The NHS Finds Simple SkyDox UI Improves Productivity

The NHS Institute for Innovation and Improvement sees reduced training times and lowered costs by adopting SkyDox’s intuitive yet full-featured platform

The Challenge

The NHS Institute for Innovation and Improvement frequently collaborates across NHS teams and departments to develop guides and publications, in addition to soliciting advice on various projects in order to develop and share best practices in the form of document guides and manuals. They needed a cloud-based collaboration solution to replace their previous collaboration systems, which were too costly and complex for the average employee to manage. The NHS Institute needed the solution to be an intuitive but effective way to organize documents and manage meetings.

The Solution

The NHS Institute for Innovation and Improvement deployed the SkyDox platform to improve their collaborative efficiencies by reducing training time and cutting costs for ICT. The NHS Institute had tried previous collaboration solutions, including email, but found them difficult to manage.
The file-centric nature of the SkyDox platform ensures that all team members sharing a file are accessing a single version of that file. This means that all individuals are working on the most recent file at all times, eliminating those problems inherent with email collaboration methods such as duplicated work efforts as well as clashing feedback and versioning issues. SkyDox also makes version rollback is available at any time so it is easy to revert to previous changes.

The platform is able to upload and store over 200 file types, retaining their original formats so that users can download and edited them later in their original applications, and SkyDox renders many of these formats – including popular file types like those from the Adobe and Microsoft Office Suites – into an online version that can be viewed and commented on using any device with a browser, such as desktop computers, laptops, smartphones, and tablets. The platform is also deeply integrated with Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, and Excel so that users can continue to employ the productivity applications with which they feel most comfortable, eliminating the need for unnecessary and costly training.

“Originally we were using email, but it was a nightmare to manage. The transition to SkyDox was painless,” said Nick Gaunt, Chief Information Knowledge Officer. “The platform required little training and on the few occasions that we have contacted SkyDox’s support line, we were very pleased with their quick and helpful responses. Also, because SkyDox provides all the functionality we need in a single platform, integrates with our existing applications, and has a full-featured free guest user policy, it’s helped our ICT department manage collaboration costs. All in all, we are very satisfied with the benefits SkyDox has brought to the NHS.”

What the NHS Institute for Innovation and Improvement Does…

The purpose of the NHS Institute for Innovation and Improvement is to support the transformation of the NHS, through innovation, improvement, and the adoption of best practice. Their vision is to be an innovative and pioneering center for healthcare improvement, building energy and enthusiasm for evidence-based change in England.

http://www.institute.nhs.uk/

What SkyDox Delivered…

• Files are shared securely in an online workspace structured to enable easy access and distribution.
• Staff can now preview, comment on, and share proposals with other NHS team members and external organizations using any browser-enabled device, including smartphones and tablets.
• Accurate online rendering of over 200 document formats, including formats commonly used for research documents and proposals, such as Microsoft PowerPoint, Word, Excel, and PDF.
• Comments can be tagged to a specific word or free-form area in a document or design, making it easier to clearly indicate where changes are required.
• Access rights can be tailored on a file level to prevent loss of control of confidential information.
• File-centric conference calls and online meetings can be started from a single platform for long-distance meetings.
• Extra-large-file support reduces unnecessary reliance on FTP and unauditable file sharing applications.
• Improved relationships between distributed teams are attained through streamlined collaboration as well as productivity gains.
• Document-level activity feeds and presence indicators improve real-time collaboration between distributed NHS teams and other oraganizations.
• Refined full-text searching with filters allows control over a vast library of files.

Download the Case Study