In past blog posts we have spoken about getting the value out of Microsoft 365 subscriptions. We would like to share another case study with you to show how partnering with Colden Company can help solve business problems.
Case Study #2
The Business Problem: Hays Service in Macon, GA, was using Google Workspace (formerly G Suite) and other ancillary products to support its business. Hays Service made the decision to migrate to Microsoft 365 and use the wide range of business tools included in a Microsoft 365 subscription to consolidate, simplify, and enhance business processes that previously required multiple tools from multiple vendors.
The Colden Company Solution: Colden Company started by migrating Hays Service email from G Suite to Exchange Online, one of the cornerstone workloads of the Microsoft 365 cloud and a typical entry point for most new Microsoft 365 customers. Once email was migrated, the next step was to expand the use of Microsoft 365 tools and applications. Microsoft 365 is much more than email, yet many customers do not take advantage of the full suite of applications. Hay Service was not going to make this mistake.
Microsoft Teams was next to be rolled out to all Hays Service employees – both in the office and in the field. Hays Service started with a basic Teams implementation – one-to-one and one-to-many chat, a few basic teams and channels, meetings and calls, etc. But armed with the knowledge that Teams is a platform for business improvement and not simply a messaging and meetings tool, Hays Service took its use of Teams much further. Hays Service’s goal was to consolidate as much as possible into Teams to fully realize Microsoft’s vision of Teams as the “hub for teamwork” and not force employees to switch between multiple application throughout the day.
Over the next several weeks, Hays Service and Colden Company collaborated (often using Teams, of course!) and implemented the following business enhancements:
· Using a proven Colden Company methodology, Hays Service created a solid foundation for a Teams rollout by using Azure Active Directory Premium P1 to control team “sprawl” and implement governance, policies, and security around Teams.
· Using Power Automate integration with Teams, a flow was implemented to remind field employees to check in and provide status on projects, keeping the flow of information between the field and the office regarding projects current.
· Using Microsoft Planner, tabs are added to channels to keep work on track, accountable, and consistent from job to job. Integration of Tasks in Teams allows employees to track work assignments without leaving Teams – whether that work is stored in Microsoft To Do or Planner.
· Using Microsoft SharePoint – another cornerstone workload of Microsoft 365 – a secure shared company-wide calendar was implemented to keep all employees updated regarding employee personal time off, birthdays, holidays, and other notable events.
· Using a combination of Microsoft Lists (SharePoint), Microsoft Forms, Azure Active Directory, Power Automate, and Teams, an end-to-end leave/time-off request and approval workflow was implemented with Teams as the front-end. Employees request leave using a form added as a tab in Teams; Power Automate picks up the request, queries Azure Active Directory for the employee’s manager, and sends an approval request to the manager; Power Automate routes
the approval response back to the employee and the result is recorded in Microsoft Lists for record keeping and visibility to Human Resources.
The Result: Hays Service chose to reimagine work and take full advantage of the Microsoft 365 platform, providing its employees with the tools to achieve more with innovative apps, intelligent cloud services, and world-class security. From the office to the field and back again, Hays Service is using Microsoft 365 as the foundation for a new way of working – and they’re only just getting started.
Hays Service Says: Colden Company made our transition into Microsoft 365 very easy and relatively painless. They took our ideas and suggestions about the needs we had for streamlining our office processes and developed a solid plan of action. M365 makes communication within our company so much easier and the possibilities for the future enhancement limitless.” -Alyssa Mathews, Service Coordinator, Hays Service
Are you interested in seeing how Colden Company can propel your business forward? Contact us by phone at (888) 600-4560 or email us at info@coldencompany.com and let’s collaborate!