Global fintech firm Finastra set out to create a robust virtual collaboration infrastructure to reduce internal travel, ensure business continuity, increase employee productivity, and drive program savings. This case study details how adoption campaigns from Advito helped.
Challenge
Finastra announced a major sustainability initiative in 2019: to bring the company to carbon neutrality by 2030. This meant the need for cutting-edge solutions to reduce non-essential travel became clearer than ever. With the help of experts at Advito, Finastra was ready to meet the challenge, ensuring the right tools and communications were in place for would-be travelers to remain productive, safe, and satisfied from anywhere in the world.
Solution
When assessing Finastra’s meeting practices, Advito discovered that in 2018, nearly 43% of travel was for internal meetings rather than client-facing or revenue generating travel. They ran an integrated campaign to promote replacing internal travel with virtual meetings. The campaign’s aim was to set new expectations for travelers and make it clear when it is necessary to travel, and when it isn’t. It also aimed to educate travelers on ways to increase productivity with the right virtual tools, leading to increased satisfaction and improved work-life balance.
Advito created adoption campaigns with key messaging centered around contributing to sustainability initiatives and realizing significant cost savings. Together, Finastra and Advito set ambitious goals and put regular measurements in place to ensure they stayed on track and produced tangible results for all stakeholders.
Results
Over the course of the campaign, Finastra was able to cut travel spend by nearly 50%. Travelers were quick to adopt the virtual tools, and the percentage of internal travel decreased from 43% at the onset of the campaign to just 9.8% at the end of the four months. Year over year that meant:
- 11% reduction in travel in 2019 vs. 2018
- US$3.7 million reduction in travel spend
- 2,500 less flight taken in 2019 than 2018
- 4 million kg less carbon emissions
“Our travelers are excited to contribute to the success of our sustainability initiatives,” said Mauro Ruggiero, Director, Travel Management. “And, even more importantly, our early transition to virtual collaboration has allowed for business continuity as employees shift to working from home during the COVID-19 pandemic. It has ensured that our employees can conduct business safely and stay healthy, and that’s the most important thing we could ask for.”
The savings demonstrate how shifting internal travel to virtual meetings has a significant impact on reducing costs and carbon footprint.
