Global Software Company |
Maternity Leave, Virtually CoveredAs a large global organisation based in the US, the natural tendency when someone goes on maternity leave was to hire a Temp. But when the UK office administrator went on maternity leave for 6 months the Commercial Director decided to hire a Virtual Assistant to cover the role.The decision was prompted by the current economic situation and uncertainty as to whether the person would in fact return to work. By approaching it this way, effectively outsourcing the role temporarily, they would have the option to permanently outsource the role at a future date, without any loss of continuity. Tapping into the organisation remotelyThe handover revealed a large number of standing documents, spreadsheets and other files on the Administrator’s PC that needed to be maintained and shared with staff. Rather than move these to a secure file server and provide a VPN connection, Office Lifeline quickly set up a dedicated WebOffice extranet for the company. Tracking and sharing so many documents had been troublesome using email and PC storage - this was a far better solution.The Admin job also involved dealing with external suppliers and organising routing maintenance of washrooms, recycling, etc. WebOffice calendar reminders were set up to prompt the VA via email of actions and checks that were required on specific days. This automatically works in the background to ensure nothing is missed or forgotten. Their weekly movement sheet is now managed via WebOffice Contact and Distribution Lists. On Fridays a whereabouts template is emailed to staff, the replies cut & pasted into a master template on the Monday and the final document distributed to staff with single click. This task is twice as efficient as the old way, simply because it is managed as a process using the WebOffice features. More flexible, responsive, efficient... more valueA dedicated VA is assigned to the client who has the backup and support of her colleagues, to cover holidays and other absences. The WebOffice enables other Office Lifeline VAs to access the work and provide a continuous service.Company managers now have 24/7 access to the most current version of master documents, form anywhere in the world using a web browser. Again, this is a much better solution and now management have direct access to their information and files. The benefits were immediately clear to everyone. By developing more efficient ways of working, Office Lifeline increased productivity by 50% which had an immediate impact on the cost. With a few minor tasks handled by other staff, the overall outsourcing cost was c.25% of the employment cost. The above describes the routine tasks undertaken by the Administrator and the effect of using modern working practices. In addition, their VA renegotiated an existing Washroom contract with the supplier in her first month, saving over £600 per year and paying her way instantly! Other contracts were revisited for business supplies and services that saved the company even more. Overall, the decision to outsource was very successful. The arrangements were easily implemented and proved financially prudent, with the added advantage of flexibility to manage whether the Administrator returns to work or not. If you have a resource problem, think again and consider the modern alternative. Call us now on 0845 030 9030 to find out how Office Lifeline can solve your temporary and permanent resourcing worries, or read about our Virtual Maternity Leave Service. << More Case Studies |