- Case Study -
Universal Robots
"Working with the BDQ team was so seamless"
Laura Studwell | Marketing Director (North America), Universal Robots
Universal Robots implements Asana to improve marketing work management
Main Themes
- Provide uniformity and visibility of all marketing tasks
- Improve workflows for marketing activities such as campaigns, tradeshows,
webinars and lead tracking - Provide a single point of entry for all marketing work related data, as well as
enhanced management reporting
Solutions Featured
Asana | The only work management platform built for scale
Background
Universal Robots, a global leader in robotics, relies on Asana as their primary project management tool. With about 50% adoption of Asana in the Americas, the diverse teams within Universal Robots needed a unified approach to managing their workflows. The Americas Marketing Team faced the challenge of maximizing Asana's capabilities for campaign management, localisation, and collaboration on a global scale. Marketing campaigns are generated at HQ, and then need to be localised. There will also be separate local campaigns. These campaigns are themed on a monthly basis, and it is important to focus to maximise the marketing benefits. Laura Studwell, Director of Marketing (North America) at Universal Robots, said:
“Campaigns are segmented on a monthly basis. We need to make sure that we are all focused on delivering the company initiatives.”
Universal Robots needed to find an Asana Solution Partner that could help them understand how to map their workflows and take advantage of the amazing reporting tools, forms and other dynamic resources Asana has to offer.
In search of a partner to optimize their use of Asana, the Universal Robots Americas Marketing Team interviewed several integrators. They selected BDQ based on our integrated and hands-on approach. BDQ's approach was not just another static program; it was a demo instance that was tailored to Universal Robots' specific requirements. The BDQ team conducted in-depth 1-1 sessions with each team member. This interactive approach involved team members actively working in a Mural board, fostering engagement and excitement. This technique, while seemingly simple, proved highly effective in uncovering critical needs that team members were not initially aware of.
During these sessions, BDQ identified Asana's value-add functionalities specific to Universal Robots' needs. They presented suggestions that immediately resonated with the team, showcasing the value of working with an experienced integrator like BDQ. These insights ranged from maximizing reporting tools to creating efficient workflows for localized campaigns. To ensure the long-term success of the Asana rollout, Universal Robots and BDQ jointly decided to appoint a Super User. This team member received a deeper dive into Asana's technical functionalities. The Super User would serve as a champion within the team, promoting best practices and supporting the ongoing use of Asana.
“It takes a whole team to bring a project to fruition. The
visibility and collaboration that we get with Asana is crucial”
Laura Studwell | Marketing Director (North America), Universal Robotics
Solution
BDQ initiated a comprehensive process, beginning with interactive discovery workshops. These sessions utilized our rapid discovery process to gain deep insights into Universal Robots' operations. Through collaborative efforts, BDQ and Universal Robots identified areas for improvement and efficiency gains. BDQ swiftly moved to implement tailored workflows and custom fields within Asana. These configurations were designed to deliver enhanced reporting insights and increased visibility for both team members and management. The focus was on optimizing marketing operations, including:
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Tradeshows and Roadshows: Streamlined creation, management, and post-event metrics tracking.
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Webinars: Efficient planning and execution of webinar events.
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Marketing Campaigns: Comprehensive tracking and management of marketing initiatives.
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Partner Onboarding and Administration: Simplified processes for partnering with external entities.
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Social Media Campaigns: Effective management and tracking of social media initiatives.
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Newsletter Development: Seamless creation and management of newsletters.
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Lead Tracking: Enhanced tracking mechanisms for leads and conversions.
Universal Robots often collaborates with external partners to augment its capabilities. BDQ addressed this need by creating customized forms with branching logic. These forms enabled Universal Robots to capture meaningful information from external parties in a controlled and efficient manner, enhancing communication and efficiency.
“Asana will let us manage work if users are out for prolonged periods. Using Asana to manage work makes it easy to spot critical dates and dependencies, and reassign work as required.”
Laura Studwell | Marketing Director (North America), Universal Robotics
Outcome
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Improved Visibility and Reporting Insights: With the implementation of customized workflows and fields, the Universal Robots marketing teams gained unparalleled visibility into their operations. Detailed reporting insights allowed for better decision-making and strategic planning.
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Efficiency and Accountability: The tailored workflows optimized efficiency within the teams. Assigning tasks, tracking progress, and managing deadlines became streamlined processes, improving overall productivity. Team members were able to take ownership of their tasks, fostering a culture of accountability.
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Streamlined Collaboration: The use of custom forms facilitated seamless collaboration with external partners. Information was captured in a structured manner, ensuring accuracy and completeness. This enhanced collaboration resulted in smoother execution of projects and campaigns.
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Tailored Solutions for Marketing Success: By focusing on marketing operations, Universal Robots achieved a cohesive approach to their campaigns. From event management to social media campaigns, each process was optimized for maximum impact and efficiency.
“We estimate 130% improvement in terms of workload and efficiency vs using spreadsheets, emails and phonecalls to coordinate work, which will let us get more done, with less - a significant USD saving.”
The partnership between Universal Robots, Asana, and BDQ has yielded significant benefits in optimizing marketing operations. The customized workflows, driven by BDQ's expertise, have provided a structured and efficient framework for managing diverse marketing activities. Enhanced visibility, streamlined collaboration, and improved reporting insights have empowered the teams to excel in their campaigns. Universal Robots now stands poised for marketing success, equipped with tailored solutions that align with their specific needs and objectives. This case study showcases the power of a strategic partnership and a customized approach in leveraging Asana for organizational excellence.
“Working with the BDQ team was so seamless, the highlights were their rapid discovery process that used interactive
dashboards, the knowledge from their consultants, and the fast delivery of prototypes so that we could see if the solution met our expectations.”
Laura Studwell | Marketing Director (North America), Universal Robotics
More Information
About Laura Studwell
Laura Studwell is the Director of Marketing, North America for Universal Robots. With 13+ years of experience in the automation industry, her focus is on how automation and robotics provide tangible benefits in manufacturing. Through her career, she has recorded over 200 engagements for 50+ publications and currently serves on PMMI’s Global Marketing Committee and is an active member of IoPP, OMAC and the Packaging & Processing Women’s Leadership Network. Laura holds an MBA from Northern Illinois University and received accreditation in Women in Leadership from the Lake Forest Graduate School of Management.
About Universal Robots
Universal Robots is a leading provider of collaborative robots (cobots) used across a wide range of industries and in education. Founded in 2005 and headquartered in Odense, Denmark, and with North American headquarters in Novi, MI, Universal Robots aims to create a world where people work with robots, not like robots. Its mission is simple: Automation for anyone. Anywhere.
Since introducing the world’s first commercially viable cobot in 2008, Universal Robots has developed a product portfolio reflecting a range of reaches and payloads and has sold over 75,000 cobots worldwide. An extensive ecosystem has grown around the company’s cobot technology creating innovation, choice for customers and a wide range of components, kits and solutions to suit every application.
About BDQ
BDQ is a trusted consulting firm specializing in digital transformation and technology solutions. With a focus on empowering organizations to optimize their processes and achieve excellence, BDQ provides expert guidance and support in implementing solutions like Asana for maximum impact.
We help our customers work and collaborate better through the use of technology. Our staff are either technologists or management consultants, and we partner with companies who have great technology. Where possible, we prefer to specialise in particular technologies, to give customers the best possible results