Klarinet Solutions

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CIO at Dudek. We’re an environmental services and engineering firm headquartered in Southern California. We have about 600 employees between our 17 offices across the US.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Klarinet Solutions?

At the time, we’d deployed SharePoint for our company-wide intranet but needed to overhaul it. Klarinet Solutions assisted us in implementing more modern features.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement? 

It was a SharePoint modernization project, converting from Classic SharePoint to Modern SharePoint. Klarinet Solutions was responsible for inventorying all of our sites and reporting back on any issues that we might potentially have during conversion.

From there, they led the testing and implementation. One key change was a new tool that allowed us to gain insights into our intranet usage. We could then understand what users were searching for so that we could optimize our site toward the content that people accessed most frequently. 

What is the team composition? 

We worked with two SharePoint consultants. One handled the technical testing and planning while the other did the user analytics.

How did you come to work with Klarinet Solutions?

I reached out via a peer network in San Diego asking for recommendations for SharePoint consultants. After reviewing a few companies, I determined that Klarinet Solutions was the best fit. They were within our price range and had delivered similar projects to other clients.

How much have you invested with them?

Our annual fee is $12,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

Our initial project lasted from May–July 2019, however, we do have an ongoing relationship with them. As part of our engagement, we’ve signed up for a one-year term for general SharePoint consulting that includes a number of consulting hours.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

Since they’ve completed the intranet and set up our user analytics, we’ve measured their performance based on how well they respond to our consulting requests. Everything they do is put through a ticketing system, whether that’s troubleshooting or a feature request. I review how long it takes them to respond to and complete our requests and have been satisfied with their work.

How did Klarinet Solutions perform from a project management standpoint?

They performed well. Our first project spanned several months and involved several departments on our end. Once that was sorted, Klarinet Solutions has continued to lead meetings on a regular basis. They communicate through email and the ticketing system.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Unlike past partners I’ve worked with, Klarinet Solutions consists of top-tier SharePoint consultants. They don’t try to pass us off to low-level resources who then escalate situations when they can’t figure something out. They take us straight to their experts, which has been impressive.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I guess both sides could be more proactive about collaborating. Other than that, they’re exactly what we need for SharePoint. 

The team is now rolling in other Microsoft services into their offering, though we haven’t really put them to the test. I’m looking forward to seeing if they can really be a one-stop-shop for our Microsoft needs.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

We haven’t fully utilized their resources, so I’ll just stick to SharePoint. If you’re able to define a wider, more complete roadmap of your project, Klarinet Solutions can really let loose in assisting you. They seem to have a high level of expertise.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the SharePoint administrator for a retail cannabis company that has 24 locations across Colorado.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Klarinet Solutions?

We were relying on a previous vendor who utilized outdated technologies. Since then, I’ve overseen our new implementation of SharePoint over the last year and a half. We contracted Klarinet Solutions to help us drive this project.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Initially, they were responsible for producing SharePoint workflows for us. We ended up really partnering with them, where they provided designs for what our workflows should look like. Their team worked with me to ensure the other stakeholders that their needs were being met. They’ve shifted from working in parallel development with me to providing more large-scale consulting.

What is the team composition?

My primary point of contact is Michelle (Digital Workplace Consultant), and I also work a lot with Dan (Co-Founder & CEO). I’ve also engaged with Matt (Co-Founder & Managing Partner) and Brian (Director of Business Development).

How did you come to work with Klarinet Solutions?

I’d had past work experience with Dan at a previous job.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent around $40,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

Our relationship began in March 2019 and is ongoing. We’ve just signed another six-month contract.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

Everything they’ve done has far exceeded our stakeholders’ expectations. They helped us establish our SharePoint environment from scratch. They turned it into a fully functioning system with around 14 different SharePoint workflows in production. The team has been immensely helpful in providing valuable insights, and they’re always eager to assist us.

Michelle, in particular, has been absolutely fantastic to work with. She’ll bend over backwards to get things done for us. Their whole team is exceptionally helpful and tech-savvy.

How did Klarinet Solutions perform from a project management standpoint?

