About the BRK rescue service and the regional office
The Bavarian Red Cross (BRK) is one of the largest rescue service providers in Bavaria and Germany. Around 6,300 salaried employees and 15,000 volunteers are on duty daily to help in emergencies and save people. The BRK district associations coordinate on-site rescue service operations. The rescue service's central department in Bavaria, in turn, is part of the BRK's national head office and takes care of overarching issues - including financing, quality management, procurement, and much more.
The initial situation
The central department of Bavaria's rescue service faces an intense day-to-day workload. Eight control centers at different locations manage IT projects, financial matters as well as the procurement of vehicles, equipment, and clothing, among other things. For digital collaboration, the BRK used several software solutions - including Microsoft Teams. The idea was to replace this patchwork of individual solutions with a comprehensive tool.
Michael Höhnel – Team Air and Land Rescue, Rescue Service Department
"We were looking for a digital system that would allow us to work across teams, meet the basic requirement of data protection in Germany and help us with the overview and abundance of tasks," says Michael Höhnel, Air and Land Rescue Team, Rescue Service Department. In addition, the collaboration with external parties needed to be simplified, as previously individual user profiles had to be created at great expense, and rights had to be assigned across many different platforms.
Switch to Stackfield proves its worth from the start
Stackfield has been in daily use at the control center since 2016. Initially, the tool was only used by Michael Höhnel's team, however, it quickly proved its worth in everyday work and other employees from other departments gradually joined in. Thus, Thomas Groß's team, Air and Land Rescue, Technical Assistance Rescue Service, Office of the Advisory Board Rescue Service, and ARGE Rescue Service, the Rescue Service Department, became aware of Stackfield through his colleague and long-time Stackfield user Höhnel. "It was easy and great to learn all the tips and tricks and possibilities directly from Michael - internally, we also like to call him the 'father of Stackfield'," says Groß, giving insights into the launch with Stackfield.
All important functions in one place
For the BRK rescue service, a major plus point when making the decision involved how many essential functions were covered by the tool.
„There are several features in Stackfield that we like and that support us in our daily work. My personal favorites: general clarity and the search function. I can specifically search for keywords in rooms and conversation histories. In a protocol or a note, it's quick and easy to search for information. A great additional value.“
Another example comes from a colleague who uses Stackfield primarily for documentation and can now easily access all important information in one place. Here, one key function is in constant use: the setting for recurring tasks. Recurring tasks mean important deadlines and applications do not become a time problem or an unpleasant surprise. Every day, the most important reminder appears in the dashboard and via mail. " It is absolutely worth it. We haven't found anything similar anywhere else. As simple as it may be, as important it is for us in everyday life." Höhnel adds, "It works so well across teams that every eligible person gets the appropriate reminder." Furthermore, the teams appreciate all the regular updates and new features that are introduced within the software. "Stackfield is constantly evolving."
Always up to date - even on the road
The majority of the team is usually on business trips all over Germany - which is of course only possible to a limited extent at the moment due to the Corona pandemic. Therefore, everyone only meets once a week for a team meeting and exchanges all relevant information directly. A digital solution that keeps everyone up to date throughout the week is absolutely essential.
„This way, we talk about the same content and document in the same tool. A relief for everyone.“
Task management can be this simple
The more tasks there are, the greater the risk that important information will get lost or can no longer be found - but things are different with Stackfield. The software allows Thomas Groß's team to optimally manage all upcoming tasks. "I can assign subtasks to each task and assign them again individually, which allows individual work steps to be delegated in a targeted manner within the team." In addition, everyone gets a real-time insight into the current status of a task.
Thomas Groß – Team Air and Land Rescue, Technical Assistance RD
Groß keeps control over the projects as well as via his individual dashboard in Stackfield. By saving the most important filters as favorites, he gets a personalized overview of all upcoming events and tasks with just one click.
During the initial switch from Microsoft Teams to Stackfield, the team had to transfer some tasks to the new software. The effort was minimal, there were no problems switching to the new tool - and the work paid off in a very short time.
Efficient and simple collaboration with external parties
Stackfield is not only used within the BRK team, the association has many touchpoints with external parties as well. Before the software was introduced, individual user profiles had to be created, information obtained across multiple platforms, and rights assigned separately. What used to be very cumbersome and time-consuming now happens in Stackfield within a few minutes. External people are now conveniently invited into the tool and directly benefit from the advantages of the tool.
An example: In projects, the central department of the Bavarian rescue service is repeatedly responsible for ensuring that all participants have access to the respective IT solution. "For a large joint venture for the ministry, we added the municipal representatives to the platform in addition to our team. The collaboration not only started immediately but also went smoothly," reports Höhnel.
From support to data protection: the all-round carefree package
When asked what Höhnel and Groß find exceptional about Stackfield, both quickly agree: the customer support. "Always satisfying, always individual, always helpful," Höhnel praises. "I don't end up on some support hotline and have to wait forever for an answer. I get help very quickly," emphasizes Groß. Especially the live chat within the tool is appreciated and used by both.
Ultimately, Stackfield not only maps everything around team collaboration but also gives BRK's emergency services peace of mind when it comes to data protection. "There's a catch to it. We don't have to worry about anything other than going over all the important agreements with our data protection officer once a year - on time, of course, since we have the reminder function activated."
Thomas Groß has one more recommendation:
„Often people ask 'How do you guys manage all these tasks?" I would always recommend Stackfield to other charities - because if you use a software and you are convinced, you automatically recommend it!“