Cover Story
Can You See Me Now?
A Baltimore credit union needed to communicate with and relay information
to all of its employees simultaneously.
An MECU employee leads a training session at the learning center in the
corporate headquarters in downtown Baltimore using a Polycom videoconferencing
system. The videoconferencing solution enables employees from all of the group's
seven branches to be involved and actively participate in the training sessions.
Historically, training at the
Municipal Employees Credit Union of Baltimore (MECU) was conducted on a rotating
schedule, with trainers presenting the same topic at each of MECU's seven branch
locations and the downtown headquarters. As the staff and number of branches
grew, however, scheduling became problematic, especially when the presenter was
from outside the credit union. Often, speakers took several months to visit and
present to staff at all of the branches and corporate headquarters.
MECU found that this method of training and information distribution led to
inconsistencies and discrepancies in the information the staff received. More
frustrating, staff members were learning ideas, principles and other critical
information at a different rate and at various times. In one instance, a
training session focused on information that employees needed to know prior to
the rollout of a new product, but some staff members were not completely briefed
prior to the product launch.
"We knew that something needed to change, because the way in which
information was being disseminated throughout the organization was becoming far
too cumbersome, costly and extremely inefficient on multiple levels," says Bert
Hash Jr., CEO of MECU.
As today's workforce becomes increasingly dispersed and mobile, organizations
are constantly looking for ways to maintain and improve employee collaboration.
Driven by the desire to reduce, and ultimately eliminate, the time and money its
employees spend traveling to mandatory bimonthly training sessions from multiple
branch locations in and around Baltimore, MECU implemented a videoconferencing
solution to provide employees with face-to-face interaction.
Founded in 1936, MECU provides banking and financial services to more than
90,000 members. With assets totaling more than $800 million, MECU has
experienced growth over the past decade, opening seven different branch
locations in the Baltimore metro area. Although this growth has been beneficial
to MECU members, it has placed added stress on the hundreds of employees who
have to travel to the MECU corporate headquarters, in the heart of downtown
Baltimore, to attend training sessions.
With a commitment to staff training and the strategic initiative to hire,
train and retain the best people, MECU enlisted the help of CDW Government
(CDW-G) for advice on a solution that would best fit the needs of the growing
organization. MECU wanted a system that would provide the organization with the
tools to effectively communicate and simultaneously relay information to all of
its employees, regardless of location. MECU also wanted an interactive solution
to engage employees and ensure that they would be actively involved in the
training sessions.
CONSISTENCY IN TRAINING
"Training is very important to MECU," says Michelle Williams, MECU training
coordinator. "It was difficult to ensure that our employees, whether at
headquarters or one of our seven different branches, were trained on important
topics in a timely manner and that the information was consistent."
MECU employees take part in a videoconference between two branches.
Williams understood that MECU was in need of a solution that would allow the
organization to train all 241 staff members at the same time, so that all
employees received the same message from the same subject-matter expert.
Several years ago, MECU installed a basic videoconferencing solution at its
main location. Staff hoped it would have the capability and scalability to
provide communications between the various branches and corporate headquarters.
With the rate at which MECU grew, however, coupled with the organization's
vision of future branch expansion and increased membership, this particular
videoconferencing system did not have the ability to grow with the organization.
Although the system proved to be short-term, it provided a starting point and
was the foundation from which MECU and CDW-G built a new videoconferencing
solution. Given that MECU's corporate headquarters was already outfitted with
projectors, cameras, microphones and drop-down screens, CDW-G filled in the
holes, providing guidance on which videoconferencing system would work best with
MECU's present technology. More importantly, CDW-G provided MECU with expertise
on the technology that could grow with the organization into the future.
The ability to record and archive training sessions and other MECU
presentations has been beneficial for employees who cannot attend the
sessions.
With this guidance, MECU was able to test drive multiple videoconferencing
solutions on-site. After evaluating solutions from a handful of different
vendors, MECU decided on a videoconferencing system from Polycom. With CDW-G and
Polycom engineers, MECU installed and implemented its videoconferencing solution
in less than two months.
"We wanted the best of breed in the industry, and we did our research on what
is out there," says Chris Lumley, director of information systems at MECU. "It
was essential that the videoconferencing system have the ability to grow and
expand, as MECU continues to grow in size and open new branches."
CUSTOMIZABLE SOLUTION CHOSEN
With scalability in mind, MECU selected the Polycom MGC+ ReadiConvene IP Base
Pack 16-port. This high-performance, highly scalable multipoint control unit and
gateway platform offers a flexible system. Designed to accommodate a user's
changing needs, it features a modular "universal slot" platform that allows
customization based on port capacity, products and feature requirements. Located
within MECU's information systems data control center in the corporate
headquarters, the MGC console collects and distributes the presentations and
information to the remote branches.
