Is Your Organization Keeping Valuable Customer Data in Spreadsheets or a Homegrown Access™ Database?

A Common Scenario
One of the most common reasons for buying Everest is to replace spreadsheets, old software or a paper-based process. Our expertise comes from over 40 years of software application development. We understand the trade-off decisions considering in-house software development vs. buying a commercial off-the-shelf solution such as Everest.

Resource Allocation
One of the key factors to consider is project resource allocation. Significant issues to consider include:

 The internal resources necessary to create the desired functionality
 The talent and resources needed to maintain and update the system
 The effort required to become a subject matter expert
 The responsibility and resources to keep the system tuned with the latest technical advancements

An internal development team may possess the programming skills and even the lengthy development time required, however the extensive ongoing refinement of Everest keeps it consistently ahead of the pack. With Everest, you get the latest technological advancements, feature enhancements and cross-industry best practices bundled into regular releases of the program. Our focus and software expertise are unmatched because of the simple fact that Everest is all we do at Lynk Software.

Reasons for Change
Is your organization still keeping valuable customer data in various Excel™ spreadsheets or a homegrown Access™
database? Everest is a smart choice for many reasons. Consider the following:

 Multiple spreadsheets make consolidated reporting difficult and very time consuming, while inconsistencies can cause numerous errors
 Internally developed databases require regular maintenance and are usually over-dependent on a particular individual for advanced procedures or troubleshooting
 Data analysis is a time consuming, labor intensive process
 Limited functionality and static system design
 No internal support or completely outdated technology
 Results are displayed or categorized wrong due to inconsistent entries into key data fields
 Does not scale well for an expanded scope across multiple departments or multiple locations
 Evolution of the business including sales growth, expansion, merger, acquisition or re-organization
 Regulatory compliance requirements or industry standards for improving quality

BACKGROUND
The Motor Vehicles Division wanted a database driven solution to track public requests about automobile dealers. What they got was a software solution that far exceeded expectations. 

IMMEDIATE RESULTS
ITD selected the Everest software as a replacement for the existing in-house database because it offered the department an opportunity to achieve immediate results.

“The Everest system has already enhanced the efficiency of the department by improving the accuracy of dealership information, streamlining day-to-day processes and providing a central repository of all dealership information,” explained project manager Linda Ford.

 CASE STUDY

IMPROVE PRODUCTIVITY
The new Everest system does far more  than addressing public inquiries and concerns about Idaho auto dealers, Ford explained. It tracks enforcement actions against dealers, automates dealer correspondence, streamlines processes and generates reports for management; all with greater efficiency and improved workflow.

Information that previously resided in three or four locations, now will be consolidated into one, easy to access repository.

Source: ITD Transporter News Article by Mel Coulter, published March 12, 2010
http://www.itd.idaho.gov

“I have been in the software industry for almost 30 years. This is the first time that a software company has listened and implemented any of my suggestions. The only way that ever occurred in the past was when I was writing the code. So, I am elated that your company has incorporated my suggestions into their release. Please share my kudos with everyone else that was involved.”

Regards,

Paul Burkhardt
Application Support Analyst – MIS
Velcro USA Inc.

Thank you, Paul. Your compliment was so well received, we wanted to share it with our blog readers. ~Lynk Team

Two separate state Department of Transportation agencies choose Everest by Lynk Software for constituent complaint tracking.

The State of New Mexico, Department of Transportation will utilize Everest to track and resolve constituent concerns across all divisions within the department. The State of Idaho Tranportation Department  is now tracking car dealership complaints with Everest.

We are pleased to welcome both of these state DOT agencies as new Everest customers. It is certainly interesting that two separate state transportation departments have simultaneously chosen Everest.  Could the Everest software become the citizen complaint tracking system of choice for other DOT agencies throughout the United States in 2010? It is certainly possible since our nation’s highways, bridges and roads are an important focus area for a large amount of federal stimulus funding.

President Obama signed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Recovery Act) into law on February 17, 2009. Since that time, nearly two-thirds of the $26.6 billion in Recovery Act funding available to the States for highway investment has been obligated and thousands of projects are underway. These projects create jobs for Americans and the transportation infrastructure improvements are very important for public safety and commerce.  For further details see: U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Highway Administration.

How does customer complaint tracking relate to employee accountability?

Through recent communication with Everest customers, we have discovered a surprising benefit associated with tracking customer complaints. Because every notification about customer or product issues is recorded in the Everest database, managers are finding employee responsiveness and accountability levels soaring.

One enthusiastic customer shared, “No one can say, ‘I didn’t know about it’ because the notification is recorded in Everest.”

Employees from different departments are now able to complete their action items and record the completed status in Everest. As a result of this improved internal communication and accountability, organizations can work together like well-tuned machines.

Accountability is essential to employee engagement. What gets measured is what gets done. Ownership, due dates, automatic email reminders, action tracking and real-time reporting are a few of the specific software features that reinforce individual accountability in Everest. WIth little or no added effort required by management, those who use the Everest software tend to be passionate and engaged in their work.

The feelings of accomplishment that result encourage employees to look above routine tasks to make extra effort which directly improves the overall welfare of the business. Most importantly, the easiest way to cultivate passionate, engaged customers is with passionate, engaged employees.

We are pleasantly surprised at how much Everest is helping departments work together so seamlessly. This has always been the idea behind our complaint resolution software, but to hear it over and over again from customers is highly rewarding.

We want to share a simple short list of the top software features our customers love about the Everest software solution. The four favorite features of Everest are:

1. Automatic Email Reminders
Users automatically receive email messages to trigger a helpful reminder based on the due dates for a pending concern or action item.
There are 3 tiers of reminders available:

• Reminder = email message triggered before a due date, sent to Owner
• Past Due = email message triggered after a due date, sent to Owner
• Escalation = email message triggered after a due date, sent to Owner’s Manager

“Our turn-around time for customer response dropped from 20 days to two days.”
- Zetex Semiconductor

2. Built-in Configuration
One of the main reasons customers choose Everest is because of the extensive built-in configuration options all organized in point-and-click menus. This is how the same Everest software product transforms into a very unique solution for every customer. Button titles, data names, fields, drop-down classifications and templates are easily tailored for each installation.

“We have implemented the complaint management system across all of OneSteel Manufacturing units in a timetable that I did not imagine possible.”
- OneSteel

3. Notification Templates
Printed or emailed letters based on pre-defined templates ensure consistency in all formal customer communication. Automatic keyword insertion allows specific information from the database to be inserted into the text area of the message.

“For our consumers, Everest has probably made the biggest overall impact. The letters or emails that our consumers receive are so much easier to do now that Everest allows us to drop all the significant information into over 30 frame letters that contain some of our favorite language that we use to start a consumer letter.”
- Red Gold Tomatoes

4. Reports and Charts
Everest includes dozens of standard reports and charts with optional selection criteria for dates, status, locations or departments. Charts include a double-click drill-down feature to instantly explore how the data is related. See chart details with the totals for customers, concern types, products, product groups and reason codes.

“The Everest software provides our staff and clinicians with real-time, accurate and actionable information essential to quality patient care.”
- WellStar Health System

Add your own comment below and tell us what you like best about Everest. . .