Quo Vadis Property Management converts industrial-use warehouses into high-end loft-style office space. Given the distributed nature of the construction business, Natalie Voland, the Quebec company’s president, needed a way to make sure her staff of 22 full-time employees could communicate quickly and easily.
Voland began using a BlackBerry smartphone about six years ago to keep tabs on company doings while she was on maternity leave. Voland became such a believer that she bought Research in Motion smartphones for her entire staff [2], and the devices are the first things she issues to new employees.
The Quo Vadis team uses the BlackBerry Torch 9800 [3], a slider phone that includes both a touch screen and a keypad. But it’s the BlackBerry Messenger (BBM) feature that’s critical to Quo Vadis’ workflow. Voland keeps multiple BBM groups on her phone — including administration, accounting and construction — and can send mass messages quickly. It also enables instant problem solving, she says.
“A pipe burst during a new construction project while I happened to have been in Germany,” Voland says. “My construction person has a BlackBerry, took a picture of the pipe and where it broke. I got the picture and knew exactly what needed to be done, and I sent back an e-mail immediately, giving him instructions. I think that took all of about 15 minutes, and that saved me money.”
Voices
