More efficient and professional communication
To make communication with customers and colleagues more efficient and professional, Van den Hende, on the advice of its IT partner Alistar, switched to Office 365. By communicating via the cloud Administrative staff can respond more quickly. They can work flexibly from any location with an internet connection, allowing them to respond more quickly to customer emails. Internally, they use the chat feature of Lync Online to communicate effectively with colleagues. In the future, Van den Hende wants to further increase efficiency by also SharePoint Online to use for sharing documents with colleagues and clients.
With Office 365, we work much more flexibly and can count on guaranteed business continuity.
Dirk Van den Hende, Managing Director
Van den Hende Beton uses the cloud and Office 365
Concrete manufacturer Van den Hende is transitioning its computer users to working and communicating via the cloud. With guidance from its IT partner Alistar, the company chose Office 365. “With Office 365, we work much more flexibly and can count on guaranteed continuity,” says Dirk Van den Hende, managing director at Van den Hende Beton. “We used to have different versions of Office running side by side and had to install each one locally on every computer. We no longer have to worry about that. Thanks to the cloud, all six of our administrative staff members have access to the latest version of Office. The software runs on powerful servers in Microsoft’s data center. Maintenance, security, and backups are handled for us. Plus, it’s very easy to remove or add users, and storage capacity can be expanded flexibly.”
Growing company
The idea to switch to Office 365 came from Alistar, which has been providing IT services to Van den Hende for years. “ESC is the software partner for Van den Hende Beton,” says Toon De Temmerman of Alistar. “We see it as our responsibility to keep our clients informed about new technologies when we believe they can benefit from them, work more efficiently, or reduce their costs. With that in mind, we already made a ERP Implementation ”Based on Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central with our BuildMaster add-on, a ready-to-use package specifically designed for the construction industry. That software became the backbone of the company’s administrative operations. The ERP package evolved alongside the times and the growing company."
Some of Alistar’s customers already have their ERP in the cloud, while others still run everything internally—‘on-premise.’ “We advised Van den Hende Beton not to take their first steps toward SaaS with the ERP—since it also controls their production machines and robots—but to start cautiously with the Office environment,” said Toon De Temmerman.
Respond quickly to a new target audience
Office 365 also helps Van den Hende enhance the company’s image. “First and foremost, we need to deliver good products, but as a small, local business in an industry dominated by international giants, we can set ourselves apart with fast and personalized service,” says Dirk Van den Hende. “Given the economic crisis, it’s even more important for a company to operate professionally and to be flexible and dynamic. Technology like Office 365 can support us in this. This applies, among other things, to communication with architects, a target group we’re collaborating with more and more often. They, too, generally use the latest technology and expect their suppliers to respond quickly as well.”
Lower IT costs
Another reason for switching to Office in the cloud was the extensive renovation work. As a result, the administrative staff were working from a temporary location. “That accelerated our decision to adopt future-oriented systems,” explains Dirk Schelstraete, IT manager at Van den Hende Beton. “With cloud software, we don’t have to invest as much in purchasing servers, IT maintenance, and software licenses, so our IT costs will decrease over time.”
We always pay a fixed monthly fee based on the number of users.
Flexible work from any location
With Office 365, users aren’t required to work from the temporary office. “Working from home isn’t a problem at all,” explains Dirk Schelstraete. “We can now work just as efficiently from any location with an internet connection.”
Safely Storing Email History
The online mailboxes have more than enough capacity to store messages for a long time. “I hardly ever delete any emails,” says Dirk Van den Hende. “I often keep them for years, especially the ones I’ve sent myself. We regularly receive questions about past projects or encounter problems we’ve already solved before. That’s why it’s very useful to keep a reliable record of our history.”
We don't handle sensitive information, but of course we don't want to lose anything. We no longer have to worry about that.
Internal Communication via Chat
Van den Hende currently uses mainly the Exchange Online component of Office 365. Lync Online is also already being used for internal communication, particularly the instant messaging feature. “Sending a chat message is more efficient than emailing and less disruptive than a phone call,” says Dirk Schelstraete. “You can see from the presence status whether someone is available, so you don’t waste time leaving voicemails or waiting for a response.“ In our new offices,” says Dirk Van den Hende, managing director at Van den Hende Beton, ”we’ll be seated a bit farther apart, so we’ll likely use Lync even more intensively there.”
More options
Two months after the transition to Office 365, users are very satisfied. “They had to adjust their work habits a bit, but it wasn’t a major change,” says Dirk Van den Hende. “It’s mainly about getting used to a new routine, such as using Lync for internal communication. Training wasn’t necessary since the Microsoft environment is very familiar—we just gained some additional capabilities.”
Sharing Documents in the Cloud
In the future, Van den Hende plans to expand the use of Office 365 even further. “Right now, we’re still collaborating on documents via a file server and shared folders, but that leads to wasted time, back-and-forth emailing of documents, and confusion about different versions…,” says Dirk Van den Hende. “We’ll do that with SharePoint Online, since it’s also part of Office 365. We may give clients secure access to certain documents, such as certificates or performance statements. Such documents are frequently updated, so it’s easier to make them available via SharePoint than through the website.”
