Home News & Insights Tu Wahine Trust revolutionised with Windows Collaboration Display

Tu Wahine Trust revolutionised with Windows Collaboration Display

Tu Wahine Trust is a Kaupapa Māori organisation based in West Auckland Tāmaki Makaurau. They offer korero awhina counselling , therapy and support within the local community. 

Specialising in whanau care, Tu Wahine Trust have been providing support in the community for over 30 years.

Beau Hartwell (General Manager), had been battling with the inconvenience of using whiteboards and markers for note taking. When Auckland was thrust into the grip of another lockdown early 2021, Tu Wahine Trust made the decision to purchase a Windows Collaboration Display in the hopes of streamlining their processes, sharing information more easily and relieving the frustrations of lost or misplaced documents.

“We were old school, using whiteboards, taking a photo on our phone, rubbing it off, writing notes on paper, and it was becoming difficult to keep track of information.”

By identifying exactly what needed to change, Tu Wahine Trust saw an opportunity to utilise Sharp’s leading-edge technology to facilitate intuitive collaboration and increased productivity.

Pain Points

  • Cluttered white boards and marker pens
  • More time spent writing notes in meetings
  • Time consuming manual processes
  • Inability to track and share documents
  • Repetition of information


SolutionBe assured, our services and 

  • Easy to use interactive display
  • Accessible for all levels of the organisation
  • Stakeholder wow factor
  • Instant sharing and improved collaboration
  • Digitisation of manual processes
  • Increased efficiency


The search for a solution.

In the search for their ideal display, Tu Wahine Trust left no rock unturned; from market research to networking, to identify and find a system that would fit their needs and expectations. Firstly, they required a touch-screen solution that would enable document editing, sharing and note taking. Furthermore, they required something big and bold, that was easy to use and easy to move from room to room for meetings, video conferencing and video playback.

Following a meeting with another organisation who had recently replaced their whiteboard with a Sharp touchscreen display, Tu Wahine Trust saw the benefits of having such an interactive yet easy to use system and made the decision to purchase the Windows Collaboration Display.

“We decided on the WCD mainly due to its extensive features. Other brands didn’t have the complete package, and they felt similar to purchasing a big computer screen; but we needed something more interactive and really user friendly.” -Beau Hartwell (General Manager)

 Through contacting Jeff Sundrum at SKOPIK, he was able to introduce the key decision makers at Tu Wahine Trust to Rob Fisher at the Sharp office in Penrose, Auckland. Based on a needs analysis, and a complete walk through of all the Sharp Interactive products, it became evident that the WCD would meet all their requirements, and still be a leading-edge product for many years to come. So, the return on investment was attractive, and the ease of use, along with the bundled software, made the WCD an easy decision.

Tu Wahine Trust have been proud owners of the Windows Collaboration Display since June 2021 and have been using it daily for the last 6 months.


Integration

Understandably daunted by the advanced features and scale of the WCD, Tu Wahine Trust were skeptical on how user friendly it might be for staff who were more accustomed to the traditional whiteboard, with marker pens and paper. However, it soon became apparent that any computer users familiar with basic Windows PC or Mac OS use would have no issues navigating the Windows Collaboration Display;

“When we first started working with the Windows Collaboration Display, we didn’t know what we were doing. But then we realised that it’s just like a PC and it’s really easy to use. Through a single USB-c cable, It extends our desktop, and interfaces with the Camera and Mic, while charging our laptops at the same time”- Leena Newton (IT Support Manager)

Sharp New Zealand is proud to offer extensive, hands-on support on our product range to foster technological advancement and excellence within the workplace. With expert guidance from our local passionate team of specialists, Sharp’s onboarding process allowed for a seamless integration and a trusting, personal relationship to be developed.

“When we went to Sharp, Rob showed us how to use it, went through the features and discussed what the Display would sit on. Rob did an amazing job, we wanted to feel secure as we were spending a lot of money on it – we had confidence in the product once Rob went through the features with us, and we have enjoyed the ongoing support since then.”

-Beau Hartwell


Fit For Purpose

The switch from the out-dated whiteboards and sticky notes to an all-in-one touchscreen display saw immediate benefit for Tu Wahine Trust. Not only was the user interface easy to use, but the vast capabilities for document sharing increased productivity among staff.

“Staff are no longer sitting there focusing on note taking during meetings and not taking in what’s being said. Now, they can see it all on the WCD in real time and they know they are going to get a copy of it straight away.”

Now, the organisation is achieving their goals in a much more time efficient manner.

“Recently we just reworked some contracts and we were able to go through it, pull it apart, save it and then come back to it later. The ease of use and time efficiency of the WCD is amazing.”

One of the many benefits of the Windows Collaboration Display is it’s 4K integrated camera and noise cancelling microphone which has improved video conferencing beyond expectations.

“Before we purchased the WCD we used to do our zoom meetings in different offices, and people would get cut off, or the audio would cut out. We have received so many positive comments asking how we got everyone into the same teams call while staying socially distant, and how clearly our team can hear us, even though we are several metres away from the display.” -Leena Newton (IT Services Manager)

Prior to purchasing the WCD, Tu Wahine Trust struggled to hear team member clearly and often found themselves having to repeat information to confirm the conversation. The Windows Collaboration Displays video and audio enables a much more comfortable experience for meetings while the pen software enables a smarter and more responsive approach to sharing information.

“We use it every day, it’s always turned on, in fact it powers on automatically upon motion detection in the meeting room. We use it in meetings all the time, because you can take minutes, save it, and email it out instantly to everyone in attendance. They can see what we’re doing as we go.”

The End Result

Making an investment in the Windows Collaboration Display has led to increased productivity, better communications, improved collaboration and general engagement.

“Tasks that would have taken four hours are now taking us thirty minutes, and the time that we would have wasted before having the WCD can be put to use on more important work as a result.”

Speaking to Rob Fisher, National Sales Manager at Sharp he had the following response:

“I’m so pleased Beau and her team at Tu Wahine Trust are seeing immediate advantages from this display. In my time here at Sharp, this is clearly the most impressive Interactive display we have ever manufactured. It has iPhone quality touch glass, is fingerprint resistant, and has all the functionality a modern business would need. The fact that it works over Zoom, Teams, or any other VC platform, just highlights the simplicity. It’s a bulletproof product, highly portable on a trolley, and you don’t need to worry about PC updates, or powering off a PC to relocate the display. It’s just a plug and play product, with the added features of sensor and iOT technology. Tu Wahine Trust will enjoy this product for many years to come, and it will continue to remain relevant over time.”

As New Zealand businesses grapple with uncertain times in the wake of Covid-19 there has never been a better time to move away from manual workflows and embrace this technology within the workplace to improve communication. The Windows Collaboration Display is available at Sharp and if you are ready to transform the way you work – talk to us today.