• Simplifies collaboration with live editing on Docs

• Reduces server and IT costs with cloud-based architecture of Google Workspace

• Connects workers in remote locations with Google Meet

TransContainer has seen an increase in business with a positive impact on sales, but this good news strained its operations. As the company became bigger and more dispersed, it needed robust, collaborative processes to maintain its high standards of service. With its traditional setup of in-house email servers and offline productivity software on desktop computers, TransContainer’s employees were struggling to work together smoothly. "People were sending different versions of the same document back and forth," says Roman. "It was inefficient and unproductive."

In addition, the strain on TransContainer’s productivity tools meant that IT costs were increasing as employees struggled with the technology. Roman wanted to switch to a cloud-based email and productivity platform that would not limit its users, but would reduce the load on his IT team.

In 2016, TransContainer teamed up with cloud software specialists Softline to help find a suitable office solution. After testing different solutions, TransContainer chose the Google collaboration and productivity platform, Google Workspace, for its staff after a 30-day pilot. "We could do everything with Google Workspace in the browser, so it was the only platform that helped us stay truly cloud-based," says Roman. To start, Softline helped TransContainer migrate 2,000 of its employees to Google Workspace. Migrating in stages, the company kept its workers engaged in the process by demonstrating the benefits of the new platform.

Gmail allowed users more space than their previous email system, and gave them the ability to keep track of information with its powerful search capabilities. Drive provided a highly secure online storage solution where documents could be more safely shared with their remote network. Meanwhile, Google Meet helps the company easily coordinate operations between headquarters and some of the more remote locations. "Now, with Google Meet, despite the territorial remoteness of our employees who are, for example, in Novosibirsk or Latvia," says Roman, "we can discuss joint projects as if they were in the same room."

Sheets and Docs have completely changed the way TransContainer collaborates between offices. Live editing a single document in the cloud has replaced the previous workflow of sending different versions buried in long email chains. When the Sales department asked Roman’s IT team to help them collect information from Asia and Europe, this would have been a complex procedure in the past, needing to go through several approvals and versions of a spreadsheet before the data could be uploaded to the Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system. "Today, we can show our team how to collect all the information they need with Google Sheets," says Roman. "We even used Google Apps Script to automate some of the processes. Our Sales team loved it."

With Google Workspace, TransContainer has improved communication among its workers, enabled collaboration across multiple time zones, and raised efficiency across the company. TransContainer estimates that workers have saved 13 days a year in efficiency gains thanks to the ease of use and streamlined workflows of Google Workspace. The company has saved money as well by eliminating its on-premises storage solution and reducing the need for physical servers by half. "With reduced server costs, less demand on IT, efficiency gains, and everything else, we estimate a 410% return on investment within the first three years," says Roman.

With the first 2,000 workers migrated, TransContainer and Softline moved over another 700 to Google Workspace. At the same time, TransContainer is also exploring ways of moving its infrastructure to the cloud with Google Cloud Platform. The company’s journey to a more dynamic, agile way of working isn’t over. It has just started.

"I have a lot of big ideas for my company and so far, Softline and Google have been able to translate those ideas into reality," says Roman. "I’m really pleased with them."