Friday, October 10, 2008
A job within a Job
I am in the business of making people jobs easier. I provide technology related solutions to issue and/or problem that employee and management have at work.
Monday, August 11, 2008
Here is what I did at Emprya
One-Stop
Public Agency Saves $200,000, Serves Job Seekers Better, with Online Solution
Posted: 05/07/2007
The One-Stop of Trumbull, Mahoning, and Columbiana Counties in Ohio helped put job seekers in contact with the public agencies and potential employers that could help them—but its assessment process was time-consuming and expensive. So, the organization turned to OneFlow from Microsoft® Certified Partner Empyra®. One-Stop now provides better and faster service to job seekers while cutting costs by more than U.S.$200,000 per year.
Business Needs
If you’re a job seeker in the tri-county area of Mahoning, Columbiana, and Trumbull counties in Ohio, there’s one place for you to stop: the One-Stop. Its all-in-one centers assess the job seeker’s qualifications, connect him or her to potential employers, provide guidance on how to find a job, and make connections to social service agencies that can provide needed assistance. More than 30 partner agencies—which provide assistance for training, housing, family services, and more—participate, as do hundreds of local employers.
One-Stop has been a great success over the seven years it’s operated in Ohio; in the past few years, the number of new customers served has doubled to 4,000 per month. That success created challenges for One-Stop, its affiliated agencies, and its customers. For example, customers had to fill out skills assessments and related forms at each of the partner agencies from which they sought assistance. Because many partner agencies had similar assessment questions, the forms were somewhat redundant.
As the number of completed forms kept in storage swelled, the ability to access and use them to guide job seekers diminished. Staff people couldn’t stay current on all agency services. Paper-based referral forms could be lost or misfiled Separate spreadsheets and databases maintained at each agency created redundant and divergent islands of information, yet another impediment to accessing information.
Neither did the storage of paper-based forms allow One-Stop to analyze and understand the demographics of its customers and employment trends, which One-Stop needed to do in order to fine-tune its services. One-Stop executives recognized the limitation of some of those services, such as a job-orientation session that always had a waiting list because it could be scheduled only twice a week. And they recognized that different procedures at different One-Stop offices led to the inconsistent provision of services.
Solution
To address those challenges, One-Stop turned to the OneFlow solution from Empyra®, a Microsoft® Certified Partner in Youngstown, Ohio. OneFlow is a Web-based solution that automates the organization’s processes and workflow, starting with registration.
"We’re serving our audiences better thanks to OneFlow. We refer them to the appropriate partners with less effort on their part—and ours." Jessica Borza
Chief Operating Officer, One-Stop
A “smart” form gathers information from job seekers. The solution then provides job seekers with information (such as video clips) and referrals to the services for which they’re likely to be eligible, according to the information they’ve provided. The solution also enables job seekers to register for workshops and appointments.
The completed forms, referrals, and scheduled events are stored in a central database. A reporting feature enables One-Stop administrators to analyze the population they serve, trends in customer needs, and the agencies to which job seekers are being referred.
As eligibility rules and business processes change, One-Stop reconfigures the modular OneFlow solution to meet new needs.
Employers and partners use OneFlow as a collaborative online environment. For example, the OneFlow scheduling module gives One-Stop and its affiliated agencies a centralized place from which to reserve conference rooms and other facilities. It also allows One-Stop to centralize registration for workshops—even alerting site managers when a workshop is fully subscribed, so that additional sessions can be added.
Empyra provides the solution in a software-as-a-service subscription model. One-Stop and its various audiences—job seekers, partner agencies, affiliated employers, and board of directors—access separate portals by logging on over the Internet. The solution is hosted at Empyra and features Microsoft SQL Server™ 2005 database software.
“We considered Oracle and SQL Server for OneFlow,” says Shanthi Subramanyam, Chief Executive Officer at Empyra. “We chose SQL Server because it would provide the scalability and reliability we needed, while being easier and less costly to administer—which meant we could offer OneFlow at a price that’s cost-effective for small agencies. With SQL Server 2005 Reporting Services, we provide all the real-time reports that our customers want, without having to rely on a third-party product.”
