CV Services Group (CV) has been delivering integrated trade services and signage solutions for more than 35 years and boasts seven offices throughout Australia. The company has a skilled team of over 500 team members and operates four complementary businesses under the CV brand. Providing electrical construction, infrastructure services, asset maintenance, and media and signage solutions to both government and commercial customers, CV understands the importance of clear communication supported by systems and processes that work.
Undertaking projects that range in size and scope from project homes to long-term industrial projects operating with 30+ team members, means that CV needs a reliable internal online platform to connect team members with the information, data and processes they need to complete tasks efficiently and effectively. This reliability was lacking in their previous system and so they engaged Sentrian to modernise the internal IT platform and generate better efficiency across the whole organisation.
The Challenge
CV works on projects of every size: from the humble project home electrical wiring, to industrial and commercial developments needing design, installation and certifications. With specialist teams providing services across a variety of large and small project levels, CV is essentially split into four core groups – which adds complexity when developing and maintaining a practical and user-friendly intranet platform.
For some time, CV had been using an online system designed to facilitate communication and information to team members. With tradies from four businesses operating on sites around the country, as well as team members accessing information from office locations, the system – nicknamed ‘Old Sparky’ – should have seen high usage and made work processes easier for the team. But it became clear that there were too many limitations. Working in the trade sector, the majority of team members need the ability to access information using a mobile device; however, CV found that despite having 500 ‘users’ only those team members connecting to Old Sparky through the CV network could access the platform for free. This meant anyone working on worksites were unable to lodge forms or access information without additional payment, resulting in costly delays – not a positive business image when your clients include the Queensland Government, Seqwater and the Brisbane Airport Corporation.
With fewer than half the team able to use Old Sparky when in the field, office team members noticed a significant amount of phone traffic requesting support and realised there was duplication of work. Field teams unable to access the system on site contacted supervisors, project managers or administrative support who would locate the document and email it to the relevant tradie. The existing system had outlived its usefulness and was costing more in time and frustration than it was saving. Realising Old Sparky would be too costly to develop further, CV contacted Sentrian for professional advice.
The Solution
'Sentrian already had a lot of experience with SharePoint so they have this big knowledge base and we'd never used SharePoint before; to do it from scratch ourselves it would have been a nightmare to figure out.'
Sentrian has always given responsive and helpful IT services to CV, which made asking Sentrian for intranet platform advice the obvious answer. CV met with the Sentrian team to discuss problems identified within the existing system and to clarify specifications required for a new system. Sarah Lawrie, CV’s communications specialist, explained that the four-businesses-in-one format complicated access within any platform due to all people needing access to certain content, some to content applicable to their business and some to content applicable only to their role.
The Modern Workplace program is Sentrian’s response to the constantly evolving Microsoft 365 service. Sentrian stays up to date with the technology that benefits its clients and already had key knowledge, experience and capacity to give specialist advice on a service to best fit CV’s needs. After hearing that tradies had experienced significant challenges accessing information and systems when on the ground, Sentrian Client Services Manager Christine Tan suggested Microsoft 365’s internet-based SharePoint platform. Christine explained this would be the best option to enable off-site access to important information and improve communication between office and tradie team members.
The classic SharePoint program had limited functionality and was clunky in its delivery and aesthetics, so Microsoft developed a modern SharePoint interface that acts like a website, is attractive and integrates better with other Microsoft products – but with so many complex functions available, the system was overwhelming for CV to decipher alone. Sentrian provided technical advice and resources from the outset, helping CV to clearly and carefully scope the necessary functionality. The scoping stage, where requirements are defined and solutions designed, is the most important stage, and Sentrian demonstrated true customer service taking the time to understand CV’s concerns and review the best options for the business. It was their expertise and knowledge of the system that enabled Sentrian to propose a bespoke SharePoint site with focal points on collaboration and simplifying communication channels.
The Results
'it's a cost saving not having to waste so much time on admin issues'
However, Sentrian’s customer service didn’t end with delivery of the personalised site. Part of the Modern Workplace program is to provide support, teach new skills and empower clients to become self-sufficient at managing their own IT. Sentrian provided SharePoint Quickstart (a video-based training program) to the CV team, ensuring appropriate support while learning to use the new site. Overall, team members found this web-based platform simpler to use and much more accessible, particularly for teams on the ground.
Sentrian also guided CV to pick ‘SharePoint Champions’ to become the company’s in-house administrators of the site. These two CV team members (both named Sarah) have become key contacts and have taken up internal control of the site. Sarah and Sarah have undergone additional training with Sentrian to ensure they understand ongoing scoping matters. Both are now responsible for populating content and amending the company’s SharePoint site where required, with Sarah Lawrie noting, ‘It’s so easy to edit and add content, unlike our old system.’
It was clear to CV that Sentrian’s experience planning, building and installing Microsoft 365 systems was invaluable, as Sarah pointed out, ‘Sentrian already had a lot of experience with SharePoint so they have this big knowledge base and we’d never used SharePoint before; to do it from scratch ourselves it would have been a nightmare to figure out’.
By engaging Sentrian to personalise their site and impart knowledge to the SharePoint Champions, CV has amassed serious economical and time savings. The Champions have encouraged greater adoption of the internal technology, resulting in more efficient company processes. It has been evident, particularly to office teams and management, that ‘it’s [a] cost saving not having to waste so much time on admin issues.’
Although CV has not undertaken a formal evaluation of the process, the results speak for themselves: CV people now complete their jobs without the obstructions or complications that were a daily occurrence using Old Sparky. Team members keep in touch and up to date on company culture, projects and what’s going on with current issues, and the notable lack of complaints demonstrates how easy the system is to use.
