Qodea Lights Up Schiedel Chimney Systems With Google Workspace

Schiedel is Europe’s number one flue and chimney manufacturer. A global brand with over 75 years of experience in chimney technology, Schiedel operates in over 20 countries and provides innovative, high-quality solutions and materials, promoting the safe and efficient use of renewable wood-burning stoves.

95% training recommendation

800+ training registrations

38 locations covered

The Challenges

With their parent company, Standard Industries, rolling out Google Workspace across the business, Schiedel saw challenges in running a mixed environment. Schiedel embarked on a project to roll out and train its staff on Google Workspace as the primary collaboration platform. Change at this scale can present challenges such as disruption for employees, so achieving a seamless transition was crucial.

Legacy processes such as complex spreadsheets, integrations with on-premise systems, and a third-party document management system were in need of an overhaul. To ensure their global employees were comfortable moving from one platform to another, Schiedel approached Europe’s leading Google Partner, CTS, for support.

The Solutions

Schiedel was required to eliminate 85% of Microsoft Office licences within 8 months of Qodea’s initial training. With around 750 users across 38 locations, speaking different languages, this was no mean feat, but the Qodea team was up to the challenge. A bespoke training programme was designed to fit the organisation’s needs and was delivered by Qodea's network of trusted, international trainers in users’ local languages.

The courses covered topics from the Fundamentals of Google Workspace course, including the use of Drive in conjunction with AODocs, to an Advanced Google Sheets course for power users. Schiedel also used the 25-minute bite-sized micro training for Google Sheets in German and English which covered specific features and workflows – a snappier option for people with busy schedules.

The Results

As a result of the training programme, Schiedel successfully had 834 training registrations, with 95% of employees recommending the training to a colleague. Post-adoption, CTS remains a continuous support system for Schiedel and its goals moving forward.

“Having no previous relationship with any one Google partner, Schiedel made an inquiry via the Google Cloud Partner Directory. They needed training in all local languages and CTS was able to provide solutions that were both culturally and technically suited. We’re thrilled that we were able to deliver the project seamlessly.” commented Tim McLardy, Lead Google Workspace Trainer, CTS.