These features enable diverse teams at MGM properties to seamlessly collaborate and overcome physical barriers, regardless of their geographic dispersion.
The transition to Teams aligns well with MGM’s existing focus on innovation, according to Hubert Wang, President & Chief Operating Officer at MGM. “Microsoft Teams not only improves our organisation’s connectivity, but also greatly enhances our overall work efficiency,” he says.
“We have a huge workforce between the MGM MACAU and MGM COTAI properties,” says Ringo Cheang, Executive Director of Talent Development at MGM. “Before each shift, we need to brief 300 employees on any information they need to perform better during their shift. This includes updates on major activities, events, or changes to procedures.”
Cheang recalls that conducting these briefings in person posed a significant logistical challenge. It was not an easy task to accommodate hundreds of employees in a room and ensure that they arrived early to receive the latest information.
The introduction of a more streamlined and efficient method, such as using Microsoft Teams, has the potential to alleviate these challenges. It enables virtual briefings that can be accessed by employees from different locations, thereby saving both time and resources.
“With Microsoft Teams, our frontline workers now receive pre-shift briefings on their personal devices. This allows them to arrive at work fully equipped with all the necessary information to start a successful shift right away,” he says.
Cheang highlights another significant benefit of using Microsoft Teams: its effectiveness in training employees. By using Teams, MGM can instantly share training videos with all relevant employees. This enables employees to watch the training at their convenience, saving valuable time and resources that would otherwise be spent on coordinating in-person training sessions.
Winnie Ho, Vice President of Digital & Technology Solutions at MGM, is dedicated to exploring how technology can enhance employee performance and well-being. Recognising the need for workplace collaboration tools that match the ease and intuitiveness of the apps employees use in their personal lives, Ho aims to bridge this gap.
Ho says, “When employees started using chat tools such as WhatsApp and WeChat, they were delighted and wondered, ‘Why can’t we have something like this in our workplace?'”
“We wanted to provide our employees with a simple and highly secure means of collaboration. We recognised the potential of Teams to meet our goals and offer a smooth, secure and integrated platform for workplace collaboration.”
MGM initially implemented Teams to facilitate communication among dispersed employees. However, the scope of the tool quickly expanded to include integrations with commonly used applications.
Since the rollout, MGM’s adoption of Microsoft Teams has made accessing their workforce management and payroll solutions, Virtual Roster and Workday, more efficient. Now available centrally through Teams, employees can conveniently access all necessary tools from a single platform, streamlining operations and enhancing productivity, according to Ho.
The business has also integrated its intranet portal, based on SharePoint, with Teams. This integration simplifies the process for employees to access and share relevant content.
“Employees now have the convenience of accessing our intranet using their mobile devices from anywhere, at any time,” says Ho. She also highlights the audience-targeting feature in SharePoint, which allows for the precise delivery of information to the appropriate business segments.
Jose Ho, Director of Employee Communications at MGM, embraces the role of a storyteller for the business. His main responsibility is to keep employees informed about key business strategies and to foster a culture of excellence and innovation within the organisation.
He uses Teams to share important communications with a geographically diverse audience of employees. “We need to be able to communicate with teams in different locations to help build our culture,” he says. “With Teams, it’s much easier to accomplish that.”
Allen Li, Supervisor at MGM COTAI, uses Teams to stay updated on shared business information and easily communicate it to colleagues amidst the busy activities. “My primary responsibility is to ensure smooth operations for the areas I oversee,” he explains.
With the use of Teams, frontline employees like Li can now easily connect with colleagues who may have been previously inaccessible. This allows them to receive prompt answers to customer questions and efficiently relay information about the operation.
“In the past, I couldn’t communicate with someone unless I knew their name and phone number,” he says. “But now, I use Teams to text anyone. I just need to look them up in Teams, and it’s much faster.”
Looking ahead, MGM aspires to leverage AI capabilities to further enhance employee experiences.
“We envision more scenarios where AI will benefit frontline workers,” says Winnie Ho. “For instance, AI can help personalise guest experiences by predicting and recommending suitable products and services to customers in real time. It can also help frontline workers overcome language barriers by providing language support in the moment.”
“There is a great deal of exciting potential for improved productivity and enhanced experiences,” she concludes.
