How the IT Service Desk of Zorg van de Zaak will further improve employee support with AI-agent Tod
An interview with Jelle van Baggem, Manager Digitall Health
At Zorg van de Zaak, everything revolves around the health of working people in the Netherlands. But to achieve that mission, everything behind the scenes must run smoothly—from systems and applications to IT support. Jelle van Baggem, Manager Digitall Health, leads the digital services within the network and explains how AI is going to play an increasingly significant role. “Our people work hard every day to help others. Now it’s time for technology to help them.”
A unique and dynamic network
“Zorg van de Zaak is an occupational health network,” Jelle begins. “It consists of occupational health services, intervention companies, and training and consulting agencies that together focus on the working population. Think of doctors, psychologists, mediators, but also support services. Each company has its own processes and systems. It’s our task to manage and integrate that digital infrastructure.”
Jelle is responsible for IT Service Desk, DevOps, application management, and data logistics, among other things. “The number of employees in the network is constantly fluctuating—companies are acquired or let go. This means we constantly have to adapt: onboarding new employees, migrating systems, aligning infrastructures. In a recent collaboration, for example, we had to arrange accounts for more than 100 new colleagues, replace laptops, install WiFi networks on-site, and perform data migrations. That’s quite a task.”
Smarter working: creating room for quality
The avatar of Tod, the AI Agent of the Zorg van de Zaak IT Service Desk, was carefully designed by Jessica Veen, Team Leader IT Service Desk.
This continuous dynamism places a heavy burden on the IT Service Desk. “Our colleagues at the Service Desk dedicate themselves wholeheartedly every day to help employees. If someone encounters an issue, we want them to be able to get back to work as quickly as possible. That’s what we’re here for. At the same time, I see how high the work pace is. I would like the team to create more room for structural improvements. That’s why it’s time to start working smarter.”
They are taking this step partly by deploying AI—in the form of a digital colleague: Tod, the AI-agent from Conversed.ai. “Tod will help employees with IT questions so that they can be assisted faster and more efficiently. This means that the Service Desk will have more time for complex issues and innovation.” Training Tod takes time and effort, but Jelle is clear about it: “The goal—to help our people faster and better—is absolutely worth it.”
Why Conversed.ai?
The choice for Conversed.ai was no coincidence. “A number of labels within the Zorg van de Zaak network—including occupational health services ZekerArbo, Zorg van de Zaak, and Aditum Arbo—were already working with you,” Jelle says. “They were so enthusiastic about the collaboration—not just about the technology, but especially about the whole process: the guidance, the aftercare, the involvement. That gave us confidence.”
The future: talking to Tod instead of submitting tickets
What will Tod be able to do in the future? Jelle smiles: “Initially, we hope that this AI Agent will handle a large portion of the standard questions and requests. That employees will simply get faster assistance without even realizing it—because Tod provides suggestions in the background to the service desk.”
But that’s not where it ends for him. “I want employees to no longer have to go to a separate portal in the future. They just ‘talk’ to Tod, wherever they are—at the office, at home, on the go. Say what you need, and Tod takes care of it.”
AI in Digitall Health: much more than IT
The introduction of Tod at the IT Service Desk is just the beginning. “We have more teams where AI can add significant value,” says Jelle. “Our consultants work with standard integrations that are repeated over and over again. That’s work where we can use AI. Or our application management team: why would you still draft manuals yourself in the future if you can solve that with AI?”
He continues: “We’re just getting started. AI surprises me every time. I don’t yet know what will be possible in five years—but that it will be a lot, that’s for sure. And I am also certain that we, as Zorg van de Zaak, will smartly anticipate that.”
A call to colleagues
Finally, Jelle has a clear and positive call to all colleagues in the network: “We are going to work with Tod, and I hope everyone embraces it with an open and curious attitude. See it as something interesting: a new colleague we’re going to train and educate together, making it a little better every time. Tod won’t always be perfect right away—but by working with it together, we’ll make it smarter every day. Contribute to that development, be a part of it, and let’s create something wonderful together.”
