Xella digitizes internal communications with Plusco app

Last month, Xella launched the Plusco app for internal communications. Ms. Mária Sedlačková was in charge of the implementation and we asked her a few questions.  

Mária, how did you communicate with employees before? What channels did you use?

We used to communicate with people in THP positions mainly by email. For people in production, the main tool for us was bulletin boards. Also, for several years we have published a monthly newsletter where we try to give important information and news about what is happening in the company. For example, we have published articles about our reference buildings or company events. It’s something we can be really proud of as we have been publishing the magazine successfully for 6 years. 

Why did you decide to start using Plusco?

We came across the fact that not everyone picks up and reads a printed newsletter. And the biggest problem was that by the time the magazine came out, some of the information was already passé. We couldn’t really put in the latest stuff, just what was in time for the deadline. By the time it came out, it was already out of date. 

That’s why we decided to digitize the communication so that we could share really up-to-date information with employees, in real time, you could say. We want to bring communication into the present.

What else do you expect from the digitalisation of communication?  

We look forward to all employees having access to information, regardless of their position. It is also important to us that everyone gets the same message.

How have you been able to make the investment in digital communication work?

We argued for cost savings. We use Microsoft 365 in the company, but not everyone can have an account because it would be costly. With Plusco, all employees will have access to information and at a significantly lower cost. 

How do you think employees will take to the app?

Thanks to the pilot testing, several employees have already tried the app, shown it to their colleagues and the reaction is mostly, „I want to have that too!“

What are you personally most looking forward to?

I’m looking forward to getting closer to people. We’re going to really reach everyone, regardless of race, country, position. Plus, it’s been challenging to manage communication with employees when they’re not at one plant or in one country.

Thank you very much for the interview.