They’re always on top of things and always over-deliver. They’ve never missed a deadline. What’s more, they’ll even help out with our own project management, which has kept us on track. They utilize helpful tools, like a ticketing system, so that I can get my challenges addressed promptly.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I’d highlight their knowledge of up-and-coming technologies. They’re eager to share these, to the point that they’ve fully integrated into our team. They truly know what they’re doing, and they do it professionally.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, I really can’t think of anything. I’ve been working with SharePoint since 2006, and they’ve outperformed other vendors I’ve worked with.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Figure out their team dynamic and fit it into yours. Take the time to listen to them, because they’re the experts.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We’re a California-based community bank with over 130 branches and $17 billion in assets. As the web experience and intranet manager, I’m responsible for managing our company’s digital workplace. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Klarinet Solutions?

We recently went through a merger and needed a service provider that could help migrate our teams off of their previous intranets into a larger, unified one.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement? 

Klarinet Solutions supported us through the merger, setting up a new intranet that could support our larger organization. We had a few criteria for the project: the solution needed to leverage the latest cloud-based Microsoft 360 environment while staying away from too much custom code.

Their team landed on setting up SharePoint out of the box and then adding on to it. For our intranet, we decided to go with Valo. They were able to guide us through the process quickly so that we could keep up with the merger. 

What is the team composition? 

We’ve worked with about 13 individuals at various points during the engagement. My main point of contact is Matt (Principal), and he would bring in others depending on the stage.

How did you come to work with Klarinet Solutions?

I first learned about Klarinet Solutions from our vendor Valo at a SharePoint conference. They’re partners with Valo, so it made sense to go with them.

How much have you invested with them?

Between the initial licensing of the software and their professional services, we’ve spent around $100,000–$150,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We officially engaged them in September 2019, and the initial launch was two months later. They’re still doing maintenance and consulting work for us, so I expect it to be an evergreen relationship.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

In general, people are happy with the project. The leapfrog to a more modern intranet was night and day. Now, we’ve experienced better productivity gains from things like having a better employee directory and integrating our standard operating procedures. 

Klarinet Solutions also has a methodical way of collecting requirements that facilitates launch speed — again, the initial planning to go-live was about two months. The team uses its large depth of knowledge to help guide us along the way and resolve our needs.

How did Klarinet Solutions perform from a project management standpoint?

Besides their regular meeting cadence and responsiveness, I really appreciate their conscientiousness. They’re just extremely aware of delivering a quality product, so it’s nice to have them worry about the final delivery as much as I do. 

What’s more, they bring a structured approach to the process, which means they help us stay focused on the right things. The team supports us on critical events in real-time, whether that’s the COVID-19 pandemic or the system conversion that we’ve just undergone.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their depth of knowledge about Microsoft 365 was extremely helpful because this was my entry point into that space — I didn’t have anyone internal to rely on. Of course, we’re learning on the go, but it’s also valuable to know I can go to them with specific questions and get an answer.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, I can’t think of anything off the top of my head. They knocked the project out of the park.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

What’s made our relationship successful is that I’ve had the luxury of a long runway while I was meeting with different vendors during the selection process. I knew where my company was headed and could verbalize that.

If you’re clear about what you need, then Klarinet Solutions will be forthcoming with you about what they can and can’t do. Communicating those expectations will set you up for success.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am a co-founder and CEO of a startup biotechnology company located in San Diego, CA USA

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Klarinet Solutions, and what were your goals?

Help our company build a website in a cost efficient way.

SOLUTION

How did you select Klarinet Solutions and what were the deciding factors?

Understand the needs and challenges of a startup biotechnology.

Describe the scope of work in detail, including the project steps, key deliverables, and technologies used.

Build a website from ground up.

How many people from the vendor's team worked with you, and what were their positions?

Three people

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any measurable outcomes of the project or general feedback about the deliverables?

The website has allowed our company to be more visible to potential investors and future employees.

Describe their project management style, including communication tools and timelines.

Klarinet management is very responsible and understanding or our needs and limited resources as a seed stage company.

What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?

Personal touch and dedication of the company.

