The Importance of Teamwork with Our Customers
By nature, DocLink is a very configurable and versatile document management solution. During our sales process, gaining an in-depth understanding of each of our customers with regard to how their business process works, how their environment is set up and their expectations of what DocLink is to provide is of utmost importance to its success. Altec wants to provide a solution in collaboration with each customer that maximizes efficiency and simplifies processes; the more information divulged to Altec during the sales process, the more Altec can plan and prepare for the most effective and expedient installation possible.
Although Altec is providing the service of configuring, deploying, training and stabilizing each customer with DocLink, the more available and involved the customer, outsourced IT (when possible) and partner are, the higher the rate of success during implementation. For each installation, add-on or upgrade, Altec’s Professional Services team must obtain information and sometimes develop merge files with screen customizations for their ERP system. This requires time and contribution from individuals within the customer’s organization which is sometimes overlooked during the initial planning stage of DocLink‘s installation. Similarly, the availability of qualified individuals during the configuration to provide assistance, input and answers in a timely manner can also speed up the process. Once familiarized with a given customer’s environment, Altec’s implementation specialists often offer suggestions to improve business processes by improving efficiency and eliminating time-consuming manual tasks.
A few key elements to effective teamwork include:
Communication: Thorough, prompt and direct communication helps all parties across multiple channels stay up to speed on the status of a given project and which individual is tasked with carrying out certain functions. Remember to communicate clearly and in detail instead of however is easiest or fastest, as this will save time in the long run. Time is precious. Smart communication is an important tool in time management.
Task Delegation: Assigning roles and tasks is important to decide upfront. Draw clear lines for where the responsibility lies for each step in the project and keep all participants on track. The primary advantage of teamwork comes from differentiated skills, and the union of the team’s collective abilities and experience contributes to the project’s overall effectiveness.
Documentation: Record-keeping during different stages of a project helps to keep everyone informed and easily traced. For DocLink, this is especially important as projects can require time, multiple phases and the cooperation of many individuals. Thorough documentation of a project’s status, issues that may arise and task allocation serves many very important functions and ensures a successful implementation.
Making the decision to add DocLink to your current business is a sizable undertaking. Consider using these elements of teamwork to make your installation as swift, successful and painless as possible! Fostering teamwork involves creating a setting that values collaboration. In a team environment, people understand and believe that thinking, planning, decisions and actions are better when done cooperatively.
