Optimum streamlined the client’s project management across three divisions with a centralized digital solution, enhancing efficiency, customer communication, and KPI tracking.
About the Client
Founded in 1969, this home improvement and renovation company has expanded its services through two additional brands and serves customers across Virginia, North Carolina, and South Carolina.
Business Challenges
The client aimed to modernize their project management processes, transitioning from a paper- and email-based system to a centralized digital platform. Their primary challenges included:
- Inconsistent Processes: Each division had unique workflows, further complicated by varying state-specific laws and regulations.
- Manual Management: Job tracking relied on Google Sheets, with documents stored in emails and physical folders.
- Customer Communication: Without a centralized tracking system, the team frequently fielded customer inquiries about project status, requiring significant time to coordinate responses.
Optimum’s Involvement
Optimum conducted a series of workshops to understand the client’s unique requirements across divisions, mapping the job lifecycle and identifying areas for process improvement.
Key Actions:
- Requirements Gathering: Collaborated closely with the client to define and document division-specific needs and shared requirements to create a unified solution.
- Solution Design: Developed a customer-facing dashboard for real-time project updates and a robust internal system to track jobs from inception to completion.
- Development and Testing: Over six weeks, Optimum built and tested the solution, conducting regular reviews with stakeholders to ensure all specifications were met.
- User Training: Provided comprehensive training and documentation for both administrators and end-users, facilitating a smooth transition to the new system.
Project Outcomes and Benefits
Optimum’s implementation of the Smartsheet Control Center solution significantly improved the client’s project management processes, centralizing workflows, enhancing customer communication, and delivering actionable insights.
Key Features:
- Automated Approvals and Resource Assignment: Streamlined processes for financing approvals and resource allocation.
- Document Management: Centralized repository with checklists for required documents, tailored to each project’s specifics and location.
- Critical Path Tracking: Monitored essential tasks for each job type, reducing the risk of missed steps and ensuring smoother project flows.
Customer-Facing Features:
- Dashboard Access: Customers gained visibility into job status, milestones, and upcoming dates, reducing the need for direct inquiries.
- Q&A Tool: An embedded form allowed customers to submit questions directly to the production team, reducing calls to Customer Service.
- Live Data Analytics: Real-time project updates enabled customers to get fast answers and stay engaged.
Internal Features:
- Portfolio-Level Dashboard: Centralized interface for managers to assign tasks, identify bottlenecks, and monitor progress across the company, supporting data-driven decision-making.
- Future BI and AI Potential: With structured data in place, the client can now leverage business intelligence and AI tools for customer communication analysis, issue prioritization, and root-cause analysis.
Key Benefits:
- Enhanced Efficiency: Standardized processes reduced redundant work and minimized errors in documentation.
- Improved Communication: The customer-facing dashboard reduced the volume of calls to the Customer Service team, allowing customers to independently monitor their projects.
- Centralized Reporting: The portfolio dashboard provided comprehensive visibility into project progress, enabling better decision-making and more efficient resource management.
Key Metrics:
- 40% Reduction in Email Communications
- 25% Faster Customer Response Time
- 30% Improvement in Customer Satisfaction Scores
Through this project, Optimum enabled the client to increase operational efficiency, improve customer satisfaction, and gain valuable insights into key performance indicators (KPIs) across the organization.
About Optimum
Optimum is an award-winning, nationally recognized IT consulting firm serving clients across multiple industries in the US and Canada. We specialize in helping organizations enhance efficiency, overcome project management challenges, and achieve digital transformation through strategic planning, innovative technologies, and streamlined PMO processes.
We offer a comprehensive range of project management solutions and services, including Smartsheet Consulting, Systems Integration, Business Process Optimization and Automation, Business Intelligence (BI), Custom Application Development, and Staff Augmentation.
Reach out today for a complimentary discovery session, and let’s explore the best project management solutions for your needs!
Contact us: info@optimumcs.com | 713.505.0300 | www.optimumcs.com