OSM’s website project paves the way for closer cross-company collaboration.
Have you ever been at a restaurant and enjoyed an exquisite meal, presented in a welcoming atmosphere, seasoned with competent and efficient service? If yes, you were probably smiling as you and your thoroughly satisfied taste buds left the place, knowing that you will be back for more and likely to recommend the place to others.
A great website should do the same – it must deliver a good experience. In our increasingly tech-savvy world, website user experience is critical for people’s first impression of a brand. Nice appearance is of great value, but it’s even more important that visitors easily find what they’re looking for.
Communication is all about understanding your audience. A user-oriented website, designed to meet the expectations of our prime online audience – our customers – is one of OSM’s key tools for supporting the corporate goal of sustainable growth. Many solutions were considered in the planning process of the project named “Revamp osm.no”. Then a bright mind cut through the crowd of opinions: Why try to reinvent the wheel if a well-functioning “wheel” for online presence has just been launched by our sister company, OSM Aviation?
“We’re a lot more alike then what it seems on the surface level. Although Aviation offer a different service, at our core, we are one OSM. Luckily for us, Aviation’s team were of the same mindset. When we looked to their specialists for guidance on this project – we really didn’t know what to expect – but now a few months down the road – we’re absolutely blown away with their support,” says Global Marketing Manager Kayla Franey.
Aviation gave the project its first major boost of traction by designing a replica of their existing web tool – this platform was debuted in May 2018 where both teams sat together to assess further improvements and management moving forward.
According to Chief Information Officer Andreas Tollaksen, cross-company collaboration is high on the agenda at OSM Aviation, and he states that the website project is a good example of where the two companies can align and benefit from combined efforts:
“Many of our projects have more similarities than differences, and the benefits from collaboration are huge. The website project is a is a perfect example. While the actual content of our websites differs, the underlying technology should be the same. Our appearance online is a natural place to start the alignment process as it concerns the perception of OSM as a group. There are also many other areas where it makes perfect sense to collaborate and align, from branding and marketing, to technology and innovation. And the list goes on and on!”
A traditional competitive approach is often characterized by unwillingness to share and connect, while a more sustainable and modern approach is really all about transparency, cocreation and eliminating organizational barriers. A company’s ability to collaborate is even referenced as “the new competitive advantage”. Technology can be seen as one of the drivers that enables cooperation between people and teams, preparing the ground for evolving a healthy company culture.
“Cross-organizational teamwork is great for building a shared culture, which will only benefit the group long term. From a cost reduction perspective, the idea of identifying areas where we can align and cooperate is an important prerequisite,” notes Tollaksen.
Benedikte G. Øygard, Content Producer for web at OSM Aviation, couldn’t agree more:
“It’s been good to see the progress of this first project, getting to know people a bit more and discovering the potential for further alignment, experience transfer and sharing of resources. I’m convinced that this kind of collaboration will contribute to our businesses stay relevant not only today, but also in the long-term.”