Company-Wide Confusion
By focusing so much on offering innovative solutions to enhance the working processes and productivity of their clients, W2W neglected to focus upon those same areas of their own organisation. A poor technological setup failed to be addressed, leading to numerous instances of double working, poor version control and even file loss.
Each project had physical folders paired up with server-based folders. Data was strewn between online and offline folders, making basic administration and file searching tasks a long and tedious process. This was an issue that worsened when team members worked on the same project, with employees often working on old versions of the file. This total lack of version control left the company open to costly errors. Meanwhile, basic collaboration was slowed down significantly.
Using outdated physical storage resources left W2W vulnerable to the loss of crucial files. Furthermore, a past-its-best technological setup caused company-wide confusion, with many employees failing to access essential documents. It also made sharing files with customers more difficult than it needed to be.
Outdated Tech, Outsourced Support
Failing to acknowledge their poor tech setup presented a number of obstacles to collaboration and remote working. A traditional server prevented employees from accessing files remotely at client premises. Meanwhile, staff were unable to access email on their phones due to an outdated email provider. Office staff also felt trapped in the office, with no option to work from home.
Data storage in an on-site server was filled to capacity, with no sustainable method of archiving older projects.This was paired with outsourced IT support, leading to lengthy phone calls and service costs, further compounding the issue.
W2W had two options: make an investment in a replacement server, or use that money to explore a new system that addressed their core issues.
Solution
A Lightbulb Moment
Secure Storage
One of the core problems of having filing cabinets full of documents for each project meant that there was a disconnect between hard copies and digital files. With everything moved to G Suite, this problem was eliminated and meant that hunting through large folders was no longer a problem. With Google Drive, all W2W needed on site was a mobile device and an A3 printer, ensuring they had updated plans at all times.
With fully cloud-based folders, site staff could work on their files remotely without worrying about having to go back to the office to save the updated file to the server or in the physical file; they could just save it to Drive and send out an update directly from site.
Bringing the Workforce Along
Some staff were concerned they would sacrifice some of the features of Excel and Word if they were to fully migrate their documents to Google Docs and Sheets. With this in mind, the company Cloud-integrated every user’s data in a Google Team Drive, and added Drive File Stream to every desktop. This meant that every member of the team could store any file on Google Drive, working collaboratively across all files with consistent version control. This also meant that non-Drive files like Photoshop, CAD and Office files could also be stored on Google Drive, accessible on any device. This was especially useful for teams who spent their working days on site and needed access to files on the go.
A successful digital transition requires all of the workforce to be onboard. That’s why Damson Cloud’s Transformation Labs ensured that Walls to Workstations moved forward together, each and every step of the way.
Old School to New School
An outdated practice at W2W saw a large map of Dublin on the office wall, with tacks marking the locations of various projects across the city. Whilst this provided a visual overview of active work across Dublin, it failed to acknowledge a real-time, fully-accessible online alternative: Google Maps. W2W integrated their data with Google Maps, plotting out their sites on a digital map, facilitating a clear visual overview. With the help of CSV files and Google Maps, staff added colour codes to each marker, allowing them to visualise their pipeline of customers right through to 2021.
Staying Ahead of the Curve
Cloud collaboration has grown exponentially over the past ten years, and spearheading your digital transformation with Damson Cloud can ensure that your business stays both future-ready and ahead of the curve.
As a leading Google Partner, DamsonCloud can help your business to unleash fresh innovation that was previously hindered by dated technologies and business processes.
We help to bring about new, innovative ways of working with cloud-based tools, methodologies and training, helping teams break apart their old business processes whilst driving digital transformation in their organisation.
Stay ahead of the curve. Drive digital transformation at your business with the expert team at Damson Cloud.
Facilitating Agile Business Growth
Walls 2 Workstations have worked hard to develop their business throughout this transformation process, and have identified growth opportunities and are looking for a second premises.
With a full cloud setup, expansion is so much easier, because the only requirement for the new premises is that it has a broadband connection, and the only investment needed is office furniture and computers; there is no need for investment in another server, and the team at any new premises can work hand in hand with staff at the main office as well as those who are out on site.
Overall, the team have been extremely pleased with how G Suite has helped their business develop both day to day operations and long term business growth. It facilitates growth in a much more agile way, and will allow them to react and adapt to industry changes in the future.