First Names Group is a global, independent supplier of trust, corporate and fund administration services. After acquiring multiple businesses into their company network, they needed a new way to accommodate collaboration between clients and employees regardless of location or time zone. Management off-sites are too costly, too inefficient and too infrequent to maintain true connected relationships. By using HD video technology, First Names Group put people at the center of their business every day while eliminating the need for travel and accommodation. Manx Business Solutions, Isle of Man, and Lifesize sat down with Gary Bews, IT Infrastructure Manager at First Names Group to learn more about how they increased cost-effectiveness and communication efficiency with Lifesize video conferencing.
What challenges were you looking to solve with video conferencing?
As our team grew, we needed a more efficient way to maintain vital face-to-face communication. This was particularly important for our leisure business, FNTC, as maintaining regular contact was a challenge with clients located thousands of miles away.
Why did you choose Lifesize for team collaboration?
Historically, we used cumbersome, labor-intensive, on-premise solutions that were tricky to navigate. Our last system required us to upload firmware updates and make changes to the directory manually, which was time consuming. Lifesize, on the other hand, is a robust multipurpose collaboration tool that caters to day-to-day and ad-hoc use and is simple to use from an office or on the move. Another factor was that Lifesize has a local supplier in the Isle of Man, which made the transition particularly smooth. Having a network of local support professionals available to help with training and installation was a strong selling point.
How was the enablement handled?
We worked closely with our partner during the initial rollout. One-to-one training was delivered to key personnel as each account was created, and there were free onboarding sessions available from the Lifesize Community, where I recently became Member of the Quarter.
The Lifesize Community is a great site that offers help and advice to everyone from vendors to administrators and end users. I have been able to download useful how-to guides and quick reference cards that we display in each of our boardrooms across the Group.
Which features do you use most and why?
The latest Amplify feature is something we see being used to great effect by both the marketing and training teams. We run a leadership program, and the use of face-to-face video helps us create more meaningful managerial training as employees progress and develop their careers.
How has video changed the way your business operates?
Video conferencing is a fantastic tool that enables our team to hold meetings regardless of the weather, transport delays or other scenarios that prevent face-to-face communication. We no longer need to take unnecessary time away from our desks and can avoid lengthy meetings when ad-hoc discussions suffice. The flexibility is a real benefit and provides a welcome boost to morale by reducing travel and empowering our team to fit their meetings around their own schedules. First Names Group is spread across the globe, and the ability to bring people together in one meeting has a massive impact on our team.
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