Are there any areas for improvement or something they could have done differently?

I cannot think of one.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We’re a biotech company with about 100 employees.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Klarinet Solutions?

Klarinet Solutions has done a number of projects for us, including Microsoft SharePoint and Teams support.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement? 

We work with Klarinet Solutions to deploy Microsoft solutions to problems that we’ve identified. When COVID-19 forced us to switch from working primarily from the office to now working almost exclusively from home, their team expanded our Microsoft Teams pilot test into a full-blown deployment.

They also point out gaps in our workflow and help us optimize them. My predecessor and I have gone to them with raw business problems to solve, and they would come up with options for us to choose from. Then, they would tailor the solution to our needs. 

What is the team composition? 

My experience has been pretty consistent. I work with an account person, who is one of my main points of contact, but there are a few others, too. Whenever we have calls, I see the same people and know them by name.

Beyond that, I’m not sure how many people work behind the scenes. They seem to have subject matter experts in different areas mixed with some generalists.  

How did you come to work with Klarinet Solutions?

My predecessor had worked with them elsewhere and brought them on to handle one of our business needs.

How much have you invested with them?

We pay around $4,000 per month, but it’s not quite a retainer model. We pay a base fee that they charge against. If we don’t use all of their services, then they carry them over to the next month. It’s a more flexible model in case we use them more for some months and less for others.

What is the status of this engagement?

I’ve started working with them in November 2019, though they’ve worked with our company since before then. We’ve actually expanded our engagement with them three months ago to cover a broader scope of work.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

I’m very satisfied with the work they’ve done, considering how the project was a bit of a moving target. We were really thinking through how we wanted to change our work processes, and Klarinet Solutions stayed flexible throughout. They elicited ongoing feedback, revised the SharePoint site, and have continued to do so.

How did Klarinet Solutions perform from a project management standpoint?

The team is responsive to our needs. There have been times when our internal stakeholders wanted to make dramatic changes that were beyond the scope of work. But, Klarinet Solutions was adaptable enough to pivot when we switched our direction.

We have weekly meetings with our assigned account manager and technical lead to touch base on items. We’ll discuss what we’ve done, any points of concerns, and timeline updates. That keeps us moving along while making sure that expectations are aligned. 

I also value that they’re able to keep our longer-term priorities in mind. Emergent issues tend to crowd out the bigger picture, but Klarinet Solutions reminds us of our future plans so that we can see the whole perspective.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’re really easy to communicate with. I like that they don’t pigeonhole us into a standard support model. Instead, we start the conversation with what we’re up to, and they actively listen.

The team has an in-depth command of Microsoft offerings, too. Every month, they host a webinar for their clients on a specific topic to help us with our operations — like how to do file management in Microsoft Teams. Afterward, they open up the chat to Q&A, so we’re able to see what other companies are running up against. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

My hope is that they continue to maintain their engagement and level of accessibility with their clients as they grow. I don’t just mean by phone, but also the interpersonal relationships between individuals and the size of the team. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Having a standing weekly call is key to keeping all teams aligned on what’s going on. They also do periodic account reviews to go over the direction of the company and anticipate larger structural needs.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the I.T. Manager of a local government utility agency. It is a dynamic, growing organization whose sole purpose is to provide high quality, safe and reliable water and wastewater services, serves a population of over 190,000 customers within a 47-square-mile area.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Klarinet Solutions?

Our Intranet was old and lack of modern software functions and features. We found Klarinet Solutions because we preferred to use a local consultant that able to design a SharePoint Intranet and also provide Document Imaging services.

What were your goals for this project?

Build a new Intranet with a SharePoint back end, provide users training, and continue to help with maintenance.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

Klarinet Solutions was recommended by ConvergeOne, one of our technology consultants. We also did quite some research and reach out for reference checks. Overall reviews were good and their proposal fits our upgrade budget.

Describe the project in detail.

Klarinet Solutions acts as our fully outsourced SharePoint team. They provide Office 365 and SharePoint consulting, strategy and resources that we can tap into when we need them. Users are very happy with training provided.

What was the team composition?

