By Insight Editor / 15 Sep 2020 , Updated on 12 Jan 2021 / Topics: Workforce Hybrid workforce
Facts at a glance
Client industry:
Transportation and supply chain management
Size of company:
19,000 employees
Challenge:
Inconsistent communication tools made team collaboration difficult. The company needed a platform that would create uniformity and amp up security.
Solution:
Insight’s Digital Innovation team took the time to fully understand the client’s current challenges and future goals before moving forward with a Microsoft Teams implementation.
Results:
- Significant emphasis on OCM activities
- Rollout completed in phases, with pilot teams first
- Teams usage eclipsed Skype® for Business within 45 days
- Less than 30 support calls received by internal IT team
Solution area:
Insight’s Digital Innovation solutions help clients incorporate emerging tech into their business operations to improve the user experience.
However, when it came to its corporate offices, the organization struggled with inconsistent communication tools, making it difficult and inefficient for internal teams to collaborate.
From the executive level and down, communications were split between email, Skype and other virtual platforms, creating an environment that was frustrating for teammates to use and complex for the company to manage.
The business wanted one platform that could create uniformity and amp up security — and it needed to implement this new platform without creating unnecessary downtime.
Seeking the right communication tool and partner to manage implementation, the company turned to Microsoft for advice.
Microsoft immediately recognized the Microsoft Teams application as an ideal solution to resolve the company’s communication and collaboration difficulties. And, because of our 25+ year partnership, Microsoft knew that Insight was the partner to help the organization make the move.
Insight is in the top 1% of all Microsoft partners and has 16 Gold competencies, including Application Integration, Collaboration and Content, and Communications. We’ve received Partner of the Year awards in everything from security and compliance to the Internet of Things.
Once Microsoft made the initial introductions, Insight’s Digital Innovation team immediately led a discover and design initiative to understand the client's current challenges and desired business outcomes. We used this information to not only confirm that Microsoft Teams was the best choice to meet their needs, but also to create a thorough implementation strategy, providing a clear roadmap for the project.
We decided on a phased rollout of the program, with Insight onboarding team members one group at a time. Pilot groups were chosen to receive Teams first in order to identify weaknesses during implementation and make the process smoother for the rest of the company.
Through close collaboration with Microsoft and the client's internal team, we delivered customized communications, training and support that were designed to maximize the speed of adoption, as well as drive higher usage.
After launching the first pilot in January, adoption began to rapidly accelerate. Teams usage eclipsed Skype for Business within 45 days and by mid-March active daily users across the organization reached approximately 10,000.
During implementation, the client's internal desktop support team received very few calls regarding Teams. This was the result of a carefully managed plan to ensure that the existing desktop support staff members weren’t severely impacted. Over the entire rollout process, less than 30 calls were received and most were simple install questions that were easily and quickly resolved.
By implementing the rollout strategy and placing a significant emphasis on Organizational Change Management (OCM) activities such as analysis, communications, training and support, Insight helped the company complete a rapid, seamless transition to Microsoft Teams. The client's team members felt little-to-no interruptions to daily operations while adoption and usage climbed quickly. The transition also significantly upgraded remote work readiness and capabilities in a time when they needed it most.
Now, employees are getting the most out of their new, modern collaboration platform. We received extremely positive feedback from the entire organization about both the tool itself and the implementation:
“Microsoft Teams has been a fantastic tool. We’re heavy users of video capabilities and online screen sharing. Kudos to all involved in launching [it].”
“Having Teams has been a blessing to keep our office fully productive in these tough times. Great tool!”
“So far everyone using Teams with me has commented that they like it much better. Great job! Great idea!”
