Farmacias del Ahorro: The adoption of Google Workspace generated a transformation in the work culture
About Farmacias del Ahorro
Farmacias del Ahorro is a Mexican retail chain of medicine and healthcare products, offering free product delivery without a minimum purchase requirement, public utilities payment services, and prevention, help, and wellness programs. The company was established in 1991, with two branches and 30 employees. Currently, it handles a network of 1,600 branches with over 20,000 collaborators and 90% coverage across Mexico.
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About Xertica
Xertica was created with Google Cloud technologies to design technological solutions that would drive its customers to evolve their culture and the way they work. It is a Premier Partner with a presence in Peru, Colombia, Mexico, Argentina, and Ecuador, with over 3,500 customers in Latin America.
Farmacias del Ahorro is a Mexican retail chain of medicine and healthcare products that was seeking to renew its communication and collaboration tools to generate more efficient and productive processes, as well as to amplify its coverage across the country.
Results with Google Workspace
- The project was executed in 90 days, securing success with change management from the technical preparation to the training of over 800 employees in 20 states
- Over 11,000 video conferences in the last six months
- Nearly 3 million files created in Google Drive
- Greater efficiency and collaboration in corporate processes
Farmacias del Ahorro is a Mexican retail chain of medicine and wellness products, offering free home delivery and health services and prevention programs. The company was established in 1991 in Tuxtla Gutiérrez, Chiapas, with only two branches and 30 employees. It currently has a network of 1,600 branches with over 20,000 employees that covers 90% of Mexico.
Google Workspace changed the way of working and is reflected in the generation of almost 3 million files created in Google Drive in a period of six months
“The change to Google Workspace went from a technological innovation project to a project with an impact in the company’s culture. We found that employees like Google and had now been offered a more fresh, modern, and simple way to work, increasing operational efficiency.”
—Juan Montalvo, CIO, Farmacias del AhorroAs the company expanded, customer satisfaction and wellness became an additional priority to product sales. Farmacias del Ahorro had become a specialized company, and as such, every tier of the organization needed to work more cohesively and productively under the same business objectives.
However, the company’s stores, warehouses, and offices did not possess the proper work tools for the collaboration and production that was required of them.
Improving collaboration is key to transformation
Teams felt the tools they were using did not meet their needs. This led to a partnership with Xertica, a Premier Partner specializing in services and assistance with Google Cloud.
In April 2018, the company started the migration to Google Workspace. Teams from Xertica and Google assessed the company’s needs to help it streamline its communication and collaborative work.
During a three-month process, 800 early adopters were trained in more than 20 states in Mexico. These early adopters then participated in launching the project to ensure a successful implementation of the platform.
Six thousand Gmail accounts were activated, which improved information security and made communication more efficient in stores, warehouses, and offices. Google Meet, a tool for making video calls anytime, anywhere, also drove significant change.
In the last six months, 11,000 video calls have been made, showing that work teams at the company are making the best of these tools for meetings. Also, 3 million files have been created in Google Drive in a relatively short period, reflecting how convenient the tool is. There is a more efficient use of emails since it is no longer necessary to endlessly send and forward files as attachments—Drive allows for multiple users to collectively modify a single document in real time.
Sparking a new workplace culture
Using Google Workspace tools, such as Calendar and Sites, has triggered a complete change in workplace culture among teams in different offices.
Everyday tasks have become simpler, thanks to the relatively fast deployment of the platform and the intuitive nature of its tools.
“Not only did Google Workspace have a positive financial impact, but it also improved our communication with people outside the office. Communication has improved, especially through the use of video calls, with our suppliers and external collaborators, key players in our daily work.”
—Román Pérez, Head of Infrastructure, Farmacias del AhorroA year after a successful adoption of Google Workspace and with the challenge of extending its coverage across all Mexican states, Farmacias del Ahorro is studying the need to take further action in the cloud using other Google Cloud tools for infrastructure and data warehouse migration projects.
Tell us your challenge. We're here to help.
Contact us
About Farmacias del Ahorro
Farmacias del Ahorro is a Mexican retail chain of medicine and healthcare products, offering free product delivery without a minimum purchase requirement, public utilities payment services, and prevention, help, and wellness programs. The company was established in 1991, with two branches and 30 employees. Currently, it handles a network of 1,600 branches with over 20,000 collaborators and 90% coverage across Mexico.
About Xertica
Xertica was created with Google Cloud technologies to design technological solutions that would drive its customers to evolve their culture and the way they work. It is a Premier Partner with a presence in Peru, Colombia, Mexico, Argentina, and Ecuador, with over 3,500 customers in Latin America.