• Consulting & support
• System administration
• System monitoring
• Updates & patching
• Maintenance

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

We built a brand new Intranet in 4 months and it was a team work. Daniel was the project manager and he provided great training with each Division so power users can build their own Division Pages. We also created a central document sharing network so users can find resources on the network.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

We didn't have that much workflow since I have a small team. My software specialist worked with their team and also built a bridge to communicated with our users. In house and web conference training are both available depends on users preference.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

It was a knowledge transfer with a new concept: When my users understand their role and feel connected to the business, they work faster, communicate better and produce better work. Klarinet Solutions invests in customer relationships. They understand and solve the digital workplace problems that we face every day.

Are there any areas for improvement?

Not really, if I'm picky, a few times the support response time were a little longer than what I expected; however, they corrected that issue in a timely manner.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

My company is a design house for semiconductor chipsets. I am the quality systems specialist with a focus on Document Control, ISO9001 compliance, and change control.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Klarinet Solutions, and what were your goals?

We hired Klarinet for two projects in the last 5 years. Klarinet built our original custom Document Control database with approvals, version control, and retention. The latest project was to enhance the system using SharePoint's new automation tools with Power Apps and Flow.

Our goal was to simplify the document submission process for users and minimize manual inputs from the Doc Control team. Before the project start, submissions were sent through emails and users felt SharePoint was too complicated. We wanted to created a user friendly and liquid flowing document submission and approval process, and increase document security.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor and what were the deciding factors?

For our first project, we interviewed multiple SharePoint solutions companies, many of which gave us very vague answers like "we can do any you want in SharePoint," which was an issue because we were new to the system and didn't really know what we wanted.

Klarinet came to us with ideas and demonstration of what it would look like in the system, walked through possible options and capabilities of SharePoint, and gave us confidence that we could build a customized system that would meet our needs. We asked them to return for the second project because we know they are expert problem solvers.

Describe the scope of work in detail, including the project steps, key deliverables, and technologies used.

Our latest project scope was to improve our current document control submission process by building a user friendly submission/approval application, automating the approval process from submission to release, and changing the security of the system so no one could edit released documents. The project consisted of weekly meeting updates.

Klarinet built the App in SharePoint, used Flow/Power Automate to transition the submitted documents to the Approval process, send out automatic notification emails for approvals, reminders, and release notifications to multiple users.

The workflow was multilevel, starting with an initial review phase, approval phase, and final review phase, then moved the document from the submission library to the release library where it was locked for editing.

Edits to the documents during approval were automatically flagged and email notices were sent to the approvers/doc control team. Complex links were created in the emails and application to ensure users were viewing documents in SharePoint view mode instead of edit mode. Submission dates and approval dates were also tracked for cycle time measurements.

Approvals/rejections/comments were able to be captured on smart phones in the SharePoint app or on the desktop app. Users were now able to track submissions in progress, view pending approvers, and follow the progress of their own submission or others.

Everything was auotmated and saved the Doc Control team so much time and gave autonomy back to the users to track and follow up with important documents. We also completely removed accidental editing issues because of the security measures we were able to implement.

How many people from the vendor's team worked with you, and what were their positions?

We had Michelle, our SharePoint engineer. She pretty much did everything in the design, build, test, and communications. She is an amazing problem solver, quick to visualize solutions, and came up with the most creative solutions to meet our needs. She went above and beyond for us. Matt F. was our account manager that provided high level support.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any measurable outcomes of the project or general feedback about the deliverables?

Users are now able to submit their documents in SharePoint with ease (no more email submissions!) Users can track their own submissions and see who has not approved, rather that going through the document control team to ask and wait for a response. User autonomy increased!

Documents are no longer accidentally edited because we were able to use a check in check out system that worked with the automation flows. Great document security!

Describe their project management style, including communication tools and timeliness.

Michelle would submit designs for us to review and approve. She would build and then we would test. We communicated on a weekly basis in a call, but also through emails almost daily during testing in the last months. We were always in communication and used bug tracking sheets, email updates of pending actions, and created testing logs.

What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?

