The AAS journey towards excellent meetings
Challenge
There were too many meetings with too many participants, and individual preparation suffered. For participants, there was often frustration and a lack of relevance.
How we help
AAS was able to reduce the time spent on meetings by half, as well as the number of participants. Satisfaction and employee well-being have increased as a result.
For many companies, meetings are still a journey without a clear destination: Structures are too limiting, processes too inefficient, and technical capabilities are not used. There is a lack of preparation and many participants feel that they cannot make adequate contributions.
Airline Assistance Switzerland (AAS) is also deeply familiar with these problems. "There tended to be too many meetings, and the wrong people in them," Dieter Streuli, CEO at AAS, reflects. "Those who were able to make a contribution were also suitably well prepared — the others were not." As a result, he says, the topics were not relevant for many participants. A situation that inevitably leads to frustration.
The process comes first
Against this background, Dieter Streuli identified an acute need for action — and set out to find the right solution. In addition to a centralised system with a good structure, the creation of digital circular resolutions and excellent compliance were also highly important.
After having decided to implement a meeting management solution, the AAS CEO is highly satisfied with Sherpany as a meeting management solution.
The software works in a very structured way, there are clear decisions and the compliance issue is addressed very well.
However, Dieter Streuli also knows that implementing a software solution is only half of the task. "[Software] should support a process, but not command it." The central challenge, he says, is to shape this process — the path to efficient meetings.
22 steps towards excellent meetings
The framework for this is called Excellent Meeting Journey: 22 action points, defined by Sherpany, that companies can use to continuously optimise their meetings.
Corporate coach Christian Bless helped AAS to rethink their approach to collaboration. "He did a wonderful job connecting us with Sherpany." Essentially, he said, Christian Bless helped the AAS to get the most out of Sherpany. "That was very valuable because he knows both us and Sherpany well."
Now, the AAS is very much oriented towards the Excellent Meeting Journey — step by step. This takes time: After all, according to Dieter Streuli, you can't simply change an organisational culture with two workshops. However, AAS already sees positive changes with Mr. Streuli commenting: "We are gradually working our way up.” A clear goal has been defined: An outstanding meeting culture.
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The right tools for building a house
Dieter Streuli compares the entire process to building a house. "We have now developed an idea and know what this house looks like — and Sherpany is the toolbox for us." The CEO already knows where he wants to go. "I want Sherpany — sooner or later — to become our central information, decision-making, and discussion platform." Accordingly, AAS has already expanded the number of Sherpany users.
I no longer accept meetings without a Sherpany set-up.
"Licence to kill" saves time
The journey continues, but the milestones achieved are already significant. In particular, Dieter Streuli highlights the enormous time savings: By halving the number of participants, the time spent on meetings has also been halved. In this context, the CEO also mentions the so-called "licence to kill": Superfluous meetings — without any concrete benefit — are consistently cancelled. In addition, anyone who feels they have nothing to contribute is allowed to leave the room immediately.
More motivation and healthier meeting culture
This time saving also creates motivation and a healthier culture overall. "People are no longer sitting around somewhere, bored and feeling stale at the end of the day." Instead, they can benefit from having more free time on their hands. This, in turn, increases greater satisfaction and enhances employee well-being.”
Meanwhile, Sherpany has clearly arrived at the AAS. Dieter Streuli has no trouble setting the tone: "I no longer accept meetings without a Sherpany set-up." And the journey to excellent meetings continues.
Learn more about AAS and excellent meetings in our video.
Are you facing the same challenges in your company? We can help
About the AAS
Airline Assistance Switzerland (AAS) provides ground handling services at airports. This ranges from passenger services, to station and load control, to ramp and baggage sorting services. Within a short period of time, AAS has grown by new airports all over Europe and is proud of the diversity and motivation of its 1,000 employees.
We would like to thank Dieter R. Streuli, CEO at Airline Assistance Switzerland, for the open and honest conversation.