Benefits
By using OneFlow, One-Stop has eliminated redundant assessment paperwork, which has boosted customer satisfaction and cut the time it takes to connect job seekers with the agencies that can help them, according to Jessica Borza, Chief Operating Officer, One-Stop.
“We’re serving our audiences better thanks to OneFlow,” says Borza. “We refer them to the appropriate partners with less effort on their part—and ours. They go through our workshops and skills assessment, and their information is forwarded to our partners to determine the most appropriate services. They don’t have to go from agency to agency to see if they’re eligible for assistance. We also keep our online processes, such as registration and assessments, updated to reflect changes in eligibility criteria, services, and partners.”
The solution’s reporting capability enables Borza and her colleagues to analyze attendance levels at workshops, so that they can adjust staffing to meet demand.
In the past, One-Stop had no easy and authoritative way to analyze the demographics of its customers, so the organization was forced to make marketing decisions without solid data. With OneFlow and SQL Server 2005 Reporting Services, One-Stop can determine which audience cohorts to target; as a result, advertising dollars are spent more wisely.
Borza estimates that the solution helps One-Stop save more than U.S.$200,000 per year, about 5 percent of the organization’s total budget. The savings come from a variety of areas, such as scheduling, assessment, data entry, reporting, and supplies (because less paper is used and distributed).
In addition, because staff members are freed from tasks such as scheduling and data entry, their time can be reinvested into providing a higher level of individual service and counseling for job seekers.
Public Agency Saves $200,000, Serves Job Seekers Better, with Online Solution
Posted: 05/07/2007
The One-Stop of Trumbull, Mahoning, and Columbiana Counties in Ohio helped put job seekers in contact with the public agencies and potential employers that could help them—but its assessment process was time-consuming and expensive. So, the organization turned to OneFlow from Microsoft® Certified Partner Empyra®. One-Stop now provides better and faster service to job seekers while cutting costs by more than U.S.$200,000 per year.
Business Needs
If you’re a job seeker in the tri-county area of Mahoning, Columbiana, and Trumbull counties in Ohio, there’s one place for you to stop: the One-Stop. Its all-in-one centers assess the job seeker’s qualifications, connect him or her to potential employers, provide guidance on how to find a job, and make connections to social service agencies that can provide needed assistance. More than 30 partner agencies—which provide assistance for training, housing, family services, and more—participate, as do hundreds of local employers.
One-Stop has been a great success over the seven years it’s operated in Ohio; in the past few years, the number of new customers served has doubled to 4,000 per month. That success created challenges for One-Stop, its affiliated agencies, and its customers. For example, customers had to fill out skills assessments and related forms at each of the partner agencies from which they sought assistance. Because many partner agencies had similar assessment questions, the forms were somewhat redundant.
As the number of completed forms kept in storage swelled, the ability to access and use them to guide job seekers diminished. Staff people couldn’t stay current on all agency services. Paper-based referral forms could be lost or misfiled Separate spreadsheets and databases maintained at each agency created redundant and divergent islands of information, yet another impediment to accessing information.
Neither did the storage of paper-based forms allow One-Stop to analyze and understand the demographics of its customers and employment trends, which One-Stop needed to do in order to fine-tune its services. One-Stop executives recognized the limitation of some of those services, such as a job-orientation session that always had a waiting list because it could be scheduled only twice a week. And they recognized that different procedures at different One-Stop offices led to the inconsistent provision of services.
Solution
To address those challenges, One-Stop turned to the OneFlow solution from Empyra®, a Microsoft® Certified Partner in Youngstown, Ohio. OneFlow is a Web-based solution that automates the organization’s processes and workflow, starting with registration.
"We’re serving our audiences better thanks to OneFlow. We refer them to the appropriate partners with less effort on their part—and ours." Jessica Borza
Chief Operating Officer, One-Stop
A “smart” form gathers information from job seekers. The solution then provides job seekers with information (such as video clips) and referrals to the services for which they’re likely to be eligible, according to the information they’ve provided. The solution also enables job seekers to register for workshops and appointments.
