How RRG uses Workplace to connect 7,000 people and improve communications
Workplace Leaders: Our regular Q&A with the industry leaders using Workplace to transform how their organizations work
We meet the business leaders who are helping shape the future of work. We ask them to tell us about their Workplace launch. We share examples of how the platform is helping them find new ways of working. And we gain real-life insights into the Workplace experience…
This week we meet Richard Bouligny, CEO of Renault Retail Group (RRG), the retail arm of Renault Automotive. They have 12,000 employees in over 13 countries and 600 locations and have deployed Workplace to their entire company.
The vast majority of their users are frontline workers in car dealerships across Europe and RRG now use Workplace to join over 7,000 of their employees together.
94% of RRG weekly users access Workplace on their phones to stay up to date. They’ve sent over 54,000 posts. And they’ve used Workplace Chat and groups to share over 328,000 reactions as they join and engage in the global conversation.
Why did you choose Workplace?
Workplace connects everyone. Wherever they work and whatever job they do. Even people who have little or no interaction with traditional tools like email. And it was the ability of Workplace to join disparate workers together that resonates with Richard.
“We needed a platform like Workplace that was easy to implement and very intuitive”
“In 2016, RRG was at a turning point. We needed to communicate the changes happening inside the company. With 40% of the staff with no access to professional digital tools, we needed a platform that was easy to implement and very intuitive.”
And Workplace was that platform. By enabling people to take part in global conversations and to connect with wider teams, RRG were able to achieve their goal of improving engagement. And, as Richard puts it, “to recreate a social life, and the sense of belonging to a dynamic company with a European dimension.”
How did the launch go?
The launch went very well. Once they made the decision, Richard and his team were able to move fast and implement a rollout of Workplace within 4 months. “We successfully implemented Workplace in 13 countries. It was an immediate success. In less than one month we already had 40% of our employees on board.”
“Workplace was an immediate success”
The enthusiastic adoption of Workplace meant that RRG saw immediate benefits. People began using groups to share best practices across different locations. The staff at some outlets began to share details about their new approach to private sales of cars. These sales had been very successful. And as the news spread via Workplace it inspired other teams to introduce similar private sales at their outlets.
Workplace enabled global teams to move fast and it helped build a sense of excitement, emulation, and competition. Activities that were instrumental in helping RRG improve their commercial performance.
How has it changed the way you work?
Groups have been a key way to include everyone in the conversation and give them a voice. “With Workplace, we’ve been able to set up working groups and motivate people to join them easily and seamlessly across Europe.”
Workplace allows Richard and his team a significantly better view of things happening all across the business. “We were able to see instantaneously what was happening in the field, which was very insightful for me obviously, but also for all the employees.” And it’s given people a place to join together wherever they work, and space for them to exchange knowledge and help build a shared culture.
“Workplace enables everyone inside the company to share their experience and personal passion”
RRG have used Workplace to identify top performers in the organization. Richard posted an update telling the story of Adrian – a ‘mechanician’ who was achieving productivity of 170% at his outlet in Poland. Richard’s post immediately drew the attention of people across RRG. One mechanic from France replied to ask the leadership team how her Polish colleagues had achieved such success.
After a discussion on Workplace Chat, Richard’s team invited the French mechanic to travel to Poland and spend time with Adrian. To learn how the Polish team was achieving such impressive levels of productivity. And to use Workplace to share the knowledge with the rest of the group.
Richard believes this demonstrates how Workplace helps everyone to benefit from the rich skills and experience of RRG people. And that it enables more effective ways of engaging people than traditional top-down methods.
How can we make Workplace better?
We’re inspired by the feedback our customers give us to make Workplace even better. How does Richard think we can improve?
“We need to better monitor what’s happening on Workplace to improve how we use Workplace even more. The available statistics are not yet sufficient or functional enough.”
And that’s great feedback. Over our first year, we’ve worked hard to provide better metrics for admins so organizations get even more done. And we’ll continue to make even more improvements as we head into year 2.
With thanks to Richard Bouligny, CEO Renault Retail Group.
Watch how using Workplace connects entire organizations.
