Success Stories
West Coast Motors and Spider Networks Create Online Intranet
West Coast Motors (WCM) provides local and long distance bus services across Argyll, Scotland. Founded in 1923, WCM is today an extended enterprise through continued expansion and acquisition and has depots in seven geographically disparate locations. Its head office is a considerable distance from most.
The Issues
WCM approached Spider Networks with a pressing business need. Its expansion had created a communications gap between head office and each of the centres and between centres. Greater efficiency in communicating vital information to managers and employees across every location had become a critical operational issue.
The Solution
Evaluating Spider Networks' interactive web communications solutions, WCM quickly realised the benefits of Spider's hosted services, allowing access points to each employee at each depot. The immediate availability of the service, the provision of integrated communication services, and the ability to tailor the messages and content according to the profile of each employee allowed the company to create an online intranet in a matter of weeks.
Every member of staff was provided a personal mailbox, eliminating the need to configure local client software. All had instant access to information about their role, responsibilities, rights and personal contracts at the click of a mouse.
From a managerial perspective, discussion of the key business issues had moved into real time with the creation of secure private management areas on the intranet, with forums for debate, file stores for document retention and sharing, and synchronised calendars for event notification.
Naturally, the web-based solution implemented by Spider Networks ensured that all this information was available to managers and employees at any time from any machine.
"Spider Networks' hosted intranet solution is now the hub of this transport company's business," says WCM's managing director, Colin Craig. "Today, we enjoy better, more streamlined business communications as a result."