Albritton Williams – A BetterCloud Case Study
January 25, 2013
3 minute read
In 2010 construction management firm Albritton Williams made the move from Microsoft Exchange to Google Apps. The platform has enabled AW to bring communication to employees working at projects on site, away from the main office and coupled with FlashPanel’s management tools, the company is able to make full use of the Google Apps suite. Read the case study for more on AW’s use of FlashPanel and Google Apps.
Employees: 20
Founded: 1928
Industry: Construction Management
Website: aw-gc.com
FlashPanel Customer Number: 4,065
Founded in 1928, Albritton Williams is a full service contractor and construction management company based in Tallahassee, Florida. AW specializes in commercial and residential construction and small projects. The company emphasizes high quality and value in all its work and achieves these goals through a team approach.
Increasing Collaboration through Google Apps
For any team to succeed, communication is vital. So to increase collaboration and communication among different team members – those located “on site” and in the office, AW upgraded from Microsoft Exchange to Google Apps in 2010. According to AW’s president, Nick Chason, Exchange just wasn’t making the grade. The company did employ a web based version of Outlook for foremen and superintendents to use in the field, but the system was buggy and extremely cumbersome. Now with Google Apps, employees can login from anywhere, whether that’s sitting at a desk or surveying a construction project.
Adding Efficiency with FlashPanel
As AW’s president, Mr. Chason wears several hats, including super administrator for his Google Apps domain. To add efficiency to domain management practices and bring crucial capabilities to the company, Chason installed FlashPanel this year and has already integrated several of FlashPanel’s tools into his domain management activities.
AW brings on subcontractors, architects and skilled craftsmen to assist with their projects. As such, Albritton Williams’ employees need to have access to this list of frequent contacts. “It would be a waste of time for everyone to update and maintain their own list,” says Chason “with shared contacts, there’s one list available to everyone.”
Mobile Contact Sync
The company gives on site employees, like foremen, supers and project managers, mobile devices. Mobile Sync gives these employees easy access to the shared contacts they need on a regular basis. While this feature may not seem vital to employees who work in offices and can easily look up phone numbers on their computers, for workers on site, Mobile Sync is a tremendous help.
Chason says the company adds new Shared Contacts so regularly, he’s established Access Roles for two office managers. In addition to creating new Shared Contacts, these employees also have delegated access to create and edit groups, saving Chason precious time.
To streamline the look of employee email, Mr. Chason has set up email signatures for AW, giving the company a professional and standardized look. While you can create custom email signatures, Mr. Chason chose one of FlashPanel’s preset designs.
When employees or contractors leave AW, Chason uses the Deprovisioning Workflow to ensure accounts are closed properly. The workflow walks through a step by step process, removing users from groups, reassigning document ownership and more. Chason especially appreciates the ability to add a checklist of custom items, like company phones, laptops and credit cards to the workflow, ensuring he’s covered all bases before an employee finally departs.
