Introducing new technology into an agency (or any enterprise in fact) is often a challenge. The question on the minds of many agency leads is “how can we encourage better collaboration both within our walls and with our clients?” Siloed teams will always miss out on crucial information, especially when you take time zones and remote working into consideration, but adoption of the right communication tools for teams can mean the difference between success and failure.
Isobar has over 6,000 staff in over 85 locations across the globe. For our team in Australia, the adoption of enterprise messaging platform, Slack, has helped support our flat organisational structure, boosted productivity and enhanced collaboration and creativity.
A digital backbone for better productivity
Imagine coming back to the office after back-to-back meetings or a holiday and having hundreds of emails waiting for you. Small admin tasks like clearing out an inbox filled with messages of minor importance adds up over time — before you know it, you’ve lost half your day.
In an agency, where you’re working with multiple teams and clients at the same time, discussions move quickly and often branch off into different topics. Slack’s channel based communication helps separate discussions and notifications by purpose or clients. And since bringing it on board, we’ve seen a huge reduction in internal emails and unnecessary meetings.
It was particularly convenient when Isobar Melbourne moved into a new office last year. Completing tasks in the midst of a move became so simple that we almost questioned why we even needed a physical office space at all.
Features such as “Highlights” are designed to act as your personal chief of staff by providing a summary of conversations that you missed while you were away. It calls out the most important messages for each individual, based on previous interactions. And what’s more, this AI/machine learning function gets smarter at recognising information that matters to you, the more you use it.
Occasionally if we find that we want something that isn’t available on Slack or as a third party tool, we will develop our own tools and apps. These range from being able to control the digital art on our office walls, to nominating co-workers for awards, to knowing when your co-worker is ready to have that coffee. As with almost everything in the platform, these add-ons are about making our business more human, recognising the people within our daily digital lives and fostering meaningful interactions.
For Isobar, this function means that Slack has become the digital backbone of our Australian team and it’s where work happens. The platform integrates seamlessly with everyday tools that our team uses like Google Documents, which means we rarely need to have any other apps open.
Collaboration and Creativity
Slack has changed our relationship with our clients too. As an agency, it has enabled us to become a partner, working in tandem and as an extension of our clients teams. Shared channels with our clients have helped encourage conversation flow and collaboration by eliminating unnecessary emails and meetings. Clients that don’t have Slack can still collaborate through guest accounts. Getting a response or approval can be as simple as receiving a ‘thumbs-up’ emoji.
Working at an agency means you’re constantly coming up with creative new ideas — and these can be shared without another meeting. Big brainstorms should still occur in-person, but inspiration and ideas across the agency can be encouraged through relevant channels. Many people have light bulb moments when they least expect it (eg. in the shower) — it doesn’t make sense to wait to share it. Isobar employees are encouraged to bounce ideas internally and externally with clients whenever it pops up.
When we meet with new clients, one of the first things we do is discuss the most efficient communication method. They jump at the chance of receiving less emails. Having clients collaborate with us on the same platform helps us deliver exceptional outcomes. Not only can we share our impromptu shower ideas, they can share theirs.
A unified archive of information
A few years back, we used a patchwork of IM tools that were all unsanctioned, unmoderated and fragmented. Knowledge was lost as soon as someone left the company.
But now with Slack — every file, public message or conversation is archived and accessible by new employees. This removes barriers many agencies experience, allowing all employees to tap into a large archive of knowledge, wherever they are based.
One of our favourite things about this new way of working is the ability to own the meta conversation — including the conversations that were traditionally left behind at the water cooler and subsequently lost. These conversations actually hold critical information that drive projects forward and add value to the business. Traditionally, meta conversations occurred in other mediums (read: emails). For example, when a client emails with an enquiry, this information is relayed to the relevant channel, and the meta conversation happens with our internal team. An articulated response is sent back with surprising efficiency. This conversation is archived and can be retrieved at anytime and by anyone. This helps Isobar deliver an experiential continuity with the client beyond their expectations.
At the end of the day, internal communication is key to any agency’s success. Fluid communication across the company has a huge impact on both client and team happiness. Client experience (customers and partners) is our bread and butter. Having the right tools to ensure issues and feedback are addressed in a timely manner is fundamental in ensuring long term success.
By Dave Budge, director of Isobar's Nowlab - its global emerging technology and communications division