How Ritter Sport used MeisterTask to transform its to-do lists

The digital platform also helped the chocolate company better navigate work-from-home during the pandemic.

MeisterTask software helped Ritter Sport better manage work from home situations during the pandemic by digitizing task management.

Staff at Ritter Sport — known for its iconic square chocolates — were keeping track of their to-do lists with sticky notes, pencils and whiteboards.

Torsten Schlegel knew there had to be a better way.

Schlegel — process coordinator at Ritter Sport, with over 30 years’ experience at the company — decided to make digital task management for Ritter Sport’s 200 office-based staff a top priority.

Schlegel reached out to MeisterTask to obtain test licenses and set to work testing the software among his small team of five. He didn’t want to rush into any decisions.

Ritter Sport, which is more than 100 years old, walks a tightrope between adhering to outdated practices and losing touch with their roots through rash modernization efforts. The chocolate company, which generates more than 500 million Euros ($596 million) in annual turnover, has stuck with its traditions, still operating primarily from its traditional home in Waldenbuch, Germany. But remembering the past is only part of the equation for the company as a whole.

"Software we implement should move us forward digitally, which is why a great deal of importance is placed on tool selection. It's also not necessarily about what the software can do, but more about how we use it,” said Schlegel, whose role at Ritter Sport focuses on implementing lean management principles. “Also, employee acceptance and usage is key, which means we cannot implement tools that are too complicated or which require extensive training."

He quickly realized that MeisterTask was a perfect fit for all of Ritter’s Sport needs, and they started offering it to more staff.

"Our IT team was surprised at how many employees used the tool and how quickly they got to grips with it,” Schlegel said. “Initially, we only envisaged the software as a self-organization aid, but we quickly realized that it could be so much more beneficial.”

The company officially started using the platform early in 2020, and the timing ended up being especially helpful for managing the challenges of the pandemic. With much of the workforce now in home office due to CVOID-19, MeisterTask has given staff better access to content, as MeisterTask projects can be shared with everyone. In addition, resources and information are always up-to-date, as tasks are maintained continuously.

“MeisterTask is perfect for our needs,” Schleger said. “The features are sophisticated and powerful, but the interface is very intuitive so the tool doesn’t feel overloaded. Usage of MeisterTask among our employees exploded in the first year after implementing it, because the tool is just so easy to use. There are countless benefits for our employees, and it's been key in our digital transformation process as a whole.”

Since switching to the tool, Ritter Sport has experienced a huge boost in productivity, aided by a sleek, simple tool that its employees love to use.

“We use MeisterTask for departmental projects, as a basis for our Monday meetings, for shop floor management meetings and much more. In these meetings, everyone reports current to-dos and progress,” Schlegel said. “The documentation aspect is very important for us. When we put information in tasks, nothing gets forgotten or lost."

Crystal Lindell, Former editor-in-chief of Candy Industry Magazine. While here she has worked on Candy Industry Magazine, Food Engineering Magazine and Food Safety Strategies. She holds a master’s degree in public affairs reporting from the University of Illinois – Springfield and a bachelor’s degree in political science from Western Illinois University. And her favorite breakfast is a cup of espresso and Twix bar.