By Scott H. Cytron, ABC
Ellen DePasquale, founder of Efficient Office Computing, is a well-known software expert. She brings more than 20 years of software experience to her consulting, training, writing and public speaking. Ellen has “redefined” software training to be more personalized and goal-based. Her classes and materials are designed around the software features that produce desired results, rather than the typical soup-to-nuts approach.
Scott Cytron: What is a “software revitalist?”
Ellen DePasquale: Since I am the only one, it is in essence, me, and my approach to the best use of software.
As The Software Revitalist™, I “revitalize” my clients’ software by teaching them how use it in new ways – giving it new life. I also teach my clients how to take advantage of the built-in features of the software to automate redundant tasks, which, in some cases, can make it feel like a whole new piece of software. I cannot count how many times I have heard my clients say, “I didn’t know it could do that!” There have even been times where learning a few additional features negated the need for an additional piece of software. |
Ellen DePasquale |
SC: Software customization is one of your key services. What kind of process do you go through with a client to know what kind of customization is required?
ED: The first step with any new or potential client is a needs analysis. Rather than working from a checklist, we talk about their business processes. This allows me to learn how they are running their business and create a relaxed atmosphere because we are having a conversation.
In addition to understanding their current processes, I need to understand why they are doing it a certain way. What may initially sound complicated may be the best route when you can see the whole picture. Also, I like to meet with more than one person so there is a broad perspective on what is being done, what isn’t being done, what should be done and what information is most important. The more people I speak with, the more difference of opinion I gather. This creates a more in-depth picture of what is really happening in the business, rather than just the view from the top.
Once the processes are understood, including everyone’s priorities, I match their needs to the most appropriate software – there’s no need to reinvent the wheel! It is my experience that most off-the-shelf software will meet about 85 percent of the client’s needs. so I only need to focus on 15 percent customization.
However, depending on the unique needs of each client, there are usually several very important items in that last 15 percent that will make or break the deal:
1. Custom Fields: How much information is the software designed to hold, and how much can be added or customized to match the information the client requires?
2. Custom views/reports: How flexible are the screens for data entry, as well as the filters for designing reports and dashboards?
3. Processes: Can the software support the best process for the client? This does not always mean mimicking current process.
4. User rights: Does the software allow the level of user security settings so that private data stays private, viewable
data is only viewable and managers see everything they need to see?
All four points refer to database software, such as accounting and CRM. If the customization is related to document templates, e-mail rules and file folders, or spreadsheet macros, then the steps are more simplistic. A needs analysis still needs to be conducted, but the software will most likely be pre-existing and the customization will not revolve around these four items.
In either scenario, understanding the client’s needs and current processes is vital to creating the right custom solution.
SC: Regarding your book, It's About Time - Time Management Tips From The Software Revitalist™, what was your biggest “a-ha” or surprise you encountered while you were writing this?
ED: My biggest a-ha came when the book was about three-quarters done and I realized how many different ways we spend our time. Besides the software tips meant to buy us more time, there are so many tasks in given day that there is hardly ever time for all of them.
SC: Your book is about time management. What is one of the biggest time wasters in the business marketplace, and what can professionals do to avoid it?
ED: The biggest time wasters are executing redundant tasks, repeatedly, and duplicate data entry. What’s worse is that almost everyone does these things!
The “technical” answers are automation and integration; the real-world answers are usually simple settings that allow the software to do some or all of the work for you. Here are two examples.
1. Automation: Most e-mail clients (Microsoft Outlook, Entourage, Gmail, Yahoo) offer “rules” or “filters” to read your e-mail for you and file the messages appropriately. Imagine this: The e-mails you receive from your top clients are sorted to individual folders so you can easily see if new messages arrived with a simple glance instead of scrolling through all the e-mail in your inbox.
2. Integration: In order to connect two software programs, one of them usually offers an “add-on” for the other one. The ability to enter the information once, and then have it spread to other applications that need the same information – by a single mouse-click – is a tremendous time-saver. It also reduces data entry error, which also wastes time when you have to figure out which entry is the right one!
Some software vendors offer built-in integration between their products, but add-ons to integrate contacts and posts are available for many popular software programs, including Microsoft Outlook, QuickBooks, Excel, Salesforce.com, ZohoCRM (disclaimer – I am a Zoho Alliance Partner) and even social media sites.
SC: Your “Old Software/New Tricks” blog seems like a real return to computing basics and a “how-to” approach – something I think many accounting software vendors have gotten away from when training their users. What do you think it takes to convince software vendors to return to this basic approach?
ED: The key to convincing software vendors to reconsider their approach is for them to realize social media and the Internet, in general, are changing the rules of business; it just doesn’t look the same as it did in any previous year.
Information is abundant and software vendors are missing an opportunity to be a part of it by keeping information to themselves. Empowering potential and existing clients to accomplish the simple software tasks builds their confidence in themselves and in the vendor. The real money is made selling expertise – information that is not so plentiful, but very valuable.
SC: You’ve presented to groups on many different topics. What is your favorite topic and why?
ED: Well, my favorite experience is when the audience has an “ah-ha” moment; when they learn something they did not know before, either a specific feature or just a new way of looking at things. Depending on the group, I have three favorite topics:
1. For entrepreneurs in the start-up phase my favorite topic is basic: what software they need, why they need it and how best to use it.
2. For entrepreneurs and small business owners with established businesses, my favorite topic is a return to basics; get their software to do more work and find more sales in their information-rich databases.
3. For entrepreneurs, small business owners and salespeople looking for new business, my favorite topic is a twist on something very hot: social media – “Prospecting in the Digital Age.”
If I had to pick just one, I think my newest topic, “Prospecting in the Digital Age,” is my favorite because it is different and really valuable. The audiences light up with the information I offer because it is relevant and useful. This presentation also stands out from the crowd of social media seminars; I don’t talk about how to market using social media. Instead, I talk about how to harvest everyone else’s happily-posted information.
All of my presentations, and conducting business in general, boil down to one thing: information. Knowledge is power, and information is at the root of all knowledge. You can enter, sort, search, research and gather data, but in the end, being able to retrieve the right information at the right time is the ultimate goal, and that only happens with efficient use of technology.