Harnessing the power of unifying connectivity in rural Agribusiness

At a Glance

• 95% Employee Retention YOY
• 10% increase in new client enquiries
• 25% increase in repeat business from existing clients

Situation

With a large rural location that houses a majority of their staff and operations, AgriCo rely on an increasingly cloud and internet based plethora of systems and software to complete their research and reports. With many laboratories spread over a two acre facility, there were obvious difficulties with staff keeping in constant contact. This was even more a problem for lone workers. There was a concern for staff who worked around the clock, usually alone, who had no means of regularly confirming their wellbeing. This, coupled with a lack of culture had seen good staff leave the organisation.

A lone worker solution was in place, but relied on either mobile signal or internet Wi-Fi to report back check-ins. Due to their location, neither fast reliable broadband or effective mobile network 4G was available. With vast swathes of bulky machinery and laboratory equipment, as well as the risk of staff attrition in moving to a more suitably located site within a fibre enabled community, AgriCo brought in ROCK to find a solution that was within their budget at their current headquarters.

The poor connectivity didn't just affect staff communication, but also generated constant outages. Administration and finance staff frequently failed to meet deadlines as a result, with this affecting client relationships immensely.

Recommendation

ROCK determined that the AgriCo could benefit from a range of solutions that would protect their staff and day-to-day business operations, without the disruption of moving premises. ROCK identified the following plan:

• Private, secure internet connections that guaranteed speeds of 1Gbps for upload and downloads, coupled with an industry leading service level agreement
• Video Conferencing was installed in a board room and on some of the sales teams laptops, allowing for regular communication around the world with clients to present proposals and updates on reports
• Implementation of a total Wi-Fi system across the site, offering coverage in all laboratories and wide outdoor areas that staff were known to use, based on a detailed Wi-Fi survey and staff interviews
• Working with guidance from AgriCo's relevant Royal Society and legislation pertaining to health and safety regulation, ROCK implemented a lone working solution that was compatible with the Wi-Fi system – requiring regular check ins from staff and alerts to key contacts when a lone worker failed to report via their device

Outcome

Following changes having been made to connectivity infrastructure, changes in employee happiness were seen almost instantly. Staff felt protected even when working alone and, as a result of them having access to fast, reliable internet, missed significantly fewer deadlines. The service level agreement for the internet circuit saw a 600% decrease in issue resolution with a four-hour fix on downtime, compared to the average 22 hours they had been receiving before. However, there were no outages during the first year of implementation, compared to the six in the three months prior to implementation.

Staff also now have access to a guest Wi-Fi network which, post-implementation surveys have shown, has been important to staff satisfaction. When compared to surveys undertaken prior to implementation, it was also revealed that employees were, on average, now 35% happier. Since the changes, AgriCo are pleased to report they've had minimal staff attrition.

Client repeat business has also risen by around 25% in the first year, with clients commenting in feedback that they appreciated the new approach with video conferencing and that deadlines are now consistently met.

*We value our clients and their right to a confidential consultation. While the name has been altered, the results are real.