As with any project, problems arise and new challenges are presented. Michelle was the most creative problem solver. We were battling many problems that came up during the build, which changed the complexity of the initial project immensely.

As problems arose, we communicated with her and Matt F., and they were eager to find solutions for us. We are very grateful for the team effort! We know this project was very complex.

Michelle was always looking for find ways to solve the problems that came up as we learned about SharePoint. We were always impressed with her work and her drive. Not only did she solve our problems, Michelle kept a positive attitude and we enjoyed working with her.

Are there any areas for improvement or something they could have done differently?

I think we could have spent more time on the design planning together as a team.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the director of IT for a large private court system that does arbitrations and mediations.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Klarinet Solutions?

We have a longstanding relationship that’s involved a number of conversions with our SharePoint site.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

For our most recent project with them, we noticed that our internal SharePoint solution was lacking features that we wanted and was a bit disorganized. They evaluated the site and updated it with a fresh new look and feel. We wanted to take advantage of their creative expertise, so they had a decent bit of flexibility in designing the solution. It was difficult to maintain the other site, so many of the updates revolved around enhanced workflows. Primarily, we wanted it to be easier to add content and include more visually appealing graphics. 

What is the team composition?

I work with four people from their team.  

How did you come to work with Klarinet Solutions?

Originally, we built our site on our own and wanted to upgrade it. I happened to have an interview with another vendor, and they ended up recommending Klarinet Solutions as a SharePoint service provider.

What is the status of this engagement?

We’ve been working together for about a decade but started this particular project in late 2019. This project is ongoing, as is our relationship.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

Our internal users love the updated site. It’s allowed them to use new features within Office 365 more often because those products fit better into this environment. The usage of the site has gone through the roof since we implemented the new site. Instead of just a place for document storage, the site has become more of a collaborative environment. We’ve been able to use it as a platform for interaction. 

How did Klarinet Solutions perform from a project management standpoint?

They performed well. We had weekly touchpoints, sometimes even more often than needed. They kept on top of due dates, and if there was a slip in the timeline, there was a good reason for it. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

The deliverable was great, and we were able to work through technical glitches without much trouble. They hit it out of the park in terms of satisfying our end users. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

There were a few technical issues, but we worked through them and were ultimately very satisfied with their work. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

We wanted a certain amount of hand-holding for the sake of guidance because we don’t have an in-house team that focuses on this normally. They did very well with that.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the associate director of IT business systems at a biopharmaceutical company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Klarinet Solutions?

We use Klarinet as our SharePoint support manager.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Klarinet manages our internal and external SharePoint. Since they work on design and development as well as customer support, the team tends to collaborate with a lot of functional team members to understand our requirements. 

They provide us with recommendations and options to make our site more efficient. The team does a lot of research for us to figure out what’s new in terms of technology.

What is the team composition?

Typically, we deal with about 3–4 people. W8e have an account manager and a technical lead person, who tries to understand what our requirements are. When we’re in development, there are about two people who work on development and configuration.

How did you come to work with Klarinet Solutions?

They were referred to us.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spend about $6,000 per month.

What is the status of this engagement?

We’ve been working together since October 2019.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement? 

The key metrics we typically track are the number of requests the functional teams have asked them to do. Klarinet has been great, and we have a great relationship. It’s definitely beneficial not just for our IT but the functional teams as well. 

The team has committed the necessary time, and they meet all their deadlines. We’ve never had a complaint about them.

How did Klarinet Solutions perform from a project management standpoint?

We have weekly standing meetings to get status updates on high-visibility projects. That gives us a forum to determine if there’s any support issues or any requests from other teams that need attention. It’s a great way to keep our teams aligned. We also have a monthly meeting with our account manager, and we exchange emails with the team regularly.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Even with COVID-19 restrictions and shelter-at-home rules, Klarinet never changed in terms of support. It was a seamless transition to remote work; their communication never faltered. If anything, they worked with us even more to make sure we were happy.

Are there any areas they could improve?

There’s nothing that comes to mind. They’re great.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I would definitely suggest using Klarinet, especially for companies of similar sizes. They give their undivided attention.