How Handel Bouw Advies achieved 80% higher CSAT with Hiver

Handel Bouw Advies (HBA B.V.) is a fast-growing construction consultancy based in the Netherlands. With a 30+ member team, they specialize in Building Plan Assessment and Building Physics and Regulations Consultancy—supporting clients with everything from BENG and EPC calculations to solar studies, MPG, and heat loss evaluations.

The Challenge

As the company scaled, managing client communication through a shared info@ Gmail account quickly became unsustainable. What started as a simple setup led to major operational headaches:

• Inefficient email management: Managing high volumes of emails by directly logging into a shared info@ Gmail account created confusion. Team members had no visibility into which emails had been seen, addressed, or required action, making it difficult to prioritize and organize client communications.
• Lack of accountability: Without a way to assign emails, tracking ownership or response timelines was impossible.
• Collaboration issues: Multiple team members would unknowingly respond to the same query, wasting time and leading to duplication of efforts.
• Limited Visibility: Employees using separate Gmail accounts made it hard for managers to monitor communication or balance workloads.
• Need for simplicity: The team needed a way to delegate and track emails, without leaving Gmail.

The Solution

HBA B.V. rolled out Hiver in just one day, transforming how they manage emails while maintaining their signature personal touch with clients.

1. Centralized communication with Shared Inboxes

• HBA created a Shared Inbox for their info@ email, making it the single hub for all client communication.
• They also set up Shared Inboxes for each team member—so anyone could access, view, or step in to respond when needed. This improved continuity, especially when someone was away.

2. Automation at scale

• They implemented 65+ Automations to tag, assign, and manage specific types of emails. For example, emails with specific keywords (e.g., “Crossell”) are auto-tagged and assigned to the right specialist.
• CRM notification emails are auto-closed to reduce inbox clutter.

3. Custom Fields and Tagging for project tracking

• With Custom Fields, the team tracks project numbers aligned with their CRM (Teamleader) and project tool (Trello). This ensures all team members have complete context about a project while working out of their inbox and without having to switch tabs.
• Established a comprehensive tagging system for project-related emails, SLAs and quotations, allowing the team to quickly categorize incoming communication, prioritize time-sensitive requests, and ensure essential documents like quotations receive proper attention.

4. Managing SLAs and client expectations

• The team configured 10 different SLAs based on email tags and types.
• Implemented automated CSAT surveys after every reply to collect immediate feedback and allow managers to quickly address any service issues.

says Tim Mijzen, Director at Handel Bouw Advies.

The Impact

Implementing Hiver didn’t just streamline email, it aligned perfectly with HBA’s values of transparency and technical excellence:

• 100% transparency: Everyone on the team has visibility into client conversations.
• 400+ hours saved monthly: Automated routing and assignments reduced manual effort significantly.
• Clear ownership: Every email has an owner, so nothing slips through the cracks.
• Consistent client experience: Conversations continue seamlessly, even when a team member is unavailable.
• 80% boost in client satisfaction: Thanks to automated CSAT surveys and faster response times.