The completed forms, referrals, and scheduled events are stored in a central database. A reporting feature enables One-Stop administrators to analyze the population they serve, trends in customer needs, and the agencies to which job seekers are being referred.
As eligibility rules and business processes change, One-Stop reconfigures the modular OneFlow solution to meet new needs.
Employers and partners use OneFlow as a collaborative online environment. For example, the OneFlow scheduling module gives One-Stop and its affiliated agencies a centralized place from which to reserve conference rooms and other facilities. It also allows One-Stop to centralize registration for workshops—even alerting site managers when a workshop is fully subscribed, so that additional sessions can be added.
Empyra provides the solution in a software-as-a-service subscription model. One-Stop and its various audiences—job seekers, partner agencies, affiliated employers, and board of directors—access separate portals by logging on over the Internet. The solution is hosted at Empyra and features Microsoft SQL Server™ 2005 database software.
“We considered Oracle and SQL Server for OneFlow,” says Shanthi Subramanyam, Chief Executive Officer at Empyra. “We chose SQL Server because it would provide the scalability and reliability we needed, while being easier and less costly to administer—which meant we could offer OneFlow at a price that’s cost-effective for small agencies. With SQL Server 2005 Reporting Services, we provide all the real-time reports that our customers want, without having to rely on a third-party product.”
Benefits
By using OneFlow, One-Stop has eliminated redundant assessment paperwork, which has boosted customer satisfaction and cut the time it takes to connect job seekers with the agencies that can help them, according to Jessica Borza, Chief Operating Officer, One-Stop.
“We’re serving our audiences better thanks to OneFlow,” says Borza. “We refer them to the appropriate partners with less effort on their part—and ours. They go through our workshops and skills assessment, and their information is forwarded to our partners to determine the most appropriate services. They don’t have to go from agency to agency to see if they’re eligible for assistance. We also keep our online processes, such as registration and assessments, updated to reflect changes in eligibility criteria, services, and partners.”
The solution’s reporting capability enables Borza and her colleagues to analyze attendance levels at workshops, so that they can adjust staffing to meet demand.
In the past, One-Stop had no easy and authoritative way to analyze the demographics of its customers, so the organization was forced to make marketing decisions without solid data. With OneFlow and SQL Server 2005 Reporting Services, One-Stop can determine which audience cohorts to target; as a result, advertising dollars are spent more wisely.
Borza estimates that the solution helps One-Stop save more than U.S.$200,000 per year, about 5 percent of the organization’s total budget. The savings come from a variety of areas, such as scheduling, assessment, data entry, reporting, and supplies (because less paper is used and distributed).
In addition, because staff members are freed from tasks such as scheduling and data entry, their time can be reinvested into providing a higher level of individual service and counseling for job seekers.
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Case Study for CRM Marketplace
Presented by: Customer Effective, Inc.
Insurance and Securities Agency Streamlines Processes and Data Integration Using
Microsoft Dynamics CRM Software
By: Mike Hauck of Valmark Securities
For 45 years, Akron, Ohio-based ValMark Securities, a leading insurance brokerage agency and securities broker dealer, has provided sales, underwriting and administrative support to its network of over 300 wealth managers and insurance agents. ValMark maintains a targeted member broker and agent network that relies on ValMark’s expertise in preparing investment and insurance packages for high-net worth individuals. These insurance packages are typically valued at three times the national average for insurance sales. In the spring of 2007, ValMark identified the need to update its business processes and began the search for software solutions
that could address its demands to track workflows and manage complex business relationships with multiple insurance companies, financial institutions and investment firms.
Managing complex interactions between partners and its member sales network was one of the core business issues for ValMark Securities. On the insurance side of the business for example, member insurance agents may submit sales opportunities to ValMark for customized recommendations on financial products from a partner database of 35 insurance carriers. Each sales opportunity for these clients is unique. High-net worth clients typically purchase multiple securities and insurance products through the member agent. Product recommendations are based on many client criteria using data obtained during the underwriting process. ValMark needed a system to track each insurance case from the preliminary stages until the final decision
or sale is closed.
