AI insights powered by metrics

Sven Venema, Product Manager at Instabee Group, shares how the company evolved its way of working, from dashboards to a metrics-first approach with Steep, to further strengthen its data foundation and enable the next generation of analytics and AI.

Background Building on a strong data foundation

Instabee Group has long relied on data as a key part of decision-making. With a strong data-driven culture and solid analytical capabilities across the organization, the company began exploring AI-driven workflows as a natural next step. The focus shifted to further strengthening how data is structured and used, with an emphasis on shared definitions and scalability.

The focus was on:

• Ensuring shared definitions of KPIs
• Making data even more accessible across the organization
• Creating a scalable foundation for AI use cases

Solution Trusted analytics across Steep and AI

Instabee Group defined a clear ambition for how data should support the business: enable faster, more confident decision-making, strengthen competitive advantage through better insights, and be accessible, understandable, and trusted by everyone.

By introducing Steep and a metrics-first approach, Instabee built on its data maturity while creating a more flexible and future-ready setup. Teams can now access insights in two ways:

• Directly in Steep's intuitive app
• Through an internal AI assistant powered by metrics

Setup One metrics layer, used everywhere

A key advantage for Instabee is that metrics are not locked into a single environment. Once defined, they can be used across tools while remaining centrally governed and consistent.

Instabee uses the Steep API to:

• Power an internal AI data assistant
• Combine metrics with dbt documentation, Snowflake, and internal data sources
• Provide contextual answers to business questions

This enables teams to ask questions in natural language and receive answers grounded in business context, in a system with secure guardrails.

For example, when someone asks about "volume," the system can distinguish between different definitions, such as created, delivered, or scanned parcels, and return the most relevant answer.

Impact Faster access to trusted data

Instabee Group has further strengthened its data-driven way of working by making data even more accessible and actionable in day-to-day operations.

1. Consistent definitions: The same metrics are used across Steep and AI, ensuring every insight is based on shared logic and a common understanding.
2. Faster insights: Teams can explore data or ask questions without delays, enabling quicker and more confident decisions.
3. Increased engagement: Data is actively used across business and leadership, with a measurable increase in daily usage.
4. Stronger analytical impact: The switch to Steep has eliminated dashboard building, allowing analysts to focus more on the semantic layer and data quality.

One definition, consistent answers everywhere

By evolving its approach with a metrics-first mindset, Instabee has built an even stronger foundation where data is consistent, trusted, and reusable across the organization. The same definitions are now used everywhere, in analysis, in the platform, and in the AI assistant, ensuring that every insight is based on shared logic and a common understanding.