Written by Gary Williams
Webmaster & Application Developer
Information Technology Department
Williams Scotsman International (www.willscot.com)
Williams Scotsman International, Inc., is a leading provider of modular space solutions. With more than 100 locations across North America and Europe, the company provides customers with everything from a simple construction trailer to complex, multi-story buildings such as schools and medical facilities.
In early 2006, we committed to improving search functionality for our public facing website and corporate intranet. While information was abundantly available on both sites, customers and employees experienced difficulty finding what they needed quickly and efficiently.
We selected the Google Mini for our website because of its low cost, flexibility and overall ease of use. Plus, we wanted to leverage the same quality and reliability that powers Google.com
Within an hour, we installed the Google Mini, which instantly began crawling our website and returning accurate results. In less than two hours, we were able to provide our customers with relevant search information. The benefits were many. For example, the Mini's reporting tools enable us to remain abreast of what customers search for most, so we can quickly adjust our website to enhance and increase inbound customer product interest via email and phone.
Our successful traction with the Google Mini convinced us to utilize an additional Google Mini for our intranet efforts. Our intranet was unorganized, inaccurate, and troublesome to navigate. After incorporating the Google Mini throughout our intranet, almost immediately, positive employee reaction poured in from across the company. A typical response: "this makes my job easier."
The Google Mini has been a valuable company asset and has apprised us of the power of search to both generate sales and significantly improve company efficiency.