Data integration was another important requirement for ValMark Securities in designing a new customer management system. Many insurance products require intensive data gathering during the underwriting process, which can be repetitive and time consuming if data is not easily accessible. ValMark wanted assistance in migrating and sharing client-related data. In addition, the insurance brokerage community recommends that agencies adopt ACORD XML standards for insurance-related data in order to facilitate electronic data interfaces. These feeds include
insurance case status, requirements ordering and status, policy information and commission feeds. The new system would need to support these data standards and requirements in order for ValMark to operate efficiently.
When the company realized it would be difficult to find a system to meet their needs from existing agency management software, they explored the idea of building the software themselves. However, expertise and resources were needed to do so. A few years ago, ValMark Securities contracted with Customer Effective, a value-added reseller and Microsoft Gold Certified Partner, to replace their initial contact management system with Microsoft Dynamics CRM 1.2. Over time, ValMark realized the need for more customized applications to improve data integration and track activities of its increasingly complex relationships between independent sales agents, brokers and the insurance carriers and investment houses that provide
financial products.
ValMark contacted Customer Effective and together they worked to build a customized agency management system within the Microsoft Dynamics CRM platform. ValMark adopted the solution from Customer Effective known today as Capital Effective, a relationship management solution based on the Microsoft Dynamics CRM platform, designed exclusively for the financial services market. ValMark chose to call their version of Capital Effective “VBOSS” or ValMark Back Office Support System to emphasize that their solution is not “off the shelf” but uniquely
capable of supporting their business model. Employees benefit from the solution’s native integration with the Microsoft Office Outlook, which provides a familiar, easy-to-use interface to access critical information.
To further speed adoption of the CRM solution among ValMark’s employees, Customer
Effective used a unique approach to its implementation for the financial industry, branded as User First Design FormulaTM. This approach begins with a definition phase using input directly from the end users, designing corresponding workflows, and modeling all potential customer interactions. Following the design phase, Customer Effective created a strategic deployment plan to test and train employees at every stage, integrating CRM use as part of their daily routine.
Results: CRM System Expedites Business Procedures
Since implementing the Capital Effective CRM solution, ValMark has improved its client interaction activities and expedited the time involved in integrating data to complete the insurance underwriting process. Accessing the system within the Outlook environment made it easier and more intuitive for employees to use. As a result, the CRM implementation did not entail an extensive training process, and the learning curve was much shorter in comparison to ValMark’s previous agency management system.
Additionally, Capital Effective can be changed quickly based on user needs and ValMark’s everchanging business requirements (such as quickly adapting to industry regulations and standards, like ACORD XML). During the rollout of the new system, ValMark’s users requested that the system be reconfigured to reduce the number of keystrokes necessary to track case information in the system. Within a week, the system was altered to require fewer keystrokes, allowing employees to conduct business through a more convenient process.
ValMark needed a unique solution to solve unique business requirements. For this agency, the Microsoft Dynamics CRM platform provided the perfect environment to address user needs for data sharing and management needs to speed business process and sales reporting. Additionally, selecting the right implementation partner, Customer Effective, who took the time to evaluate needs from every level in the company, was a key part of their success in finding the right solution.
Mike Hauck currently serves on the management team for ValMark Securities, a leading
insurance brokerage agency and securities broker dealer in the wealth management and
insurance industries.
Presented by: Customer Effective, Inc.
Insurance and Securities Agency Streamlines Processes and Data Integration Using
Microsoft Dynamics CRM Software
By: Mike Hauck of Valmark Securities
For 45 years, Akron, Ohio-based ValMark Securities, a leading insurance brokerage agency and securities broker dealer, has provided sales, underwriting and administrative support to its network of over 300 wealth managers and insurance agents. ValMark maintains a targeted member broker and agent network that relies on ValMark’s expertise in preparing investment and insurance packages for high-net worth individuals. These insurance packages are typically valued at three times the national average for insurance sales. In the spring of 2007, ValMark identified the need to update its business processes and began the search for software solutions
that could address its demands to track workflows and manage complex business relationships with multiple insurance companies, financial institutions and investment firms.
