For the last 70 years, AFS & Associates have utilised their wealth of experience, working hand-in-hand to provide advisory accounting to lending businesses in Bendigo and across Australia.
AFS came to us in 2017, needing assistance with their transition into a paperless office. They wanted to ensure their team was supported, and had the adequate resources to access their business via the cloud.
Making the steps to a paperless office
A steady growth in the AFS team in 2019 sparked the need to start renovations to fit more people into the office. This idea quickly got AFS thinking strategically about how their team worked.
It became obvious that the team needed to adopt an activity based working environment, to better suit their values and team culture.
Activity based working meant that we needed to implement an IT solution that would be consistent with that mode of working, so that the whole team could move around the office, no matter whether a team member was working on a laptop.
The goal was to transition completely into a paperless office by 1 July 2019, which meant that we had to closely work with AFS to determine how this could be done, and which technology solutions were best-suited.
The outcome – AFS reduced their paper usage by 70 per cent!
While the team worked away in their paperless office, they developed a new Flexibility Policy across the firm. The policy outlined that the team would work their standard hours between 7am-7pm, ensuring that they balance their work and personal lives.
As part of this approach, AFS decided to invest in laptops for each team member. This allowed technology to be standardised across the firm, solidifying their digital transformation.
The investment allowed the AFS team to:
- Work anywhere by connecting to the VAULT.
- Move around the office to a space that suited them.
- Use less paper.
- Respond quicker to clients in meetings, by accessing the systems with a click of a button.
Increased flexibility leading to increased staff engagement
By looking at their IT needs as part of a wider culture and business strategy lens, AFS has continued to position themselves as an employer of choice in the region and industry.
“The increase in staff engagement was huge; there was a new vibe in the office after introducing the new IT equipment and flexibility in the workplace.
Team members getting work done outside the office that normally would not have happened. We hoped that the investment would provide a pay-back and it has.
We engaged Strategic Group to provide their expertise and guidance on how we can make our vision a reality. They worked very closely with suppliers to arrange the complete fleet replacement, docks and monitors at a competitive price.
Together we have implement a robust working environment allowing our team to work flexibly without or outside office hours with zero client impact.”
We work closely with our clients to truly understand their business and apply tailored technology. Arrange a free consultation with our expert team today.