Atlas - Clever Software

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

Our company is a global supplier of healthcare equipment including lenses, microscopes, cameras and associated supplies and software. With offices in every continent, we employ over 40,000 people globally.

My role is senior sales and marketing manager, and one of my many and varied jobs is to manage our sales processes optimizing them where necessary.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Atlas Clever Software?

We were looking to build a new web-based and mobile-compatible quoting solution that would allow our sales agents out on the road to quickly and accurately provide customers with quotes for the equipment and support they need.

The system needed to intelligently handle a rather complicated pricing matrix that was previously stored in various spreadsheets.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We approached Atlas to come and walk through our proposed solution. Our senior sales person had created wireframes of the proposed solution, and we had a good idea about how the flow of the solution should work, but the core of the solution was a complete unknown to us.

Atlas was very helpful from the outset, and prior to committing to work with them, they created a minimum viable product (MVP) which allowed us to assess if our approach to the new quote tool was correct. Using the MVP to obtain buy-in to this new approach from the sales team was singlehandedly responsible for the ease with which we launched the solution.

Atlas then began to build the wider app, adding the bells and whistles that we specified with them.

During the time we worked with Atlas, Andre [Technical Operational Manager, Atlas Clever Software] and Dean [Technical Consultant, Atlas Clever Software] were my go-to guys. They were incredibly friendly, polite and professional.

How much have you invested with Atlas Clever Software?

The financial investment has been more than $200,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

Atlas began working on the project in January 2016 and the engagement is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any evidence that would demonstrate the productivity, quality of work, or the impact of the engagement?

The new quote solution was the start of an ongoing relationship with Atlas. After launching the solution, we immediately realized a number of benefits:

All sales people now work from the same set of pricing data, reducing the opportunity for human error.

The quote process now streamlined and automated can be followed by new sales people, reducing the amount of training we provide to them about how to provide quotes to customers.

Customers receive an e-mailed copy of their quote almost instantly following completion of the quote. They’re able to return the signed quote electronically, which means that we get their business commitment in hours rather than days. Atlas delivered the solution both within the budget and timeline that we requested.

How did Atlas Clever Software perform from a project management standpoint?

Communication was performed through Trello, a dedicated project management tool that Atlas introduced us to. Atlas was always available via phone and e-mail too.

What did you find most impressive about Atlas Clever Software?

The cleverness displayed by Atlas really gave us confidence in knowing that they would deliver. They focused primarily on the business value that this solution would provide us, rather than getting too bogged down in the technical aspects. Moreover, they’re just nice people to do business with.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m a marketing manager for a pharmaceutical marketing company based just outside of London. We’re a leading UK pharmaceutical and healthcare news hub, with various websites, magazines and award events tailored specifically to the pharma industry.

We’re made up of roughly 200 people, with offices dotted around the UK.

​My role within the company is to manage the marketing strategy, and with that comes responsibility for our website content/workflows, CRM and to some extent the billing in partnership with accounts team.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Atlas?

As with many businesses that grow quite quickly, our existing CRM was based on Microsoft Access and maintained by somebody in the company who had some Microsoft Access skills and knocked the database together in a weekend. The database grew and grew and before long it was an integral, yet unreliable, component in our sales, marketing and billing activities.

Senior management was becoming increasingly concerned about the reliability of the data in the database, and so a decision was made to reach out to a number of companies to ask them to come and review our Access database to see if it could be fixed or needed to be replaced. Atlas was called in, they did their best to “patch up” the existing system.

Unfortunately, despite their efforts, it wasn’t possible to get the Access database somewhere that would work reliably going forward. As a business with multiple offices, we also recognized that we needed the functionality the Access database provided across offices and for our remote staff, so the decision was taken to migrate the Access database to a new bespoke cloud-based system.

As part of this, we knew that we could realize other benefits, such as streamlining certain workflows that were quite cumbersome in Access, integrating the new CRM with QuickBooks and last but not least integrating the CRM directly with our various websites

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Atlas documented the existing Access database by liaising with its developer. They also put the Access database into what they described as “maintenance mode” so that it was less brittle and more stable. They then performed a module by module analysis of the existing system to provide a migration plan which would see all existing data persisted into the new system.

