GK Software's Board Meeting Organization

Case Study with Thomas Ecker and Sabrina Putscher

Optimize meetings, enhance efficiency and save a lot of time

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The Company

GK is changing the way shopping is experienced. As a global provider of cloud-based software solutions for retail, GK manages store processes and the integration of all sales channels for retail organizations worldwide. Founded in 1990 in Schöneck im Vogtland, today more than 1,200 employees from over 50 nations work in nine countries and cities such as Paris, Johannesburg, and Berlin to develop solutions for comprehensive shopping experiences. Retail companies like adidas, Edeka, Lidl, Aldi, Coop (Switzerland), Grupo Kuo, Hy-Vee, and Walmart rely on GK's innovative retail technologies. With over 550,000 installations in more than 60 countries, GK is one of the fastest-growing companies in the industry. Further information about the company can be found on their website.

The Challenge

In conversation with Thomas Ecker, Chief of Staff, and Sabrina Putscher, Head of Administration, we discussed how they improved their meeting organization with Boardwise.

Let's start from the beginning. How did you come across Boardwise?

Thomas Ecker:

It was through an email from Boardwise at that time. Sabrina and I were in the process of reorganizing because internal changes had increased our workload and added new tasks, such as meeting minutes. Boardwise's email came at the right time.

What were the challenges you were facing back then?

Thomas Ecker:

At that time, we had significant changes in our executive board and supervisory board. As a result, we had more meetings, more committees, more participants, and Sabrina and I had new tasks added. Therefore, anything that could increase our efficiency and reduce our workload was our focus.

What were the reasons for choosing Boardwise?

Sabrina Putscher:

Given the new complexity, the shared data foundation that Boardwise provides was a major advantage. It's much easier to keep track in a shared system than forwarding emails and always ensuring the right people are CC'd. This facilitates collaborative work.

Thomas Ecker:

Also, Boardwise offers flexibility and speed in dividing tasks. For example, I can see directly what tasks Sabrina has already completed. Boardwise allows us to have more flexible task division.

The Solution

You've been using Boardwise for organizing your Executive Board Meetings for several weeks now. How are you currently using Boardwise?

Thomas Ecker:

We use Boardwise for two different types of meetings: the board meetings here in German in a smaller circle and the Executive Board Meetings, which involve more participants and are international. Especially in organizing these Executive Board Meetings, we can fully utilize Boardwise's functionalities. For example, we have significantly improved our management of tasks with Boardwise.

Sabrina Putscher:

And it works very well for our colleagues who submit topics for the Executive Board Meeting.

How is working with Boardwise for you?

Thomas Ecker:

Handling our tasks has become easier. For example, processes are more secure and easier to distribute with Boardwise.

Sabrina Putscher:

Before, we handled everything through emails, Excel sheets, Word documents, and manual updates and transfers. That was more time-consuming than it is today. With Boardwise, I can see everything at a glance and distribute decisions, track tasks, and update accordingly with a click. This naturally increases transparency for meeting participants.

Do you have a favorite feature?

Sabrina Putscher:

I really like using Boardwise to write the agenda. Moving agenda items and the automatic adjustment of subsequent items, I find that very helpful.

Thomas Ecker:

With the agenda, we can plan meetings and their duration much better through automatic time calculations. It's incredibly fast and very helpful for us.

The Results

How much time does Boardwise save you?

Thomas Ecker:

We save a lot of time with Boardwise in the pre- and post-preparatory tasks. In addition, functions like automatic emails save us time, but above all, we can always ensure that all relevant people receive the necessary information.

Finally: What is the best thing about Boardwise for you?

Thomas Ecker:

I particularly like how Boardwise guides you through the processes - we always have absolute process reliability. This is particularly helpful when preparing for various meetings simultaneously.

Sabrina Putscher:

For me, it's also about clarity. When do I have which meetings and where am I in the processing? These are questions I can answer at a glance with Boardwise.