Corporate Meetings Officer at Shellharbour Council, Allison Bonaz, plays a crucial role in managing meetings, business papers, and agendas for Council. With a multitude of stakeholders involved, including the CEO, directors, executive managers, and authors, the process of coordinating council meetings was becoming intricate and time-consuming.

​

The current meeting systems and procedures were fraught with significant risks. Despite previous attempts to implement meeting management solutions, Shellharbour found none of them user-friendly or capable of enhancing its processes.

​

Allison explains how the introduction of Resolve Meeting Management has revolutionised Council's operations, emphasising that involving the right individuals during the onboarding process ensures a seamless transition.

 

From Complexity to Simplicity: A Journey from 'Nightmare' Processes

As many would agree, the process of creating meeting minutes in Word and then converting them into PDFs, along with cut-and-paste collaborations, usually always leads to formatting issues and increased risk, especially with tight timelines and the requirement to ensure that all council officers had included required information.

​

For the team at Shellharbour Council, adding reports was becoming a "nightmare," prompting Council to seek a more efficient solution. “It was very onerous, I was constantly deleting agendas, and by the time it was all completed, the formatting was all over the place. I knew we needed to find a better way, and I knew we needed to start with a solution that would improve our council meetings and then other meetings down the line.” 

 

"Adding reports was a nightmare. It was very onerous,

I was constantly deleting agendas, and by the time

it was all completed, the formatting was all over the place."

​

Strategic Selection: Navigating Procurement with a Core Team for Implementation

After Allison and the team identified their essential requirements, they engaged with multiple organisations to explore available options. Allison highlights the significance of involving a core team in the procurement process to guarantee comprehensive coverage of all aspects.

“It was important that we had our Management and IT teams involved in the process from the beginning. It allowed them to ask questions that were important to them, understand each solution, and meant they would have complete buy-in, which would assist us during the implementation,” Allison explained.  

After meeting with vendors and trialling various solutions, Allison and her team decided to implement Resolve. Allison emphasises that Resolve won hands down, surpassing competitors in terms of ease of use, flexibility, and meeting all requirements. 

“Resolve was a clear winner for us, and we went through a fairly in-depth process,” she mentioned. “It just suited our council, the way we worked, and we knew the solution, along with the support from Team Redman, was the best fit for us.”

​

"Resolve was a clear winner for us, and we went

through a fairly in-depth process."

 

 

A Smooth Transition and Ongoing Success: Onboarding, Training, and Exceptional Support with Resolve

Throughout the onboarding and training process, Allison said the team felt supported and was grateful for on-site training that allowed all users to truly understand the solution, features, and benefits.

“I really enjoyed the on-site training sessions and felt that the team was gradually allowed to take charge of the solution,” she said. “It made it so easy for everyone to ask questions on the spot, and I really felt that everyone had a “voice” throughout the sessions.” 

Allison now leads training sessions for new staff and recently started onboarding Council’s executive assistants for senior leadership team meetings. 

Once the team started using Resolve, they were immediately impressed with its functionality and user-friendliness. The platform’s intuitive nature empowered users to explore its functionalities independently, contributing to a positive experience.

 

"I really enjoyed the on-site training sessions and

felt that the team was gradually allowed to take charge

of the solution. I really felt that everyone had a voice."

Shellharbour Council soon also became equally impressed with the Redman Solutions Support Team, who were always available to assist with any enquiries. Allison praises them for their ability to respond and act quickly. 

“The Support Team are simply amazing,” she said. “Their quick response times, immediate issue resolution, and user-friendly guidance have made the transition to Resolve seamless for the entire team. When we submit a request, it is answered within minutes, and if someone doesn’t have the answer, they go above and beyond to find it. Our Senior Management Team have also be supportive throughout the process, which is critical to our success."

 

A Seamless Implementation and Positive Reception: The Experience

Shellharbour Council began implementing Resolve mid-June, and held their first council meeting mid-August. The feedback from staff and committees has been overwhelmingly positive. Initially apprehensive, stakeholders left excited after witnessing the user-friendly interface in action. Allison notes that Resolve's familiarity, based on a Word approach, made it less intimidating for users. 

“It didn’t take much to get people on board,” admits Allison. “As soon as people started using Resolve, they were impressed with how easy it was. You don’t need to be a coder to figure anything out; everything looks so familiar because it’s based on a Word approach, and the entire meeting creation process is so much faster - we are so excited about the possibilities.”

​

"It didn’t take much to get people on board. As soon

as people started using Resolve, they were impressed

with how easy it was."

When it comes to the features within Resolve, the team are impressed by the capabilities and looks forward to utilising the platform even more in the future. 

“Currently, all of our business papers, minutes, task management, and actions are seamlessly handled within the platform, and we look forward to making use of more Resolve features in due course.” She said. 

It’s clear that Shellharbour Council's experience with Resolve has transformed its approach to meetings and document management, fostering a more efficient and user-friendly environment. The platform's intuitive design, coupled with excellent support, has enabled Shellharbour Council to overcome challenges and embrace a streamlined and effective solution, and that’s definitely a win!