Onderstepoort Biological Products (OBP) is a biopharmaceutical products provider based in South Africa producing veterinary vaccines within the continent and globally. OBP has been using Convene since July 2021.
Brenda Pelo, the Board Secretariat at OBP, shares their positive experience with Convene in their transition to the paperless and time-saving meeting process.
The Need for a Board Management Solution
OBP has been manually processing its board packs, from compilation to distribution across board and committee meetings. In 2020, the board of directors requested that their legal and secretariat departments look for a solution for improving their meeting process and document management. Moreover, being a National Key Point, OBP has evaluated the risks of information breaches if they continue to operate manually.
The search has been extensive, with consultation from the IT and Procurement Departments. After receiving a couple of quotations from providers, Brenda shared that Convene came out at the top of their list because of its functionalities. What’s more, the recommendation of the Agricultural Research CouncilOnderstepoort Veterinary (Research) Institute (ARC-OVI), who are also Convene clients since July 2021, solidified their decision to proceed with Convene.
Shifting to Paperless Processes
Integrating Convene with their internal processes has significantly improved the efficiency of the OBP Secretariat. Brenda remarked on their smooth transition from paper-based meetings to paperless, which has been beneficial financially and environmentally. “We have now moved to 100% paperless process, with us saving money and ‘chopping lesser trees’. Now, we’re not using any paper at all.”
Meeting Preparation Turns from Chore to Joy
Planning for meetings used to be time-consuming and dreadful, as they had to do it through emails, according to Brenda. But with Convene, the preparation becomes quicker, as it facilitates every step in organizing meetings. The Agenda Builder enables Brenda to populate the agenda, set timeframes, attach documents, and publish the meeting with only a few clicks. “Preparing and distributing board packs is a breeze. It is now more of a joy than a chore. In a nutshell, Convene is quite user-friendly, and it makes the process flow very easy.”
Information Flow in Real-time
The primary success that OBP derived from implementing Convene throughout their meetings is the easier flow of documents across users. Brenda mentioned that information loading is done in real-time, where directors can access information immediately and whenever it is updated.
Convene has allowed OBP to simplify their minutes compilation by providing a template, as opposed to their previous process of writing notes and verifying information through meeting recordings. This has resulted in a shorter turnaround time for the circulation of minutes and faster information access. Apart from minutes-taking, Brenda also gives praise to the Document Library. Storing confidential information has been more efficient, where they can update information in real-time and set access permissions to ensure security.
Up-to-date information flow with Convene also contributed to the increased collaboration of OBP’s board members onsite and online. Brenda noted that this led to shorter, more effective meetings. “The collaboration has been more convenient. We do not need to pick up a call to discuss the document. Once it’s loaded, they are notified and they just comment through the Review Rooms in the Convene app.”
Commendable Security and Support
The OBP, being a National Key Point, prioritizes security above everything else. With Convene, OBP is sure of the security of their information by using Convene’s permissions-based access controls that allow only cleared users to access confidential data. Moreover, Convene gives them complete ownership of the system by letting them control the usage of their documents as well.
Its instantaneousness extends even to the support team. Brenda commended the availability of Convene Support any time of the day, and as a result, “Convene has become part of our OBP family,” she remarks.
The best board decision is to make the switch
Brenda shared how she despised Convene before. “At first, I don’t like the software because maybe it was going to replace me. Looking back, this is the best decision the board of directors could do.” Throughout their integration of Convene in their board and committee meetings, Brenda and OBP have nothing but appreciation for the change Convene brought to their processes.
When asked if she would recommend Convene to other boards and secretaries, Brenda says that it is the best way forward, as “Convene has proven that they are smart, simple, secure, and most importantly, real-time.”
Like OBP, experience increase collaboration and efficiency with an all-in-one board management solution. Get your free trial of Convene today!