"May" optimized work of employees with the help of "Bitriks24"

2019: Creation of a corporate portal

On August 26, 2019 the MCArt company reported that one of the largest producers of tea and coffee in Russia – MAY company – for increase in employee performance uses solution Bitriks24.

As of August, 2019 business units of MAY are located in Russia, Ukraine, India and Sri Lanka. In the company more than 1800 people work. Many working issues were resolved by phone, in messengers and using e-mail. Communications were rather separated, documents were stored in different sources. The management understood that harmonious work of big geographically distributed collective requires uniform communication space and in March, 2019 made the decision on implementation of a corporate portal.

The situation was complicated by the fact that most of employees have no computers or notebooks: packers of tea, merchandisers and many others were forced to be connected to corporate resources through a remote desktop on the general PC, work at the same time went slowly and inconveniently. Because of it employees aimed to use the computer as seldom as possible and only for accomplishment of strictly regulated tasks. The most part of collective "dropped out" of corporate life: information came to them with delays, not in full, and from them a feedback often did not arrive at all.

Top managers of MAY company wanted to create information space in which employees from different divisions will be able to work, exchange together experience and to give each other a fast feedback.

As the tool for the solution of this task Bitriks24 platform providing tools for joint work for all employee categories – even not taking a stationary workplace was selected.

The following requirements were imposed to a system:

• Convenience, ease of use
• Availability of mobile version, support of Android and iOS
• Simplicity of building of opportunities and integration with other information systems
• Adaptivity, opportunity to change functionality under the changing working conditions;
• Profitability – ensuring necessary functionality at the set restrictions for the cost of creation, operation and maintenance.

Within the project the Em Xi Arth command performed implementation and tuning of Bitriks24 software product: An enterprise, branding of the portal according to the corporate style of MAY company, setup of fixed functions and a number of completions under specific requirements of the customer.

MAY companies were necessary following features the intranet portal:

• HR services (carrying out annual assessment, drawing up individual development plan, formation of a talent pool, function of a feedback, knowledge base, bank of the ideas and others)
• Intranet shop
• Corporate messenger
• Instruments of project management
• CRM
• Document flow
• Business process automation
• Personal account of the distributor

Availability from any mobile device was one of key requirements to the portal. In a project deliverable employees "Em Xi Arth" implemented access to all necessary functions from regular mobile application of Bitriks24. Integration of Bitriks24 into the SMS gateway is executed. It allows to use functions of recovery of the password, sending service notifications and newsletter. In particular, the company used the SMS for informing employees on start of the portal, on start of semi-annual assessment, on need to complete filling of the questionnaire, etc. Thanks to bright and friendly SMS mailings the company management of MAY managed to attract quickly on the portal the collective working in the different cities and the countries.

The first stage: HR services

At the time of the beginning of the project implementation of the module "HR services" was the most relevant task. Date of start of the next semi-annual personel assessment approached. Self-written service which the company used earlier did not meet requirements of the company long ago, its development became more expensive and more difficult.

Therefore first of all the Em Xi Arth command developed the HR module. The following services became available to all staff of the company:

• Feedback – an opportunity to give a fast feedback to colleagues after the solution of any working question (like/dislike) and to supplement it with a detailed comment;
• Assessment 360 – a possibility of carrying out regular assessment of employees by the 360 degrees method (work is estimated by heads, colleagues and subordinates);
• KPI is tracking of the key performance indicators set for each employee and the company in general.

"Bitriks24 – the platform with rich functionality. Not to frighten employees of excessive buttons and tabs, it is important to select what services will be implemented first of all. MAY company made a wise choice: began with the HR services including functions of material and non-material motivation. Their use directly influences salary and career perspectives of each employee. It at once interested all collective and positively affected project deliverables", Anton Guryanov, the CEO "Em Xi Arth" noted

Feedback. This function allows to organize an instant feedback for all staff of the company. Each user can send by one assessment a day to each colleague. Except the Well Done! and Try buttons there is an opportunity to write a detailed comment. Many employees at once began to use this function actively, the activity brings points, components "the social capital" of the employee and increasing his corporate "status". In the first month after implementation employees left 430 estimates with comments.

The text of a feedback automatically becomes attached to the corresponding competence. When carrying out annual assessment the head sees all comments for the reporting period. It helps to estimate objectively the employee, in view of not the last remembered achievement or the difficult moment, and work for the entire period and opinion of all command: colleagues, heads and subordinates.

Gamification. On the portal gamification elements are implemented: employees get the points making them "the social capital" and bonuses for achievement of KPI on which, including, it is possible to purchase gift cards in internal online store. Points are charged for an active feedback and accomplishment of certain actions. For example, for passing of training courses. And both the employee, and division into which he enters. It stimulates colleagues to support each other in the aspiration to develop and find command indicators.

Assessment 360. Using the created portal in the company process of the organization, carrying out and processing of results of assessment on professional competences "Assessment 360" is automated. Earlier the assessment was carried out with the help Excel-files: at first the questionnaire was filled out by the employee, then the head then the internal meeting was held. Such process took place slowly and gave rather subjective picture. Because of remoteness of employees and lack of computers some employee categories at them just did not pass assessment. According to the results of the project the assessment is carried out on the portal, and it it is possible to pass page mobile phone. Each employee estimates himself, the colleagues and the head. All necessary functionality is built in standard mobile application Bitriks24 and is available on any smartphones running Android and iOS. Data are collected in convenient and evident reports. Based on assessment it is possible to create automatically the tasks making the plan of career development.

"We actively develop digital susceptibility of our colleagues, and possibilities of the portal allowed us to involve in this process of employees of all positions. Colleagues realize that actions of each of them affect also personal success and success of the company in general. After implementation of the platform we at once noted positive changes in corporate communication, growth of interest and improvement in daily work. Are sure that further it will bring notable financial results", 'Denis Kazarinov, the HR director of MAY company noted'

KPI. On the portal function of installation and approval of KPI of employees is implemented, process of accomplishment of each indicator is monitored, visualization of achievements in the form of the filled lines is available. Any employee can open the application on the mobile phone and at once see % of accomplishment of the plan and approach of an award.

For automatic calculation of achievements the portal is integrated with the ERP system of Microsoft Dynamics AX, 1C: Salary and the Personnel and with the Active Directory.

Bank of the Ideas. On the portal the Bank of the Ideas service - the function allowing each employee to offer the management the idea on optimization of any business process, the direction of development, increase in profit or cost reduction is implemented. The management attentively studies the arriving offers, considers the possibility of implementation of the most perspective offers.

The second stage: other services

After automation of priority HR services IT specialists of MAY company and employees "Em Xi Arth" started the next stage of the project which included:

• Migration of documents with old the intranet portal
• Replacement of the external corporate messenger by a chat of Bitriks24
• Implementation of opportunities of project management.

As of August, 2019 employees of a number of divisions of the company use these functions, there is a process of transition of other business units. On the portal all employees – more than 2000 people regularly come. Most of them use mobile version, and do it daily. Heads estimated advantages of the reports on a feedback created "on the fly" and an opportunity to react quickly to the obtained data. The involvement of personnel increased, each employee had an opportunity to see that his opinion is important, and its actions affect its results, results of a command and all company.

The company management of MAY notes more harmonious and effective work of divisions and, as a result, growth of a number of indicators of all company.

MAY company plans further development of the portal. In the next plans – document flow implementation, development of business processes, optimization of work of project teams. In plans of HR department – implementation of service of adaptation, creation of a talent pool, the chat-bot with elements of Artificial Intelligence. Development of a system is executed jointly by IT specialists of MAY company and the Em Xi Arth command.