 10 customers ready to recommend us. With Liberty Converse CX, you can streamline operations, enhance customer engagement, and achieve real, measurable results. Find out more about Netcall
Author: Netcall
Published On: 11th Dec 2025
Read more about - Industry News, Case Studies, Netcall
