Objective: As this well-established PR firm had embraced the new digital era of marketing, they needed solutions that would enable them to work in a more flexible, agile and collaborative way, becoming more efficient.
In May 2019, we won Private Sector SMB Project of the year in the UK Cloud Awards for the digital transformation we carried out with Media Matters. You can hear what the team had to say by watching our entry video here:
The Setting
“We have a very modern outlook, but our software and hardware didn’t match up to that. We couldn’t be agile or flexible, and that was affecting how productive we could be.”
Media Matters, a Peterborough-based digital marketing agency, wanted to completely modernise and transform the way the business and its employees worked. Having recently introduced remote working, it wanted to achieve a collaborative, agile and flexible set-up that aligned more closely with the ambitions of the business, its vibrant team and its modern offices.
Media Matters wanted to replace the existing on-premise server and analogue telephone system with a robust IT system, set up to support modern communication and to future-proof the company for the years ahead.
The Solution
“We knew we wanted to move to the cloud and we knew that Chalkline were very good at digital transformation. From our very first telephone call, it was clear they understood what we were driving at, not just with regards to the cloud, but how we wanted to collaborate.”
As Media Matters needed to be able to work without geographical and technical borders and collaborate on projects from different locations, several solutions were implemented.
The legacy on-site server was migrated to a cloud-based solution, while SharePoint was introduced to allow for an efficient file/folder system with heightened internal and external sharing capabilities. SharePoint also allowed a central hub for the team to collaborate and work on projects simultaneously, in real time.
Office 365 was implemented to provide enterprise grade email that could be accessed by the team regardless of their location. OneDrive for Business provided each employee with 1TB of storage that is backed up daily – providing security and peace of mind.
To successfully navigate a way through, a project plan was created and shared with Media Matters, which included key milestones and training sessions before elements of the new system were released to the users. This meant there were no surprises and users were excited and understood how to use any new tools when they launched.
As well as the technical aspects of the work, close and ongoing support for Media Matters was crucial to ensure minimal disruption. Not only that, this was a huge shift in culture and technology for the business.
The project team and support desk were always on hand, while regular face to face visits ensured Media Matters never felt alone during the transition. This not only helped to forge trust and confidence, it also paved the way for a smooth and relatively easy transition process from the old to the new way of working.
The Outcome
“The transformation that’s taken place has been incredible, we left one way of working and just picked working from another. The help that we got with regards to communication to the team and making sure we were ready was invaluable. It surpassed all expectations!”
Media Matters has undergone a true digital transformation; SharePoint has meant that client documents can be easily shared and accessed by multiple users, from any location, vastly improving effective teamwork and productivity.
The up-to-date software including Skype for Business and Office 365 has enabled the business to work smarter and faster, a way of working aligned with the company ethos and values.
Your business can become more agile, productive and collaborative, whilst embracing modern working trends.
