Alligo is part of the Nordic group Alligo AB. In Finland, Alligo operates under two strong concepts: Grolls and TOOLS. Grolls is known for its high-quality and extensive range of workwear and personal protective equipment, while TOOLS is the leading supplier of industrial components and supplies in the Nordics. Alligo’s mission is to make work flow smoothly, aiming to make their customers’ operations easier, safer, and more profitable. Alligo employs approximately 2,300 people, 400 of whom are in Finland. Currently, there are already 44 stores in Finland.
In this customer story, Alligo Finland’s HR & People Director Hanna Alasaari and People & Culture Development Specialist Jenna Mört share how Avila’s psychological assessments have supported strategic changes in TOOLS’s sales organization.
Gaining insight and understanding through psychological assessments
The recruitment collaboration between TOOLS and Avila, which began in early 2023, deepened in spring 2024 as the company revamped its sales organization strategy. The goal of the organizational change was to free up salespeople’s time so they could focus more efficiently on sales work. As part of the reform, entirely new roles were also introduced, such as Field Sales Manager and Sales Support roles, aimed at strengthening the sales team and supporting goal achievement.
During the transition, it was important to ensure that hiring decisions were backed by sufficient insight into the candidates’ strengths and suitability for the new roles. TOOLS decided to systematically use Avila’s psychological assessments for all upper-level key positions, such as various managerial and leadership roles.
“As the sales organization underwent an important transformation, we wanted to ensure we had as much information as possible about the candidates’ capabilities and strengths. We wanted confirmation that the right people would be selected for the right roles. We relied on Avila’s assessments and their psychologists’ expertise for this,” says Hanna Alasaari.
Broad evaluation data supports career path planning
Assessments were conducted both as recruitment suitability evaluations and as internal potential assessments. Several team members participated in potential assessments, which helped identify individual work personality, long-term motivators, and development potential.
The results provided TOOLS with a comprehensive view of talent. They confirmed earlier assumptions about employees’ potential and also uncovered previously unrecognized latent capabilities. Although potential assessments are typically used for long-term career planning, TOOLS was able to apply the findings directly to support decision-making during the sales organization’s transformation.
“Through the potential assessments, we received highly diverse information about our employees. Our impressions of certain employees’ potential were reinforced, and we also identified factors that helped us redirect some employees’ career paths toward different roles than originally planned,” explains Jenna Mört.
Leadership evaluation adds depth to the assessment process
For managerial roles, assessments included analysis of candidates’ leadership styles, behavior patterns, and decision-making ability as a supervisor. This helped ensure alignment with the organization’s culture and strategic objectives.
In addition, feedback sessions with Avila’s psychologists were a key part of the process, particularly from the hiring manager’s perspective. These sessions helped view candidates objectively and offered new perspectives.
“We’ve noticed that the feedback discussions and the insights from the reports provide concrete added value for hiring managers. They help form a comprehensive understanding of candidates’ strengths and development areas. This, in turn, has supported more informed hiring decisions and the building of effective teams,” says Alasaari.
TOOLS also found the assessment reports valuable after the hiring decision:
“The reports are, of course, excellent tools during the selection process, but we also see great potential in using them more broadly—for example, to support onboarding or track professional development,” adds Alasaari.
Seamless collaboration built on a clear process
In addition to psychological assessments, the collaboration between TOOLS and Avila has included multiple executive search and recruitment processes. The foundation for the successful partnership has been openness, clarity, and the smoothness of the process.
“We’ve really enjoyed working together. We always know where we are in the process and what the next steps are. The Avila team communicates proactively, and the cooperation has been very smooth,” says Mört.
Alasaari emphasizes the clarity of the process, especially during times of high recruitment volume and tight schedules:
“Avila’s process is very clear, fast, and concise. Especially in high-pressure recruitment situations, it has been a great support for us.”
Avila extends its gratitude to TOOLS and Alligo for the collaboration so far and wishes continued success to the company and its newly structured sales organization!
Keywords
- psychological assessment, Reference
Published
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Soila Porkamaa
040 359 0585
soila.porkamaa[at]avila.fi
Matias Saarni
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matias.saarni[at]avila.fi