How Liebherr significantly increases the efficiency of online meetings with Collaboard.

Online meetings, digital workshops, communication between office and home office – the everyday collaboration in teams is becoming increasingly important and is a decisive factor for the competitiveness of companies. Complex topics and projects, as well as the pressure to be innovative, are constantly growing demands that internationally operating companies are confronted with.

The cross-location exchange is time-consuming and tiring when employees do not have the right tools available. Video & chat are just the beginning and merely form the foundation for more effective collaboration.

Liebherr employs over 50,000 people worldwide, organized in 11 different business sectors and 140 companies. A few years ago, Liebherr decided to introduce the online whiteboard Collaboard as a strategic element of the group-wide collaboration strategy.

Collaboard is a Swiss online whiteboard and collaboration solution, which is particularly distinguished by its simplicity, security, and adaptability.

In this report, you will read why Liebherr chose Collaboard, which processes and activities were significantly improved with Collaboard, and what thousands of users regularly use Collaboard for.

How does Collaboard help to improve internal and external collaboration on a daily basis?

An internal survey at Liebherr has shown that Collaboard is primarily used to improve collaboration in online meetings and various workshop formats. The main benefit of the online whiteboard is the visualization of content and its versatile applications in various activities that frequently occur in meetings and workshops.

By visualizing content, it becomes tangible and open for discussion, which significantly enhances the effectiveness of the exchange. Complex issues can be depicted in a "big picture" on the infinitely large digital whiteboard space, making them easy to understand.

Collaboard becomes a bridge between the office, home office, and various locations, serving as a central hub where important information is quickly and easily accessible. It's similar to the bulletin board of the past, only digital and accessible from anywhere – a digital meeting point.

One of the respondents aptly described how he improves his collaboration with Collaboard:

"Compared to other tools, the Collaboard whiteboard offers a quick overview of complex topics. It is excellent in presentations, but especially in workshops and brainstorming sessions, and also for taking minutes. I have about 20 boards for myself and also with other people, including those at other locations.

Maximizing Efficiency with Collaboard: Identifying Key Work Processes and Areas of Significant Time Savings

To gain a more precise understanding of where, apart from visualization, time savings and advantages arise from using Collaboard, we had the following statements evaluated by the respondents:

Our online meetings have become more efficient through the use of Collaboard.

Over 80% of respondents agree with the statement that their meetings have become more efficient with Collaboard.

Collaboard helps me save time in the preparation and follow-up of meetings.

40% of respondents save time with Collaboard when it comes to preparing for and following up on meetings.

Using Collaboard makes our online meetings more engaging.

80% of respondents agree that with Collaboard, online meetings have become more engaging.

The results of the survey suggest that Collaboard significantly contributes to improving the effectiveness and efficiency of meetings at Liebherr.

Furthermore, online meetings have become more engaging with the use of Collaboard, which is a non-negligible factor considering the high number of meetings we attend today.

In many organizations, particularly after the COVID-19 pandemic, a fatigue associated with online meetings (Zoom Fatigue) has developed, which can be effectively countered with an online whiteboard.

What is Collaboard used for? What are the most prominent use cases?

The survey identified the following main use cases for Collaboard:

Over 90% of respondents indicated that they use Collaboard for brainstorming sessions and in workshops.

80% stated that they use Collaboard in meetings, particularly for strategy sessions.

58% use Collaboard to create mind maps, as well as to visualize processes and workflows using flowcharts.

Other use cases for which Collaboard is employed include presentations and traditional minute-taking during meetings.

The survey results clearly demonstrate the versatility of Collaboard's usage, revealing different use cases across various departments and roles.

Covering such a wide range of applications with a single tool offers numerous advantages for Liebherr. There's no need to procure and learn a new tool for each individual use case. Synergistic effects emerge quickly, leading to a clearly measurable rapid return on investment.

How often is Collaboard used

We were also interested in how frequently Collaboard is used at Liebherr. For which users has it become the go-to tool for online collaboration, used daily, and who uses Collaboard only occasionally.

The results of our survey show that 20% of respondents use Collaboard daily. 60% start the online whiteboard several times a week, and 20% collaborate with Collaboard several times a month.

The high level of usage underscores Collaboard's importance for Liebherr and its high acceptance among users. The more people work with it and benefit from the advantages of Collaboard, the greater the positive impact on online collaboration.

Collaboard's Groundbreaking Training Program: Driving High Engagement and Usage

Introducing new tools in large international corporations presents challenges for both internal IT and tool manufacturers. Collaboard and Liebherr have jointly developed a training program that quickly enables employees to implement modern work methods with the online whiteboard.

This approach followed the key-user concept, leading to the creation of "Collaboard Buddies." These are individuals who are knowledgeable beyond the basic functions of Collaboard and are also conceptually and methodologically trained on how online whiteboards can effectively improve meetings and workshops.

Additionally, regular “Collaboard On-Air” events are held. At these events, interested users gather to exchange ideas, ask questions, provide feedback, and express their wishes.

Everyone Gets the Opportunity to Visualize Their Ideas and Thought Processes

Benedikt Röthlin,
Organisation & IT:

"I primarily use Collaboard in online meetings. One area where Collaboard consistently proves its worth is a problem familiar from video chats: as a group, we discuss the same points seemingly endlessly, and while the outcome is accepted by participants, it is not fully embraced. Here, Collaboard is immensely helpful. Everyone gets the opportunity to visualize their ideas and thought processes within the context of the discussion. This makes it easier for all participants to see, understand, and consider different perspectives for a comprehensive solution. Consensus is often much easier to achieve this way, and it's also more sustainable than in a pure video chat."

Why Did Liebherr Specifically Choose Collaboard?

In selecting Collaboard, the following four factors were crucial for Liebherr:

Ease of use for users.
The general tools and elements available on the whiteboard.
How Collaboard supports the work of facilitators.
Technical and administrative aspects, as well as the central point of IT security.

Collaboard excels in all categories. Its simple and clean user interface, available in over six languages, enables users to become productive with Collaboard in just a few minutes. The comprehensive selection of elements - from sticky notes to images, documents, and videos - supports versatile use across different departments and organizations. Facilitators appreciate, in addition to the sophisticated voting function, the ability to present directly in Collaboard and to pin, lock, or temporarily hide content on the board.

In terms of IT security, Collaboard stands out as one of the safest online whiteboards, offering various hosting options and certifications that underscore its high security standards.

Additionally, Single Sign-On provides easy access with existing accounts for all Liebherr users, and further integrations for automated User-LifeCycle Management offer corresponding flexibility and efficiency in IT processes around Collaboard.

Beyond all these advantages and aspects, price is also a significant factor. Collaboard's flexible pricing policy, combining licensed, free, and guest users, makes it a very attractive solution that can be deployed with full cost control within the company.

"We at Collaboard are grateful and proud that Liebherr has chosen our online whiteboard solution, becoming one of our many enthusiastic customers. Through the survey results, we aim to quantify the benefits that Collaboard brings." - Michael Görög, Co-Founder of Collaboard

Are you also facing the introduction of an online whiteboard or considering a switch from your existing solution? Feel free to contact us, and we will advise you openly and honestly, in line with the lived values of Collaboard.