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Is it time to change my management system? Researching and selecting a management system is a daunting task. It is time consuming and can get confusing. Sometimes you don’t get it right on the first go round and you’re unhappy with your selection, or you may have outgrown the system you purchased a few years ago. But that doesn’t mean you’re stuck with it forever. Many agencies experience these situations. Believe it or not, some agencies have been calling us every year for the past five years because they are not happy with their system. But in the end, just like last year, they choose to continue on with their system because that is easier than converting to a system that fits their needs. What they don’t consider is how much it is costing them to continue on this way. Converting from one system to another is quite a project. First, you have to do your research all over again – which system to buy? Next, there is training on the new system. And finally, you reach the actual conversion process. It is typical that not all of the data from your old system will convert to the new one, so there is a good bit of data re-entry. And you’ll need to find some way to view the data from the old system outside of the actual software because you can’t afford support for 2 systems. In most cases, a complete transition to a new system takes about a year. Your staff is already overworked because they don’t have the tools they need. You fear a lynching if you barely whisper the topic. Using a system that doesn’t meet your needs is more detrimental than not having a system at all. o Since the system can’t be used for all your needs, you are either doing double entry into other software (like WORD, Excel or Quickbooks) or you are continuing to rely on paper files in addition to the management system. You’re actually doing double the work and paying a monthly fee to do so! o Human error is more prevalent because there is more manual work. Paper is more abundant which leaves room for misplaced documents and lost phone messages. Notes on customer accounts are not logged because no one has time to write them down. What you have is a big case of Here I Am E&O, Come And Get Me! o Your rate of growth slows down because the agency is so inefficient and additional salaries are taken on just to keep up with service requests. Day after day, these problems compound themselves and there is no light at the end of the tunnel because nothing is getting done about them. Before you know it, five years have passed and you are worse off than when you originally realized there was a problem. If something had been done originally,
Now before you jump ship, there is one more thing to consider. In many cases, an agency is unhappy with their system because they are unaware it already has the features they need. If you didn’t really have much training to begin with or training was done years ago, there is probably a lot available in your current system that you are missing out on. Find out what your system has to offer before you start looking at other systems. Get involved with the training programs offered, even if there are fees. Many systems now offer access to web training videos at no charge. As we stated earlier, a conversion can take up to a year. You don’t want to put your agency through that if it isn’t necessary. If you determine your system does not have the capability of meeting your needs, then it’s time to find one that does. Your entire agency will benefit. Your staff members will be happier because they will have the tools they need at their fingertips, making them more efficient. Your customers will brag about your fast, professional customer service. There won’t be near as much complaining about backlog of work. Projects won’t be put off repeatedly because “I don’t have time”. Imagine the things your agency could accomplish! Don’t wait any longer. Things are not going to get better until you decide to take some action.
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