How productivity tools transformed one team’s remote working strategy

Working from home has fast become the new normal due to pandemic restrictions over recent years. Companies are increasingly adopting remote working strategies, but for many, there remain concerns that employee productivity may falter. Strenstone, address just such issues for business leaders & team managers, using Prodoscore to deliver a seamless solution to help teams measure, monitor, and increase their output.

One company who embraced the benefits of this technology is surveillance specialist, DTiQ, a leading provider of intelligent video equipment and loss prevention solutions. DTiQ initially installed Prodoscore in 2019, integrating the software with its Microsoft Office 365 tools including email, calendar, and One Drive, along with Salesforce CRM, and the company’s Fuze phone system. Its aim was to gain insight into the strengths and weaknesses of its sales force. Fast forward to 2020, however, and as the pandemic hit, the company found Prodoscore to be an invaluable part of its remote working strategy.

Improving team visibility

With the sudden shift to remote work for the entire DTiQ staff in March 2020, CEO, Mike Coffey, was faced with managing several remote teams. Fortunately, Prodoscore proved an indispensable aid, increasing visibility by working in tandem with the company’s existing team tools. By simplifying employee monitoring and delivering real-time analytics on productivity, the software was able to provide a true picture of how people were working.

As DTiQ discovered during the pandemic, an accurate picture of employee output is essential during periods of remote working. Strenstone helps deliver this transparency with the Prodoscore solution, which provides vital feedback so team leaders understand which activities are most fruitful; which team members are most effective; and which systems are struggling. Having such information to hand takes the guess work out of managing a remote team.

Prodoscore helps our managers maintain a consistent level of productivity and provide coaching where needed.

Using Prodoscore’s detailed feedback, the DTiQ leadership team were able to keep productivity levels up and team members engaged. Coffey explained: “We’re thankful to have Prodoscore to help manage our remote teams. It helps our managers maintain a consistent level of productivity and provide coaching where needed.”

Informing team training

One key advantage of the Prodoscore platform, Strenstone reveals, is the ability not only to monitor productivity, but also to take corrective action when things are going off track. With Prodoscore in place, Strenstone can help you identify struggling team members and take corrective action, as well as spotting and sharing best practice when things are working well.

DTiQ was quick to benefit in this area, using the insight it gained from Prodoscore’s email data to coach and mentor sales staff. Chief Customer Officer at DTiQ, Joe Mignone, said: “Insight into email activity is one of the biggest assets I see with Prodsocore. The whole team uses SalesForce religiously, so I access reports daily but the detail on the Prodoscore dashboard isn’t available in Salesforce. The two tools work together seamlessly for me.”

“Looking at the email content, subject lines, or how the third touch differs from the first. That data presents great coaching opportunities,” reveals Mignone. In this way, DTiQ was able to develop the performance of its team, ensuring everyone was working to their strengths and pulling together as a cohesive unit.

Now employees use the tool daily to gauge their own productivity and raise any concerns or problems. Staff report that they enjoy the transparency this offers, feeling reassured that managers have visibility into their daily activities so there are no questions around time management.

Increasing employee engagement

With all work practices in the open, Strenstone explains that many people feel more able to ask for the help they need. Often times it provides an opportunity for staff to discuss training opportunities with management, ensuring employees remain motivated and engaged in achieving their personal career goals.

It is also a key indicator for management in understanding and predicting team behaviour. Mignone learnt early on that an employee’s productivity score clearly indicates their level of engagement. “We actually had two employees leave the company and when we looked back at the Prodoscore data, we saw their scores start to taper off up until they gave notice.” Joe reveals. “It was really telling, so we have seen first-hand how good a predictor employee scores are of behaviour.”

Our top producer consistently has the highest score week in, week out. He is the most engaged and brings in the most revenue.

For DTiQ, the correlation was obvious and continues to be true for its current remote working team. “Our top producer consistently has the highest score week in, week out,” Joe concluded. “He is the most engaged and brings in the most revenue.”

Powering the future of work

Like many companies, DTiQ was forced to adopt remote working practices due to the COVID pandemic. Looking to the future there may be more flexibility to work together in person, but with many advantages to remote working, some companies will continue to embrace a hybrid working model. Despite these changes, with Prodoscore software in place, Strenstone believes the move can be a good one for managers and employees alike. With clarity and transparency around productivity, and everyone on the same page, you can ensure that your team is pulling together.

Interested in seeing how Strenstone can support your teams? Request a Discovery & Demo call with a senior consultant. They will explain and demonstrate how you can layer productivity intelligence over your cloud-based systems.