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Bitrix24 at Sri Om Foundation

As small organisations grow over time, the data stored and information shared between the employees grows exponentially over time. There is generally little emphasis placed on developing processes to manage the large quantities of data. Technology is rapidly growing and now there are more tools than ever to make your jobs easier. The real challenge is to use the get the right tool for the right job.
Email is used as the "mother of all tools" to small organisations and seen as the right tool for the right job. With unlimited storage provided these days and allowing users to gain access to it anywhere from any device, it is seen as a one stop tool for all the organisation's needs. After all, you can use email for
  • Storing documents
  • Sharing information to one or more employees
  • Managing tasks
This tool works for a lengthy period until the organisation grows to a level where there are 100s of emails being shared on a daily basis. At this point, the trusty email processes starts to have a negative impact on the organisation.
  • Employees begin to lose key information.
  • Management spend a lot of time organising their mail rather than getting work done.
  • Time is wasted searching for information
  • Time is wasted sharing information that should be available within the organisation
  • Employees and management miss deadlines.
This is where management come to realise there has  to be a better way to handle the information overload. My experience with Sri Om Foundation, and the non-profit sector in general, has shown that unfortunately, very little is actually done. The members of the small organisations understand the challenges and know something must be done, however are reluctant to change. They do not want to take the bold step to changing the process that had worked for so many years. The fear of losing information due to the change, creeps in.
The all too common questions and concerns were raised at Sri Om. Then the suggestion of change was brought up at the board meeting. We took the bold management step to take the risk and commit to a radical shift in our tools and processes. We had to make the decision to help us get a solution to the management and operational challenges.

What we needed?
  • Management of employee files that can be accessible by employees and management
  • Storing and retrieval of employee time sheets and payslips
  • Sharing or information within the organisation
  • Collaborating on files within the organisation
  • Keeping track of tasks and projects
  • Storing important information that can be searched and retrieved easily
    •  
     
Bitrix24
It was clearly evident that what Sri Om needed was a cloud based intranet portal. There was several tools trailed over a period of time before deciding on Bitrix24. We first trailed it amongst our working committee to see if it satisfied the needs of Sri Om. The team were happy with the usage of the tool and it was officially rolled out throughout he organisation.
Today, Bitrix24 is used by our employees, management and working committee where it plays a pivotal role in keeping Sri Om moving. As the organisation grows, the employees are able to easily adapt to changes as our IT system is ready for the challenges.

Bitrix24 for management
Prior to Bitrix24, The management and board of directors had many difficulties getting an oversight of Sri  Om's day to day operation. There had been no centralised location of key documents. Project management was getting very difficult. Employee and client requests were taking lot longer than they should.
But now, with the implementation of Bitrix24, there is a massive shift in the way our management do business. Currently, the tool is used for
    • Storing of important files
      • Accessibly by all board members so any one of them can gain access to it as required
      • Clearly placed in appropriate folders with searching mechanisms for easy retrieval
  • Managing employee tasks
  • Use the built in task and calendar function to raise tasks and follow up on them
  • Allow one or more employees to take control of the task. Enables us to choose the right person for the right job.
  • Easily feedback on progress to the required personnel
    • Manage projects
      • Creation of specialised groups to handle each project
      • Each project contains its own set of file folders and collaboration tools to encapsulate the project information in one easily accessible location
      • Calendar for the project to handle milestone dates
    • Share information to company or groups
  • Status updates to individual employees or groups to broadcast information.
  • Collaborate with employees
    • Built in wiki pages to share information that can be edited by any user.
    • Document sharing that can be commented on and updated as required.
Bitrix24 for employees
Sri Om had transformed the way it handles employees needs and requirements. The introduction of Bitrix24, saw a large reduction in emails and simple requests from employees. With Bitrix24, employees now
  • Manage their personal files
    • All HR documents for each employees are stored in their personal folders and accessible as needed
  • Maintain their Calendar and share their schedules with others within the organisation
  • Manage their pay slips, time sheets and leaves without having to make requests to management for the information
  • Easily contact the entire management team through broadcast messages
  • Share their thoughts and ideas within the organisation through wikis and file sharing
  • Create tasks and collaborate with their peers until it is closed out
Whenever and wherever
Working in today's fast paced environment when mobile is an absolute necessity these days. Working efficiently when mobile is the real challenge. The amount of information we have at our fingertips is enormous. If this information is not streamlined, working becomes frustrating and very inefficient.
Sri Om staff and more importantly, the management team are generally mobile and not situated in a centralised location. We used the cross platform, mobile capabilities of Bitrix24 to ensure the team is just as efficient on the go as they are when situated in front of a desk. Bitrix24 application on smartphones, tablet devices and desktops has been utilised to allow staff to be contactable and informed at all times. The team is able to keep track of progress of work at all times and can easily continue working where they have left of from their desks.

Impact
With the usage Bitrix24 in full flow at Sri Om, we have noticed some real positive impacts on the organisation. Some of the key impacts include
  • Staff are able to get information they need when they need without relying on another person
  • Large reduction in the number of emails being sent
  • Increased efficiency and outputs of our staff
  • Increased sharing and collaboration within the organisation which has resulted in positive growth
  • Reduction of time spent on back end tasks
  • Decreased training costs for new employees
More info
If you would like to know any more information about Bitrix24 and how we implemented it, feel free to contact me.

Srini Vasudevan
Director - Learning and Development
srini@sriomcare.org.au

Sri Om Care - Sri Om Foundation Limited
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