Corinne DiPietro

Olympic Hopeful Links Support Team, Improves Performance Using Cloud Service

“Everyone at this level is already a great athlete; beyond that, we all need some differentiating factor, and Office 365 is that for me.”
—Corinne DiPietro, Skeleton Racer and 2014 Olympic Hopeful

Situation:

When skeleton racer Corinne DiPietro threw her hat—or her helmet—into the 2014 Olympics ring, her volunteer support team expanded from her parents to nine people across the country. DiPietro fretted about managing and coordinating so many people while focusing on training.

Solution:

A member of DiPietro’s support team is a Microsoft employee who introduced her to Microsoft Office 365, a collection of cloud-based email, calendaring, collaboration, conferencing, and productivity services. The team uses Microsoft SharePoint Online to share training schedules, marketing materials, photos, and more. They stay coordinated by using calendars, task lists, and contacts in Microsoft Exchange Online, which also provides cloud-based email.

DiPietro uses her Windows Phone to take photos at the track and upload them to the SharePoint site or her Facebook page. She also records ideas on her phone that the team can later act on. The team uses Microsoft Lync Online for conference calls and instant messaging. One volunteer analyzes DiPietro’s training times and posts the results to SharePoint Online, where DiPietro can access them by phone.

Benefits:

• Ability to collaborate with a bigger team. With Office 365, DiPietro was able to expand and manage a larger team that has the expertise needed to help her succeed and take advantage of more opportunities.
• More time to train. With more people to help, DiPietro has 25 percent more time to focus on training—her top priority.
• Better athletic performance. “With Office 365 and my Windows Phone, I can share my training times with a volunteer who analyzes my performance and helps me improve more quickly,” DiPietro says.
• Cost effective. As a self-funded athlete, DiPietro likes the pricing of Office 365. “Office 365 helps me bring together a large group on a shoestring budget and accomplish amazing things,” she says.

Source:

Microsoft Case Study: Corinne DiPietro