TruVista Switches Seamlessly to Remote Working with Cisco Webex and Quaversal-new

TruVista isn't the kind of company to let a small thing like a global pandemic slow it down. The Chester, SC-based cable provider dates all the way back to 1897, and is proud of its long history of connecting people across South Carolina and Georgia. In 2020, its use of Cisco Webex enabled it to pivot seamlessly to remote working post- COVID-19, and business hasn't missed a step since.

As a business with many moving parts, a lot of TruVista's success is down to how it communicates internally. That used to be done by email and in person—but as Sam Fitzgerald, TruVista's Senior Director of Engineering and Design, explains, the business was looking at ways to speed up its own communications.

"We would have meetings where we would whiteboard our discussions, and then take pictures of it with our phones and email them out to everybody," recalls Sam. It worked after a fashion, but he knew the business could be more efficient.

While TruVista was continually expanding geographically, its approach to collaboration needed to keep up. Expansion generally meant buying a local provider and adding it as a remote office. But with seven offices and counting, getting everyone to feel like one connected team was tough.

Training leads to instant adoption – and true digital transformation

The Quaversal team organized multiple trainings: one-on-one for senior executives, group sessions for users, and in-depth sessions for IT admins. As well as installing multiple Webex Boards for employees to get their hands on and multiple Webex Room Kits to convert otherwise unused office space, Quaversal set Webex up on each employee’s laptop and walked them through how to use it and how to get the most out of it.

The impact was huge and immediate. “People instantly started using Webex,” says Sam. “It blew me away how quickly everybody adopted it. I was anticipating getting push back from some departments, but that didn’t happen. People were all in.”

“It blew me away how quickly everybody adopted Cisco Webex. I was anticipating getting push back from some departments, but that didn’t happen. People were all in.” – Sam Fitzgerald, Senior Director of Engineering and Design, TruVista

The adoption led to nothing short of a digital transformation, with teams across the business using Webex to meet, collaborate and be productive. It was soon embedded as the new way of working for teams across Engineering, Sales, Marketing, executive leadership, and more.

Specific functions, such as safety training, have been transformed: “TruVista takes a lot of pride in its safety training,” says Sam. “Every week a safety trainer would physically come in and deliver the training. Now they’re doing it remotely—and it’s recorded, so if you miss the training, you can go back and watch it.”

A chance to improve productivity, happiness, and speed

Productivity wasn’t the only thing that improved during lockdown – employee satisfaction increased too. “Employees tell us their stress levels have plummeted, and they’re genuinely happy,” says Sam. “People volunteer to help out. We’ve not only given our team a way to remotely collaborate; we’ve energized our whole team dynamic.”

And employee satisfaction isn’t the only benefit. Webex also creates new opportunities for talent acquisition. The successful switch to home working suggests that some new recruits could work remotely rather than having to move states. That would significantly widen the available talent pool, and be less disruptive for new hires and their families.

Lastly, Webex could make further expansion much swifter. As Sam explains: “We could set up a new remote office overnight. We could order a Webex Room Kit, drop it in there, load some licenses on a laptop, and boom — we have an instant remote office. I think that’s huge.”