"Extremely powerful" - a tool for problem solvers

A look inside a fast-paced Nordic tech company with plenty of data, and no laptops in meetings.

5 min read

An all too familiar problem

At its core, the idea behind Ignite is about giving companies access to better information to support purchasing activities. Many companies go through a complex and ongoing nightmare, trying to track and control ballooning purchasing costs. The problem, is that there is so much unstructured information that needs to be processed, and it often defies logical categorization.

It’s a problem all too familiar to former Boston Consulting Group (BCG) consultants Sigbjørn Nome and Børge Langedal, now respectively the CEO and sales director of Ignite Procurement. A fast-growing and forward-thinking company, Ignite specializes in software that helps cut costs by providing insight into the purchasing process.

Nome and Langedal kept seeing the same issues time and again at BCG, so they set out to solve them, founding Ignite in 2016. The company’s software has already managed 25 billion EUR worth of purchases from its 35 high-profile Nordic customers.

Better meetings

Mosaira Rhodes, Ignite’s customer success manager, came on board a few years later. According to Rhodes, Ignite’s success has meant a large number of client meetings, in person, over the phone, or via video conferencing. Switching back and forth between clients all the time has made it necessary for Rhodes, and the rest of the team, to find a tool they can rely on to help manage the significant volume of meeting notes generated on a daily basis.

“I find having our client’s words and formulations easily available on my reMarkable, and being able to reuse them in a meeting, perhaps several months later, is extremely powerful.”

Mosaira Rhodes uses a folder system to keep track of her client notes.

This is mostly down to the way Rhodes is able to organize notes from her meetings and conversations in a folder system. This way, she’s always able to find the information she needs, when she needs it.

“I always make a new folder for a new client, making sure I can pick the conversation back up later at exactly the right spot if I need to.”

These meeting notes often include sensitive customer data, so it’s also convenient to keep them on something that’s password protected. Knowing the data is safely stored, is something that gives the busy customer success manager ‘peace of mind.’

No barriers

Ignite’s customers have high expectations, and maintaining a professional face is critical in a highly competitive industry. As co-founder Børge Langedal explains, the connection established with clients is important, as much of the work done at Ignite relies on getting accurate information about their needs, and setting the right expectations in return.

“We never use laptops for note-taking in meetings. Internal or external, it’s a no go. It’s noisy, disturbing, and creates a barrier that prevents us from getting the best out of each other. reMarkable gives us the digital features we need, without the distractions”

Sketching can make it easier to explain complicated concepts.

A visualization power tool

The Ignite team have reached a good balance between using their laptops for daily work, and switching to their paper tablets when the task in front of them requires extra brainpower, or the freedom of pen on paper. It’s often an advantage to work on solutions to complex problems without the usual email, instant messenger, and calendar alerts. Particularly if it’s something that can be sketched out visually.

“We develop complex software and often enjoy using reMarkable to make sketches and drawings as a way of describing an issue or a solution to ensure everybody has the same understanding.”

It’s also not unusual for the team member responsible for following up, to get sent reMarkable notes from the other participants after a meeting. That way everyone’s thoughts are documented and taken into account.

Keeping the team informed and all on the same page is a common theme with Ignite. They always seem to have the right information at their fingertips, making sure things run smoothly. It makes sense though; it’s a company in the business of better information.

Quick facts

Who:

Ignite Procurement
A Norwegian SaaS company that develops digital solutions for strategic procurement. They help companies make smart purchasing decisions based on solid facts.

Uses reMarkable for: