SGW Bad Oeynhausen: a housing authority looking to the future
SGW Bad Oeynhausen is a municipal housing authority in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Founded in 1916, this non-profit organization — which is majority-owned by the city — manages around 1,200 properties in the area.
The management team and Helene Heck, Management Assistant at SGW, observed that the organization’s reliance on paper-based processes was hindering efficiency and transparency. With the managing director regularly out of the office for external meetings, they needed a straightforward solution that would allow them to align virtually and collaborate from anywhere.
The challenge: replacing inefficient, paper-based processes
Before turning to a digital solution, the team was inundated with emails and documents. Helene often had to print out certain emails that needed approval before she could reply to them. This led to multiple inefficiencies and significant paper waste.
Ultimately, the organization lacked a central online source of truth to give leaders a clear overview of project progress. This also made keeping up with work on the go difficult. However, the organization was aware that implementing any solution would be a challenge. They needed to ensure any software they chose would be straightforward and easy to use.
The solution: an easy-to-adopt digital platform for remote collaboration
SGW aimed to improve operations by streamlining communication and increasing transparency across departments, enabling teams to work more efficiently online.
Making communication efficient
Before we implemented MeisterTask, our Managing Director was overwhelmed with a flood of emails and tasks. Emails were sometimes printed out and had to be approved before they could be answered. With MeisterTask, we found the perfect solution to make communication efficient, sustainable, and environmentally friendly.
Helene Heck
Management Assistant, SGW
Integrating MeisterTask with their email provider, the team could instantly send emails to a "for info" column within a MeisterTask Kanban board, to easily follow up on later. Alongside a big reduction in the volume of internal emails, this also gave the team a central space where all information was easily tracked and available at their fingertips. A productivity boost that also met the organization’s commitment to sustainability.
Ensuring oversight while on the move
MeisterTask’s tablet app was a huge win for the team, enabling on-the-go communication and collaboration on projects and tasks.
“We love using the app to maintain communication while on the go. It’s easy to use and allows us to instantly capture important documents, photos, and tasks.”
The app's user-friendly interface made it the go-to solution for simplifying SGW’s operations. The team was able to digitalize many processes with MeisterTask, using the platform to manage a wide variety of projects, from planning and approvals, to travel and invoices.
Getting all employees involved with any new software
SGW's experience with MeisterTask's onboarding process was overwhelmingly positive. The team’s dedicated Customer Success Manager took the time to ensure that everything was running smoothly, tailoring their setup to their unique needs.
“After deciding to integrate MeisterTask into our daily operations, we gave our employees a two-week period to familiarize themselves with the tool. Our goal was to eliminate internal emails and record all information, including absence notes and internal updates, exclusively in MeisterTask.”
The MeisterTask Academy played a pivotal role in this transition. The Academy is a collection of tailor-made courses that help teams make the most of the software, no matter their technical expertise.
“Thanks to the well-structured onboarding videos in the MeisterTask Academy, employees quickly became comfortable with the tool and soon recognized the positive effects of digital collaboration.”
Boosting transparency across the organization
Beyond the project management capabilities of MeisterTask, the team at SGW also uses the Notes functionality to create and share plans, announcements, and other strategic information. This has removed the need for multiple phone calls, distribution lists and daily meetings, making operations much more efficient.
“With MeisterTask, everything is transparent and available online.”
The outcome: greater transparency and smoother workflows
Digitalization often requires a trusted partner to complement any software implementation. That’s what made MeisterTask a great fit for SGW. Combining straightforward, easy-to-use software with a dedicated digitalization partner led to a step-change in the operations of a 100-year-old organization. Working with greater transparency and structure, SGW can now focus on the work that matters most — positively impacting the lives of thousands of constituents.