"CDW-G arranged for a Polycom engineer to come in and install the MGC console
at our downtown headquarters," explains Lumley. "Once the engineer set up this
core part of the videoconferencing system, the rest of the solution was
essentially plug-and-play."
In addition to the MGC console, CDW-G outfitted MECU with the Polycom RSS
2000 video recording and streaming solution, allowing MECU to record
presentations and training sessions. With the ability to record from any of the
seven branch locations, the RSS 2000 can archive recordings for on-demand
playback from the Web or from any video endpoint. The ability to record and
archive training sessions and other MECU presentations has been beneficial for
employees who cannot attend the training sessions.
"To give our members better options, the Loch Ridge branch opens at noon and
stays open until 7 p.m.," says Pam Hardy, Loch Ridge branch manager. "With the
videoconferencing system, we are able to participate in corporate meetings in
two different ways. When there is a meeting in the morning, the Polycom system
records the training session or presentation so we can play it back later; and
when there is a meeting in the late afternoon, we can participate with our
colleagues at headquarters and the six other branch locations."
Serving as the main location and information distribution center, the
training room at MECU's corporate headquarters has two drop-down screens, LCD
projectors, microphones and cameras. The boardroom is also outfitted with a
drop-down screen, projector, microphones and cameras.
"The only challenge we experienced when implementing the Polycom
system was with the bandwidth of our network."
Each of the seven branches is equipped with a 32-inch LCD television on a
portable cart. A Polycom VSX unit captures the video and sound feeds from the
remote branches, allowing employees at the various branch locations to interact
with one another during question-and-answer sessions.
What sets MECU's videoconferencing solution apart from other systems is the
ability for presenters to incorporate PowerPoint presentations, critical
information and other multimedia components into videoconference meetings.
During one of MECU's quarterly meetings, for example, the chief operation
officer (COO) was able to share photos of the newly renovated headquarters with
employees at all of the seven branches.
The COO was also able to take questions from MECU staff members, and the
employees in all locations could see the person asking the question.
PARTICIPANTS CAN INTERACT
The Polycom solution also adds a personal touch to the presentations with the
presenter's face featured in a box in the upper right corner of the screen. This
allows staff at every location to see the speaker and his or her information
throughout the presentation.
"Our ability to incorporate and actively use PowerPoint presentations during
training sessions and other company-wide meetings is huge," says Hash. "The fact
that remote employees can see the person who is giving the presentation is an
added bonus."
Hash adds that the ability to put a face with the name behind the
presentation increases employees' visibility, as well as employees' awareness
and appreciation of co-workers.
The introduction of any new technology or solution to an organization's
network often presents a few tweaks or minor details that need to be ironed out.
"The only challenge we experienced when implementing the Polycom system was with
the bandwidth of our network," says Lumley.
To address the bandwidth issue, the information systems team needed to ensure
that the current system could support the size, amount and type of data that
would be transferred from corporate headquarters to the various branch
locations. "After we configured the prioritization component during the initial
setup of the videoconferencing system, we were good to go," says Lumley.
After eight months of use, Hash reports that videoconferencing has been a
great success. "This videoconferencing system has been extremely beneficial to
us," he offers. "We make decisions faster, we've strengthened our internal
communications significantly, and meetings are more focused. With more staff
members actively participating in the training sessions, we've reinforced our
team unity and improved overall employee morale."
MECU plans to expand its videoconferencing capabilities to its 90,000
members. At its Baltimore headquarters, MECU regularly hosts a variety of free
credit repair and homebuyer workshops for its members and other interested
citizens. MECU hopes to utilize the videoconferencing system to provide members
with the option to go to their nearest branch location to participate in the
workshops.
"The possibilities and scalability of videoconferencing is what makes this
system so exciting," says Lumley. "We are really looking forward to expanding
the capabilities of this solution to better serve our members and continue to
strengthen our employee training program and organizational culture."
About CDW-G
John Edwardson
CDW Government (CDW-G) is a wholly owned subsidiary of CDW Corp., a Fortune
500 company. Founded in 1984, CDW-G provides federal, state and local government
agencies, as well as educational institutions, with more than 100,000 brand-name
technology products and services from more than 1,000 manufacturers.
John Edwardson is chairman of the board of directors, chief executive officer
and executive committee member of CDW. Edwardson is responsible for the
strategic direction of the company and leading the senior management team.
Joining CDW in 2001, Edwardson previously served as chairman and CEO of Burns
International Services, and as a director, president and chief operating officer
of UAL Corp. and United Airlines. Prior to that, he served as executive vice
president and chief financial officer of Ameritech Corp. Edwardson earned a B.S.
in industrial engineering from Purdue University and a master's degree from the
University of Chicago.
For more information from CDW Government
(click here)