.webp)
Streamlining Internal and External Collaboration with Talkspirit: Siplan's Story
.svg)
Streamlining internal and external communication and collaboration can be a real challenge for a multi-site company, especially when employees are regularly on the move. To address this challenge, Siplan implemented Talkspirit, a collaborative platform — a French all-in-one solution.
Founded in 1969, Siplan is a family-owned company specializing in the manufacture and distribution of fire safety signage products (evacuation plans, safety instructions and panels, etc.) aimed at preventing technical and occupational risks.
Key figures:
- 2 offices based in Paris and Perpignan
- 30 employees
- 94% of users active weekly on Talkspirit
How do employees use Talkspirit to communicate and collaborate on a daily basis? And what benefits do they gain from it? Benoît Benasson, Technical Director at Siplan, shares his perspective on these questions.
A need to streamline information sharing and bring employees together
"A year ago, our teams communicated exclusively by email or phone, which created information silos between our two offices." Furthermore, this communication method was not optimal for employees who were regularly on the move (particularly salespeople), as it did not allow information to be shared in real time.
Read also: [White Paper] The 7 challenges of internal communication in a multi-site context
"With the Covid crisis, we looked for a way to streamline exchanges between employees spread across our various sites, whether in the office, on the road, or working from home. The goal was to bridge our two offices in Paris and Perpignan, while avoiding long email chains. We also wanted to facilitate information sharing with external clients and suppliers," explains Benoît Benasson.
A French publisher close to its customers
While researching options, the technical director discovered that he could centralize all these exchanges — both internal and external — on a single platform: Talkspirit.
"The tool immediately appealed to me for its made in France aspect, as we prioritize working with French companies.
I also greatly appreciated the contact with the company. Whenever we have the slightest issue, the teams listen to us and do their best to resolve the problem quickly. You can feel that our needs are taken into account, which for me is a real plus."
Last but not least: "the platform perfectly met our needs. That's why we decided to implement it across the company," says Benoît Benasson.
Rapid adoption
"After the two-week trial, we immediately deployed Talkspirit company-wide.
Right at launch, we organized a training session to explain how the platform works to employees. We then created a test group so everyone could get comfortable with the tool without fear of making mistakes.
In the end, employees adopted Talkspirit very quickly and the test group was replaced by several groups added along the way."
Read also: Webinar recap: "6 key steps to boost adoption of your collaborative software"
More fluid exchanges through groups
"We started by creating groups by department to facilitate exchanges between our two offices, which each house the same types of services. For example, we created:
- a group bringing together all our designers based in Paris and Perpignan
- an "Administration" group, for sharing information about orders, or forwarding client messages between the two offices
- and a "Production" group, which allows us to quickly flag errors or modifications in production, without having to call the teams, who don't always work the same hours (for example, production finishes at 3 pm, while the sales team finishes at 6 pm)
We then also created:
- a "News" group for sharing information with all employees
- a group where anyone can submit new ideas and discuss the different proposals
- groups for discussing steering committee projects"
These groups both streamline information flow and promote teamwork among employees across different offices.
"Whenever we have the slightest issue or information to share — whether in the office or at a client meeting — we immediately post a message on Talkspirit," says Benoît Benasson. This way, everyone has access to information in real time, and can get a quick answer to their questions.
Read also: [Practical guide] 10 initiatives from our clients to improve internal communication
Better collaboration internally and externally
Day to day, Talkspirit is much more than an internal communications platform for Siplan. The tool also helps streamline collaboration between and within offices, and with external suppliers.
"Before, everyone stored documents on their own computer, which prevented us from sharing information efficiently. Thanks to the Talkspirit drive, we now centralize all documents for each department in dedicated folders, accessible to everyone.
We regularly use spreadsheets from the OfficeNow suite, for example to update our price lists or track client file numbers. This lets everyone work on the same document simultaneously, and always have the most up-to-date information." A genuine revolution for employees!
"When we need to connect live — for a steering committee meeting, for example — we also hold video conferences.", adds Benoît Benasson. Everyone can share their views and make suggestions, even without being in the same meeting room.
"Finally, Talkspirit makes it possible to streamline collaboration with suppliers, particularly with external designers. Instead of sending them documents by email, we invite them as guests on Talkspirit and share all the documents they need on the drive, which they can then edit directly on the platform."
Toward new uses
In the coming months, Benoît Benasson also plans to push adoption of the new shared calendar, released in September 2021. "I find it very useful for pooling information and checking everyone's availability without going through different tools," he says.
"Some employees have already grasped its value, as they are starting to use it to schedule meetings, plan in-person training sessions, or even log their vacation time, which lets managers track this information in real time."
The long-term goal is to get all employees to adopt the shared calendar, to simplify managing events, meetings, and time off.
Unified communication and fewer emails: key benefits for Siplan
"Before Talkspirit, our two offices almost functioned as two separate companies. Thanks to this tool, we have been able to break down the silos that existed within the company and unify our communications. Now, all employees can exchange in one place, which streamlines information sharing.
Talkspirit has also eliminated the tensions that came from a lack of direct communication. Today, when we want to discuss an issue, all we need to do is jump on a video call, and it's resolved in five minutes!
Finally, I notice that the emails have decreased enormously, because all the internal exchanges that used to happen via email now happen on Talkspirit. It's much faster and more practical, and it allows us to be more responsive, especially when we're on the road.
This change is particularly noticeable in the administration team, which used to receive up to 100 emails a day. Today, they receive a maximum of 10. Within this team, internal email volume has dropped by 90% !"
Read also: Eliminating internal emails with Talkspirit: the story of Imagerie Médicale du Biterrois
Talkspirit's take on Siplan
While Siplan initially set out to find simply an internal communications platform, the company ultimately chose an all-in-one tool that it uses both to communicate and collaborate with internal and external stakeholders.
Eight months after deploying Talkspirit, the platform remains as popular as ever with employees. Proof: 94% of them log in every week.
Long email chains are a thing of the past: employees can now connect directly via chat or video conference, and even collaborate on documents together, wherever they are.
Result: collaboration is far more fluid, both internally and externally. Employees across both offices exchange more often and don't hesitate to support one another. A genuine collective dynamic has taken hold, and the teams are already reaping the benefits!
*
* *
Want to learn more about the Talkspirit solution? Contact us or schedule a demo with our team to explore the platform's features in detail.
–
Author: Emmanuelle Abensur
