Globalign, Inc.
English | North America |
Globalign optimizes client and partner communication with GoToMeeting
“We could not run our business without a Web collaboration service, and GoToMeeting is the most affordable choice – nothing else even comes close.”
Scott Koenigsberg, Senior Vice President, Account Management, Globalign, Inc.
To simplify and accelerate outsourcing for mid-market and enterprise companies, Globalign, Inc., a global resourcing company, matches client needs to offshore providers and also handles business arrangements including contracts, billing and reporting. Globalign has built long-term relationships with offshore IT services companies worldwide to ensure high quality, and aggregates client demand for leverage on pricing. The company, which is based in Redwood City, California and employs twenty people, also provides clients with a secure, proprietary governance tool through which offshore workers can access project resources.
The challenge: streamlining communications between clients and offshore workers
According to Scott Koenigsberg, senior vice president of account management, offshoring is continuing to grow in popularity, especially in today’s budget-conscious business environment. However, tackling an offshoring engagement single-handedly can be time-consuming and risky, and that is where Globalign delivers value. “We can get an offshore team up and running in two weeks, using proven talent from more than 200 IT consulting firms around the world. We save the client the time and effort of finding the right people, negotiating the deal and making all the business arrangements. Plus, they have the security of doing business with a US company.” Projects focus on front- and back-end software development and maintenance, as well as corporate recruiting. They typically involve five to ten outsourced workers and last three to six months.Koenigsberg believes that communication is the key to a successful offshoring engagement. “Regular communication between the client and the offshore team – particularly status updates and reviews of interim design work – keeps expectations aligned and prevents problems from escalating. Bearing in mind that cost reduction is the main objective of offshoring, we needed an affordable tool that would enable workers located across the world to collaborate regularly and in real time with clients.”
Globalign tried a variety of Web collaboration tools but was unhappy with their pricing and quality. “We used one product for awhile, but found the screen resolution varied depending on the user’s computer. Also, it was very expensive and the pricing structure called for extra fees, which made things worse.”
When Koenigsberg found Citrix® GoToMeeting® about four years ago, he became a big proponent. “GoToMeeting was exactly what we needed. It has excellent screen resolution, great functionality and offers affordable flat-fee pricing. And now, with the addition of local access numbers and Voice over IP, it’s more cost-effective than ever.”
Implementing GoToMeeting for Web-based collaboration and training
Globalign uses GoToMeeting for a wide range of activities, beginning with client acquisition. “We market and sell our services remotely to clients using presentations delivered in GoToMeeting sessions,” he said. Once a client engages with Globalign, GoToMeeting may be used to train the offshore workers in specific requirements for the job. During the project, the client and offshore team, together with Globalign customer service staff, meet online at regular intervals to discuss issues, review software designs and other materials, and plan next steps. Another use is for troubleshooting: according to Koenigsberg, it’s very hard to resolve software issues unless everyone can look at the same screen at the same time.The company also uses GoToMeeting internally, as its employees are spread around the globe and often work from home or the road. In total, the Globalign team usually conducts more than 20 internal and client/provider meetings per week with both Mac® and PC users.
Adding value to offshoring projects with real-time collaboration
Because Globalign is competing with offshoring providers which market directly to potential clients, the company must offer significant added value. GoToMeeting plays a key role in expediting projects and ensuring that clients are satisfied with the final result. “Staying aligned with client expectations throughout the engagement is essential,” said Koenigsberg. “For example, we set up a project involving development of Flash pages to be launched at a design and marketing show in Las Vegas. When the developers and the client met online to look at the pages, some issues with pixels, font size and click-through functionality immediately became apparent. Because everyone could see the same screen, it was easy to discuss and agree upon a solution and meet the deadline.”Part of Globalign’s value-add lies in keeping expenses down to preserve the inherent cost benefits of offshoring. With its integrated conference call capability, featuring local access numbers worldwide, GoToMeeting is less expensive than competitive offerings, which charge extra for this functionality. “Previously, we were paying $700 to $800 a month for conferencing fees. Not only did GoToMeeting eliminate those costs, but the addition of VoIP to the latest version enables clients and offshore teams to avoid phone charges. We could not run our business without a Web collaboration service, and GoToMeeting is the most affordable choice – nothing else even comes close,” he noted.