Nextlane: Implementing a scalable HR system across 11 countries

Nextlane is Europe’s leading connected automotive retail platform, powering dealers, OEMs, and dealer groups with cloud-native software that unifies core automotive retail operations across sales, after-sales and back-office functions. 

Operating across multiple European markets, Nextlane connects thousands of dealerships through one open, secure, and smart platform. Its solutions remove fragmentation by unifying systems, data, and workflows, enabling consistent operations, regulatory compliance and scalable growth across countries. 

With teams expanding and HR processes becoming increasingly complex, Nextlane needed an HR system that could support this scale and maturity. 

Before Sympa, the organisation worked with a tool primarily designed for time management. While it covered basic needs, it didn’t offer the broader HR capabilities Nextlane required. Performance, objective setting, merit cycles and core HR processes all lived in Excel sheets. Managing people data across the group meant navigating manual workflows and country-specific differences after the merger between two companies in France and Spain. 

For Malin Holmgren, Nextlane’s HR Lead in the Nordics, the direction was clear: they needed a flexible HR system that could unify processes across countries and help them mature their operations at scale. 

The challenge

Nextlane’s rapid evolution meant that many of its HR foundations were still scattered or manually managed. Its previous system offered limited HR functionality, and after the merger of two companies with different histories, HR processes varied significantly across countries. 

At the same time, Nextlane was running another major project: implementing a new time management system in Spain. This placed additional pressure on the HR team to choose and roll out a new HRIS efficiently and without adding complexity. 

Their key challenges included: 

• Scattered data and processes handled through spreadsheets 

• Limited system support for workflows such as objectives, performance and merit increases 

• The need to harmonise HR operations across multiple countries 

• Managing two system implementations at the same time 

• Ensuring that any new solution was scalable and a long-term fit 

Above all, Nextlane needed to replace fragmented workflows with modern, connected HR processes that could keep pace with its growth. 

Why they chose Sympa

Nextlane shortlisted around ten HR systems across Europe before narrowing down to Sympa. From the very first demo with Sympa, delivered by sales consultant Björn Sandberg, the Nextlane team saw a system that could meet their needs today and support their ambitions for tomorrow. 

Björn demonstrated how Sympa connects objective setting, performance reviews and merit increases into a single, seamless flow. For an organisation working largely in spreadsheets, this was transformational. As Malin put it: “Seeing how the process flowed between modules was the tipping point. We could finally see a forward-thinking approach to the HR processes that matter the most.” 

How the implementation delivered value 

Working closely with Sympa’s onboarding consultant, Lilly-Karoliina Bergström, Nextlane built the structure of their new HRIS quickly and confidently. Lilly-Karoliina’s ability to explain pros, cons and best practices became a cornerstone of the project’s success. 

By launch, the system covered Nextlane’s core HR foundation: people data, organisational structures, processes and compliance across eleven countries. 

Today, Nextlane works closely with Sympa’s support team and highlights their responsiveness and clarity. Questions are addressed quickly, explanations are clear and even complex, multi-country issues are handled with confidence. 

Looking ahead

With the core in place, Nextlane is now expanding deeper into Sympa’s capabilities, including performance reviews, objective setting and merit increase processes. Their goal is to create a fully unified HR process, from goals to development to compensation, that supports managers and employees across the entire group. 

Nextlane sees their relationship with Sympa as a long-term partnership. The team eager to adopt new features, explore integrations and continue evolving their processes together. 

“We want a close cooperation,” Malin said. “We want to know what’s coming, how we can improve and how to get the most value out of the system.” 

A partnership built on people 

Beyond the system itself, one theme came up again and again: the people. From sales to implementation to support, every touchpoint shaped the experience. 

“The positive surprise was definitely the people,” Malin shared. “Sympa gave us a scalable HR foundation, supported by people we trust as we grow across multiple countries.” 

For Nextlane, Sympa is a core part of the HR infrastructure supporting the company’s continued growth across Europe.