Proximus uses Mendix to improve customer experience with a new centralized app ecosystem

Belgium’s leading telecom provider adopts Mendix to improve customer engagement in the native mobile app Proximus+

Proximus, a leading Belgian provider of digital services and communication solutions, has selected Mendix, a Siemens company, to create the new super-app, Proximus+. This innovative application serves as a centralized hub for millions of consumers to access a wide range of services, not limited to telecommunications, within the Proximus ecosystem of partners and suppliers. Developed with Mendix’s low code platform in just one year, Proximus+ seamlessly integrates six existing React Native applications into a unified native mobile user experience. The application reinforces Proximus’s competitive edge and bolsters its leadership in the market.

Proximus, with its 2.8 million customers, including 1.1 million convergent ones, faced the challenge of fragmented customer experience due to various customer-facing solutions. Outdated systems and slow development cycles further hindered the company’s ability to differentiate itself. To overcome these challenges, Proximus decided to consolidate its application ecosystem into a single “super app” using the efficient low-code development methodology.  After a rigorous vendor selection process, Proximus chose the Mendix platform.

Georgi van Droogenbroeck, product owner for Consumer Strategy and Digital Ecosystems, explains the decision to choose Mendix: ‘The platform’s flexibility was a key factor. It not only offers excellent opportunities for seamless expansion but also its native mobile capability, built on React Native, allows us to develop specific widgets tailored to our needs. Given our extensive customization requirements, being able to leverage React Native and build upon our existing in-house skills was a significant advantage.’

The flexibility of Mendix platform aligns closely with Proximity’s business strategy

Proximus leadership team recognized that the Mendix platform supported the company’s business strategy of becoming more agile. Development with Mendix seamlessly integrates with the collaborative, iterative nature of agile development, which was gaining popularity within Proximus. Additionally, using the Mendix platform helped Proximus become more agile by enabling the creation of a reusable and composable ecosystem of app functionality and design elements, all while maintaining robust security.

Developed within a year by a cross-functional, agile team of developers, designers, and business stakeholders, Proximus+ consolidates six existing React Native applications into one native mobile user experience. “Mendix is a great facilitator for agile working. As we worked with cross-functional teams on the platform, we saw that the gap between business, design, and IT narrowed, ensuring everyone was working towards the same vision,”  Van Droogenbroeck said.

At Proximus, the cross-functional teams using Mendix comprise over 40 individuals with different backgrounds. This close collaboration is already sparking new ideas for enhancing various aspects such as the shopping experience, sales tools, and loyalty programs. According to Van Droogenbroeck, “Reinventing ourselves was necessary to maintain relevance to our users. We chose low code to address this complex challenge deliberately. The reusability, shortened time-to-market and cost-effectiveness of Mendix directly impact how we develop our customer experience and manage our business. The results we’ve seen thus far have been pleasantly surprising.”

Proximus+ was recently introduced as an upgrade to the existing MyProximus app, which already had 1.3 million users. With Proximus+, customers can access digital services such as “Neighborhood,” where they can connect with their community and share tips or events. The app also offers mobility services, such as buying train tickets, viewing transportation schedules, or paying for parking transactions.

Mendix facilitates platform strategy

Developing Proximus+ with low-code not only addresses current challenges but also provides flexibility to evolve in the future. Low-code accelerates time-to-market by enabling Proximus to work in a controlled manner, further developing the ecosystem with reusable integrations and functionality.

“As we enhance the Proximus+ offering, our aim is to move from an application-centric approach to a platform-centric one that connects our customers and partners. This represents a future evolution in mitigating customer frustration caused by the multitude of applications. Customers can rely on Proximus+ as the single, secure gateway to the services they need. We believe that Mendix has all the necessary capabilities to facilitate this platform strategy in the future,” said Tina Hernalsteen, Ecosystem Lead at Proximus.

About Mendix

Mendix, a Siemens business, is the only low-code platform designed to address the full complexity of enterprise software development challenges. Deploying point solutions to departmental problems solves things at a micro level—but if you want to make a significant impact on your business, you need to go bigger and build powerful portfolios that move the needle sustainably and strategically.

With Mendix, enterprises can take on more complex, transformational initiatives by engaging everyone in capturing requirements, forming ideas, and embedding value assessment throughout the lifecycle of the software portfolio.

Focus on the right problems while relying on governance and control to avoid unnecessary risk. Mobilize your organization. Build the change readiness muscle. And when the next big idea drops, turn it into an outcome quicker.

More than 4,000 organizations in 46 countries use the Mendix low-code platform. An active community of over 300,000 developers has created over 950,000 applications – and counting.