YOUNITY is a business unit of the Wirz Group that stands for system-based information and communication solutions that are well-established in the market. Their team is highly skilled in project management and certified in the successful integration of complex system solutions. Mario Kotschner, Chief Project Manager at YOUNITY, describes how his teams selected the entire suite of Teamwork.com software to give their company tools to help them manage projects, streamline their help desk, and improve communication.
The Challenges
YOUNITY was looking for a tool that would help to manage projects with PRINCE2, a process-based project management method that was developed as a government standard in the UK for information systems projects. For the software to have the right fit for their team, they researched products to find one with an intuitive UI that allowed rapid onboarding for new employees.
“We reviewed and even tried other systems, but many of those project management systems were too complicated. We lost a lot of billable hours trying to understand how our process could work with those platforms.”
Employees and managers at YOUNITY also struggled with seamless and cohesive collaboration among team members across projects. While PRINCE2 gave them an excellent framework to move a project forward, they didn’t have a central location to track time, monitor progress, identify potential problem spots, or store documents so everyone had access to the same information.
“Transparency was essential to the success of our team. We wanted everyone to reference the same data and discussions so we could eliminate wasted time and increase efficiency.”
The Solution
When Teamwork.com reviewed YOUNITY’s needs, they recommended their entire suite of project management tools as a complete solution to several issues that were slowing down growth within the company. Teamwork Projects manages tasks and project flow, Teamwork Chat converts quick conversations into decisions and action items, and Teamwork Desk coordinates their help desk and customer support. This wraparound support eliminates the need for multiple apps or tools to manage projects, and gives the entire company a single place to access all of the information they need to share or review. Now YOUNITY has the ability to set up a task for each management product, organize start and end dates, assign managers and staff, and also handle documents, discussions, to-do lists within each task or subtask.
“Not only can we carefully define tasks for each step, from pre-project, initiation stage, and delivery stage, but with Teamwork Projects we can keep all of the materials together so the people who need them can locate them immediately.”
Teamwork Project’s time tracking feature has not only simplified the process of logging time for employees, but it’s given each agent the chance to evaluate their own time management. This tool allows them to see which tasks need the most attention, which gives the entire team more effective coordination without time-consuming meetings or ever-changing updates. Getting the whole team onboard has also been simple with the user-friendly interface on all of the products in the software suite. Most of the team only needed a few days to get comfortable with Teamwork Projects, and other departments who work with YOUNITY only on specific projects are quickly integrated.
“Now we have a system that’s easy for our employees to navigate, which means they’re helping the company grow by taking charge of their own productivity and performance.”
The Benefits
Now that the entire YOUNITY team has software that aligns their project management process with the right tools, they are seeing significant improvements in project efficiency. Ideas and information are exchanged smoothly, deadlines are met without the usual last-minute rush, and team members feel more secure about the entire project because they can see exactly what’s happening at any moment.
“We’re all enjoying the ability to look at any project and get a sense of where we are and what needs to happen in just a few quick reports. The tools in the Teamwork.com suite keep us together, but also let each individual see what their next steps will be.”
In customer service, the change has been significant. Customer tickets now have a clear path to resolution, and Teamwork Desk allows for better information sharing among support workers. This helps team members develop their expertise and gives every customer a better experience. Overall, team members are finding improved collaboration, from idea sharing to problem solving. At every step, Teamwork Projects, Teamwork Desk, and Teamwork Chat are there to move projects forward and bring teams together.
“Having all a single software solution to help us with so many facets of our business has given us much more time to get work done and focus on customers and new possibilities.”