• Increases mobile workforce capacity from 200 to 8,000 with Google Workspace

• Reduces operational costs by reviewing security measures that were wasteful with multiple vendors

• Transforms meeting rooms that are used less frequently into working spaces and realize new ways of working, thanks to Google Meet

As an infrastructure that supports people’s everyday lives, gas is a necessity for everyday living. In addition to the gas business, Toho Gas is also developing various solutions to address problems in the home. “In the future, we will continue to work on transforming our business model through DX. The way employees work has become more diverse, and we have to respond to that,” says Hiroyuki Yamaguchi, Manager of the Technology Management Group, IT Infrastructure Service Department, at Toho Gas Information System.

In addition to the diversification of work styles, there were measures taken to increase the demand for mobile and paperless work due to the pandemic. Yamaguchi was troubled by the gap between an ideal workplace and reality.

With on-premises groupware, it is not possible to expand the scale or add new functions quickly. “Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we suddenly had to deal with thousands of remote workers, more than 10 times larger than before. Google Workspace made it possible to solve pressing issues such as mobile work and going paperless, while achieving even higher operational efficiency in the future. Google Workspace has proved indispensable to our workplace,” says Yamaguchi.

Another major problem was the high operating costs of systems from multiple vendors. “We achieved multiple defenses by combining products from multiple security vendors, but there were many cases where the scope of services overlapped, and waste began to become apparent. With Google Workspace, we can create a seamless work environment suitable for mobile work by consolidating them. This expectation is one of the major reasons why we started introducing it,” says Takayuki Hayashi, Security Group Manager, Information Systems Department, R&D Digital Headquarters, at Toho Gas.

Toho Gas adopted Google Workspace not only to promote mobile work and go paperless, but also to aim for higher operational efficiency in the future. The company introduced 8,000 Google Workspace Enterprise Plus IDs, which have unlimited functions, and are actively using it not only for employees at the head office, but also for sales and construction sites.

“By distributing smartphones to all employees at the beginning of the Google Workspace implementation, we were able to create a work environment where they could work anywhere. The OA promotion leaders of each department played a central role in responding to users' questions and concerns using educational videos, and more. People were able to start using the system without major confusion,” says Hayashi.

Currently, the file server has been migrated to Google Drive, and the digitization and workflow of various documents that were previously managed on paper are progressing little by little.

“Although the cost of the groupware itself increased, we were able to keep the total cost down to the same level as before by consolidating existing functions, especially security products, into Google Workspace. If we had tried to promote mobile work in our previous environment, it would have cost more to strengthen security and VPN, but we were able to realize this with a realistic investment because Google Workspace has everything we need,” says Yamaguchi.

Two years after its introduction, the way employees work has already changed significantly. When the company conducted an internal survey, it saw concrete effects.

“The elimination of drive capacity limits has been particularly effective. In the past, we used to regularly delete and organize emails and files accumulated on the server, but with Google Workspace there is no need to do that. Of course, all data can be browsed from anywhere, and even past data can be found immediately by using the search function. By accumulating these, we have reduced the man-hours per person by more than two hours per month. This is useful,” says Yamaguchi.

In addition, the company has reduced the time it takes to prepare for meetings. As Toho Gas has a large site with gas-related facilities, it takes time to move between buildings. Google Meet is playing a role in that by reducing the need for travel time.

“With Google Meet, we can now participate in meetings from anywhere inside or outside the company. Furthermore, the paperless system eliminates the need to print materials, reducing the time it takes for each person to prepare for meetings by about 30 minutes. When we first introduced Google Workspace, Google Meet was used ahead of other functions in order to respond to the spread of COVID-19. I think it served as an opportunity to convey to employees the benefits of Google Workspace in an easy-to-understand manner. As Google Meet enabled people to meet online, the meeting rooms in the office were temporarily in low demand. They made use of the situation and used those rooms to secure a working space, helping to ensure social distancing,” says Yamaguchi.

“We are starting to use the simultaneous editing function on Google Docs and Slides. By connecting to Google Meet and sharing and editing the same file at the same time, creating and brushing up documents becomes smoother, reducing the time spent waiting for confirmation or additional documents. Collaboration has become easier and teamwork has improved because of Google Workspace. In-house DX has progressed rapidly, and new ways of working have become possible.”

“With these concrete changes, I think there is a mutual understanding among employees that the introduction of Google Workspace is not only about streamlining operations, but also a change of direction with an eye on the future of the company. I am confident that if it is used more in the future, we can expect even greater results,” says Hayashi.

Google Workspace is gaining ground within the company, but for Toho Gas, which has a long history of 100 years, switching business systems is a big event. They are especially mindful of this when it comes to tackling the change management in document creation and spreadsheet software.

“Because we have been using the same software for document creation and spreadsheets for over 20 years, it can be very difficult to switch. We are switching to Docs, and we are working to educate and familiarize employees with the functions by sharing what we noticed during work via the company newsletter and bulletin boards. We try to make more touch points for employees to use Google Workspace, such as using Google Forms in the compliance training, where we made a quiz for employees to check their understanding of the course. It will take time for them to be proficient in using the system, but we also got many positive feedbacks in the survey results, where many have said that their work efficiency has improved. I would like to continue promoting change management and DX within the company,” says Yamaguchi.

Looking into the future, Hayashi says, “After the liberalization of the gas industry, the business of gas companies is about to change dramatically. What is necessary is to review the individual-centered work style based on on-premises software that supports various office work, and promote DX that fully utilizes the collaboration function of Google Workspace. As we move forward, I have great expectations for further enhancements and improvements with Google Workspace.”

(From the right of the photo)・Takayuki Hayashi, Security Group Manager, Information Systems Department, R&D Digital Headquarters, Toho Gas Co., Ltd.・Hiroyuki Yamaguchi, Manager of the Technology Management Group, IT Infrastructure Service Department, Toho Gas Information System Co., Ltd.