IDRC Case Study
AVI-SPL helps streamline global workplace management with Microsoft Places and Teams Panels rollout.
Organization
International Development Research Centre (IDRC)
Location
Ottawa, CA
Services
Training Services
Solution
Microsoft Places, Microsoft Teams panels
The International Development Research Centre (IDRC) helps researchers in developing countries solve urgent challenges and drive global progress. The organization required a more efficient method to manage hybrid schedules and room bookings across its various locations.
Broken Bookings and Frustrated Users
IDRC’s workplace management system relied on parallel calendars, causing daily headaches.
Users faced inconsistent bookings, incorrect room details, and poor visibility into available spaces. The system caused frequent disruptions and confusion.
Additionally, the platform required admin-level access to remove outdated meetings and lacked floor mapping. As a result, users found it challenging to track what collaboration equipment is in meeting rooms since room information across different tools was inconsistent.
Even minor issues had significant impacts.
“If a meeting room panel went down, users couldn’t check in,” said Paul Levasseur, IDRC’s manager of digital operations and support. “The room would auto-release after 15 minutes, and someone else could book it. We were really eager to return to the Microsoft ecosystem for everything.”
IT turned to Microsoft Places and Teams control panels. However, IDRC wanted a partner to configure and launch this new solution.
Microsoft Places and Teams Panel Mapping and Deployment
Microsoft referred IDRC to AVI-SPL to help customize its Microsoft Places and Teams panel solution and guide the transition.
Design
AVI-SPL Microsoft Places experts collaborated closely with the IDRC IT team to:
- Establish a Microsoft Places hierarchy
- Create and import floor plans and room images
- Configure room information, including room size, seating, and equipment
“[The team] was very responsive and helpful throughout,” said Anne Gadbois, IDRC infrastructure analyst. “It made a big difference to have someone we could work with directly during the rollout.”
IDRC’s AV/UC infrastructure made use of Microsoft Teams Premium and Teams Rooms Pro.
Microsoft Teams Premium enables IDRC to leverage Places Finder.
Places Finder improves the user experience by clearly presenting room and desk availability, helping staff easily locate the resources they need to stay productive.
AVI-SPL ensured all data was integrated accurately and efficiently into the Places environment.
Deployment
AVI-SPL mapped six buildings, eight floor plans, and over 70 meeting rooms for locations in Canada, India, Senegal, Kenya, Uruguay, and Jordan.
To ensure IDRC IT experts could seamlessly transition employees to Microsoft Places, AVI-SPL provided remote ‘train-the-trainer’ sessions. Training covered room setup, photo and metadata updates, floor plan changes, and room use analytics.
Each session gave IDRC’s IT team the tools to educate and support end users with confidence.
“We’re not AutoCAD experts,” said Levasseur. “AVI-SPL gave us options. You handled updates for us, offered documentation on Microsoft’s tools, or referred us to mapping vendors. That flexibility helped lower our total cost of ownership, both now and going forward.”
As part of the larger Microsoft Places launch, AVI-SPL installed Microsoft Teams Panels as scheduling devices. Each panel provides room details and supports easy check-in. The AVI-SPL team provided onsite training sessions to help IT validate room panel behavior and check-in experiences.
Microsoft Rollout Provides Consistency and Control
Microsoft Places and Teams Panels provide IDRC with a simple and dependable way to schedule and coordinate meeting space use.
“The reliability is night and day,” said Levasseur. “Even if a panel goes offline, everything keeps working. That wasn’t the case before.”
AVI-SPL’s design and deployment process gave IDRC better visibility, a smooth room booking experience, and a consistent employee experience—without disrupting day-to-day operations.
“Your team helped us seamlessly implement Places and Teams Panels across the organization without any disruption to employees,” Paul added. “Overall, it was great.”
IDRC now plans to enable an upcoming Places Wi-Fi–based auto-check-in feature called Auto-location Detection and use Microsoft Places data to support hybrid work reporting.
A Workplace Management Platform Ready to Scale
AVI-SPL helped IDRC implement a workplace management platform that is rooted in the Microsoft tools their teams use, such as Outlook, Exchange, and Teams. The seamless launch provides IDRC with a platform designed to grow in tandem with the organization.
The result is a workplace that’s simpler to navigate, AI-ready, easier to manage, and ready for the demands of modern work.
Employees can quickly find available meeting spaces from anywhere without double-booking concerns or equipment surprises.
Additionally, Microsoft Places presents accurate space details and analytics. And the entire system stays in sync.
Curious how Microsoft Places could support your team? Listen to our podcast to find out more.
Could other Microsoft Teams-based solutions serve as the foundation of your future-ready workplace? Connect with us to explore what’s possible!
Whether you need support designing a Microsoft-centric AV/UC ecosystem, rolling it out, training your teams, or extending it to new regions, we’re ready to help.
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