• Cuts travel costs and boosts efficiency by enabling quick and easy video conferencing with Google Meet

• Increases mobility and connectivity between offices and building sites by helping employees to work from any location

• Supports collaboration as multiple teams can work on the same project document at the same time

From stadiums and train stations to the European Parliament tower in Strasbourg, Léon Grosse has played a role in the construction and refurbishment of some of France's key civil infrastructure. The family-founded business has grown over the past century to become a major player in the French BTP (construction and civil engineering) sector and is now seeking to lead the way in terms of the digitalization of the sector.

According to a 2018 report, more and more companies in the sector are focusing on innovation and digital tools, a trend driven by new startups entering the field and interacting with established groups, investors, and researchers. "The construction sector is changing very quickly," agrees Franck Melquiot, Head of IT Infrastructure at Léon Grosse. In 2016, to stay ahead and consolidate its growth, Léon Grosse launched its own digital transformation strategy with the aim of fostering closer and more effective collaboration within the company.

"We have 2,300 employees overall," says Franck. "They’re distributed over around 30 offices in France, two in French overseas territories, and more than 200 IT-connected building sites. But no matter where they are, all these people need to be able to exchange ideas and information easily." With its previous email and calendar solutions and productivity software, employees weren’t able to collaborate effectively. In order to access centralized servers, they had to connect via a networked workstation, which restricted mobile working, and few chose to use video conferencing as the system was slow and difficult to use.

In the construction sector, projects rely on the strict financial planning and scheduling of tasks, so employees need the right tools to work together efficiently. "Our staff weren’t able to access files from their own devices before, so they weren’t able to work remotely, and it was hard to tell which was the latest version of a file, as they were exchanged as attachments," shares Franck. The company wanted to find a way to make things more efficient overall, while gaining cost savings where possible.

To choose the best solution, the IT team asked employees from different divisions to test Google Workspace alongside a direct competitor, giving them a set of everyday use cases to compare, such as how easy it was to collaborate on documents. "It became clear very quickly that Google Workspace was their preferred choice," says Franck. "So it was actually the employees themselves who chose Google Workspace, as it best answered their needs."

In order to support its staff in making the most of the new software, Léon Grosse worked with implementation partner GoWizYou to deliver training through online webinars and in-person workshops. "As well as training ambassadors in every department to spread the word about the power of Google Workspace, we used Sites to create a site with online content and forums where employees could post questions and share tips," says Franck. "GoWizYou also provides technical support and is able to offer solutions for any questions we might have."

With the help of GoWizYou, Léon Grosse installed Google Meet hardware in meeting rooms across its 30 sites, to enable employees to make video calls quickly and easily. "Before, it could take five minutes to switch everything on, and because logging on was complicated, people avoided using it," says Franck. "With Google Meet hardware, a call can be made with a few clicks, either in the meeting room, from a workstation, or even on-site from mobile phones." The project was completed within three months, with GoWizYou technicians visiting each site to ensure the best possible setup.