Managing complex interactions between partners and its member sales network was one of the core business issues for ValMark Securities. On the insurance side of the business for example, member insurance agents may submit sales opportunities to ValMark for customized recommendations on financial products from a partner database of 35 insurance carriers. Each sales opportunity for these clients is unique. High-net worth clients typically purchase multiple securities and insurance products through the member agent. Product recommendations are based on many client criteria using data obtained during the underwriting process. ValMark needed a system to track each insurance case from the preliminary stages until the final decision
or sale is closed.
Data integration was another important requirement for ValMark Securities in designing a new customer management system. Many insurance products require intensive data gathering during the underwriting process, which can be repetitive and time consuming if data is not easily accessible. ValMark wanted assistance in migrating and sharing client-related data. In addition, the insurance brokerage community recommends that agencies adopt ACORD XML standards for insurance-related data in order to facilitate electronic data interfaces. These feeds include
insurance case status, requirements ordering and status, policy information and commission feeds. The new system would need to support these data standards and requirements in order for ValMark to operate efficiently.
When the company realized it would be difficult to find a system to meet their needs from existing agency management software, they explored the idea of building the software themselves. However, expertise and resources were needed to do so. A few years ago, ValMark Securities contracted with Customer Effective, a value-added reseller and Microsoft Gold Certified Partner, to replace their initial contact management system with Microsoft Dynamics CRM 1.2. Over time, ValMark realized the need for more customized applications to improve data integration and track activities of its increasingly complex relationships between independent sales agents, brokers and the insurance carriers and investment houses that provide
financial products.
ValMark contacted Customer Effective and together they worked to build a customized agency management system within the Microsoft Dynamics CRM platform. ValMark adopted the solution from Customer Effective known today as Capital Effective, a relationship management solution based on the Microsoft Dynamics CRM platform, designed exclusively for the financial services market. ValMark chose to call their version of Capital Effective “VBOSS” or ValMark Back Office Support System to emphasize that their solution is not “off the shelf” but uniquely
capable of supporting their business model. Employees benefit from the solution’s native integration with the Microsoft Office Outlook, which provides a familiar, easy-to-use interface to access critical information.
To further speed adoption of the CRM solution among ValMark’s employees, Customer
Effective used a unique approach to its implementation for the financial industry, branded as User First Design FormulaTM. This approach begins with a definition phase using input directly from the end users, designing corresponding workflows, and modeling all potential customer interactions. Following the design phase, Customer Effective created a strategic deployment plan to test and train employees at every stage, integrating CRM use as part of their daily routine.
Results: CRM System Expedites Business Procedures
Since implementing the Capital Effective CRM solution, ValMark has improved its client interaction activities and expedited the time involved in integrating data to complete the insurance underwriting process. Accessing the system within the Outlook environment made it easier and more intuitive for employees to use. As a result, the CRM implementation did not entail an extensive training process, and the learning curve was much shorter in comparison to ValMark’s previous agency management system.
Additionally, Capital Effective can be changed quickly based on user needs and ValMark’s everchanging business requirements (such as quickly adapting to industry regulations and standards, like ACORD XML). During the rollout of the new system, ValMark’s users requested that the system be reconfigured to reduce the number of keystrokes necessary to track case information in the system. Within a week, the system was altered to require fewer keystrokes, allowing employees to conduct business through a more convenient process.
ValMark needed a unique solution to solve unique business requirements. For this agency, the Microsoft Dynamics CRM platform provided the perfect environment to address user needs for data sharing and management needs to speed business process and sales reporting. Additionally, selecting the right implementation partner, Customer Effective, who took the time to evaluate needs from every level in the company, was a key part of their success in finding the right solution.
Mike Hauck currently serves on the management team for ValMark Securities, a leading
insurance brokerage agency and securities broker dealer in the wealth management and
insurance industries.
Tuesday, July 8, 2008
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