Pivotal Communications

Pivotal Communications is a Kalamazoo, MI-based marketing and PR firm. It is one of two agencies serving Four Winns - one of the top 5 recreational marine manufacturers in this country. Pivotal serves numerous other clients as well.

Pivotal Communications needed an easy way to share marketing documents online with Four Winns, its other agency and Pivotal’s other clients.

Four Winns generates a large amount of marketing communications material in a short period of time. “This major boat manufacturer has used multiple creative resources, and, in the past, the problem has always been keeping everybody on the same page,” says John Sadowski, Owner of Pivotal Communications. Pivotal handles the electronic development for Four Winns: video, web site, web tools, and e-learning and e-training resources. Another agency is providing mostly print materials.

Both Pivotal and Four Winn’s other agency work from common designs, layouts and common file sources. So, the ability to use an online site as a place to store and access these files would help both agencies be more efficient and responsive.

Pivotal Communications, its client Four Winns and Four Winns’ other agency are all using WebEx WebOffice to share documents and collaborate online.

"WebEx WebOffice has allowed Pivotal to leverage web technology to provide a greater range of services to its clients."

- John Sadowski, Owner of Pivotal Communications

“WebEx WebOffice has provided a documents resource and sharing repository that’s absolutely phenomenal,” says Sadowski.

WebOffice has become the center and the hub of Pivotal’s operations, helping centralize and coordinate the sharing of data and creative marketing material for greater efficiencies within the agency. WebOffice has also allowed Pivotal to leverage web technology to provide a greater range of services to its clients.

Pivotal Communications’ staff of 6, its cadre of 12 freelancers, its independent suppliers, its client, Four Winns and Four Winns’ other agency can all readily access information, and leave documents, layouts and graphics on Pivotal’s WebOffice site to expedite service.

Although the Four Winns’ marketing materials are coming from different agencies, they have to feel and look like they are coming from a single client and manufacturer. “The WebOffice site has been very positive and valuable in that respect,” says Sadowski.

WebOffice also facilitates staff scheduling. Sadowski synchronizes Microsoft Outlook to the WebOffice calendar and synchronizes his PDA, via Outlook. He also uses the WebOffice Task Manager internally, because it synchronizes to his PDA.

The Document Manager works well in tandem with the WebOffice Calendar. “I’ll be on a photo shoot, on location, for the next two weeks. A lot of our preparation work, preliminary layouts, catalogues and shot lists are in the WebOffice Document Manager. I can access it from anywhere. It’s a really positive resource,” Sadowski says.

“WebOffice is in tune with what businesses are looking for. We’re a small business, and the functionality this provides is really important to us, and Four Winns is finding that functionality is every bit as appropriate for a large company as well. I also think WebOffice is very fairly priced and flexible in its pricing.”

“WebOffice is a very easy system to administer and manage,” adds Sadowski. “One of my colleagues at Four Winns is sharing administrative responsibilities with me and I’m teaching him how to set up permissions and document folders — with very little coaching. WebOffice has a very nice Help system and he was able to quickly get very comfortable and set up his own procedures and permission systems.”