While many organizations face the challenge of immediately adapting to new ways of work to fill the gaps left behind by social distancing through technology, SHERA PCL – the manufacturer and distributor of fiber cement products under the SHERA and Ha Huang brands – regards the current situation as a test of its readiness. The company has adopted Microsoft’s tools, services, and platforms across its business structure to enhance productivity and empower employees to work more efficiently.
Achieve more together with Microsoft Teams
Microsoft Teams is the keystone of everyday productivity at SHERA thanks to its complete range of features for teamwork – including voice and video chat, teleconference, and file and screen sharing. These activities on Microsoft Teams can also be recorded and saved to Microsoft Stream for future playback and sharing.
In addition to communication with high-definition visuals and audio, Teams supports integration with other tools and services such as Power BI, enabling it to serve as a single platform that brings together all the tools and features needed in one place to make collaboration more efficient. With meetings taking place online, travel expenses can also be significantly reduced.
Thrive securely and digitally through the new normal
With many employees working from home during the COVID-19 outbreak, SHERA has started using Microsoft Forms and Power Automate to collect employees’ work-from-home data digitally before processing that into insightful reports for their managers and the human resource department. These tools are also leveraged in the visitor screening process. Moreover, many critical applications that were previously accessible only on-site had to be usable remotely to ensure business continuity. In response, SHERA adopted Windows Virtual Desktop along with a centralized VPN solution to ensure full access to its key systems with the security standards required for these critical tasks.
Actionable insights on demand
Microsoft Power BI is a data analysis and visualization tool that assists in troubleshooting processes at SHERA’s factories in Lop Buri, Nabon and Nakhon Pathom. For instance, in the event that a plant misses out on its production target, SHERA staff can use Power BI’s accurate insights to track down the cause and rectify the problem with speed and precision.
Delight customers for long-term success
Customer service is the heart of SHERA’s success, and the service process has become more convenient than ever with the addition of capabilities from Microsoft 365. Documents can be easily shared with colleagues across the department or at either factory through SharePoint, which also delivers top-notch security capabilities alongside its file sharing features. Microsoft Bookings is also used to manage product fulfillment requests to shorten customers wait times. The tool provides real-time visibility of key fulfillment dates and times, allowing teams responsible for delivering products or other service teams to respond accordingly under precise planning and more efficient management.
Furthermore, the company has also implemented a chatbot powered by the Microsoft Azure cloud platform to function as an additional contact channel for customers, filling in the gap hours that manned service centers cannot operate. The chatbot can respond to customer inquiries at any time of day, and its implementation has led to a 10% reduction in time required to resolving a service request. In addition, the bot allows customers to stay in touch and be better connected with the company. With the success of the bot deployment in Thailand, the company has extended the service abroad as well.
Mr. Athikom Kanchanavibhu Vice President of Information Technology for SHERA, said, “We are committed to bringing new innovations and products into the market along with the development of the workforce and technologies within our organization. Microsoft offers a wide range of tools and services that we have embraced to improve our operations and create superior experiences for customers and employees alike. These capabilities drive us to continue our mission to compete in the market on a global scale and become Asia’s leader in fiber cement and wood substitutes.”