Atlas scoped, developed and performed quality assurance on a bespoke online CRM to replace the existing systems. The requirements were gathered by their business analysts and developers, who worked in partnership with various departments to identify, document and sign off requirements.

Development was agile, which provided us with an opportunity to tweak and shape the system as it was brought to life. We had never been given such a broad opportunity to upgrade our software infrastructure, so this “agile” approach was essential as, without it, we would have been stuck with our preconceived ideas of what we thought we needed.

The new bespoke CRM solution also incorporated billing, and so it was critical that the integrity of the data was migrated quickly and accurately.

What is the team dynamic?

At first, we worked with Simon and Dean but we’ve since worked with many of their team.

How much have you invested with them?

We have invested over $200,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

The project began May 2011 and is still ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Following the successful decommissioning of the old CRM, Atlas continued to enhance the new system providing more business value in the form of automated workflows, powerful reporting and third-party integration with the website Case Management System (CMS).

We no longer worry about the quality of data we hold and identification mechanisms and deduplication workflows ensure that our data is clean. This is essential as our data is the backbone of our business. Because the data is cloud-based, we can always count on it to be up when we need it.

There has also been a reduction in human error as the new system is integrated with our billing platform and website rather than manual data transfer like before. From a compliance standpoint, the checks and balances embedded in the new CRM system ensure that we’re always able to demonstrate data protection compliance. All departments enjoy using the new system.

How did Atlas perform from a project management standpoint?

Atlas managed the project management and delivery of the project, liaising with key customer stakeholders on a range of issues including requirements gathering, implementation, testing, deployment, support, and security.

What did you find most impressive about them? 

We were really rather impressed with Atlas’ attempts to try and get the Access database working. Other suppliers we spoke with were quick to recommend the time-intensive and costly option to throw the database away and start over. Atlas’ attempts to not take the “easy” route reassured us that their approach was one of partnership rather than purely revenue driven.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m one of the directors of a funded start-up that has spotted a gap in the appointment reminder market. We know that when a company uses a text (SMS) appointment reminder software platform to remind their customers about upcoming appointments, the number of missed appointments reduces by a third.

This and other data led us to believe that we could help a range of businesses take advantage of SMS technology to this end, and created the idea for a platform that they could subscribe to for a monthly fee.

We approached Atlas to build this platform for us.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Atlas - Clever Software?

As this was an entirely new platform, there were a number of technical challenges we had to review and mitigate risks for. For example, we needed to ensure that the mechanism used to send SMS appointment reminders would scale adequately if we had an influx of new customers. Reliability was also a key factor because we couldn’t afford for the new system to be offline for extended periods of time, especially during working hours. Atlas worked with us to address these and many more technical challenges and ensure that the overall solution would be fit for purpose now and in the future.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

With the risks mitigated, we then proceeded to work with Atlas to build the solution, including a marketing website, the platform itself, and back office systems that we use to monitor and measure our customers using the platform. The metrics provided in the back office element of the solution gives us the data we need to ensure that our customers are using and deriving value from the application. 

The staffing arrangement Atlas put in place for us was superb. We had a dedicated point of contact at all times that we could call or e-mail at any time for updates. Often that was not necessary though as the systems Atlas uses to communicate project progress and feedback with their customers ensured that we always knew what was happening with our project. In fact, towards the end of the build of the project, it was very rare that we would need to pick up the phone as most communication was handled through Atlas’ project management tools.

Atlas was responsible for all project management, including the design, build, testing and launch of the original SMS appointment platform. They were also instrumental in helping with other areas of our startup, drawing from their experience and knowledge they had accumulated building their own applications.

How did you come to work with Atlas - Clever Software?

Atlas was by far the most approachable, friendly and enthusiastic of all the companies we approached. They went out of their way at the outset, even before signing up with them, to provide free consultancy around how best to deliver our solution to the end customer and what technical approaches to use.

What is the status of this engagement?

The overall project lasted about six months. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any evidence that would demonstrate the productivity, quality of work, or the impact of the engagement?

At a high level, Atlas delivered what we were looking to build on budget and on schedule. They adapted to our somewhat changing needs too, despite our trying to fix the cost of the project, and only charged us for additional extras for “significant” changes that were clearly out of scope.

The platform has since gone on to be a complete success, with a range of customers using it as we continue to grow.

Are there any areas Atlas - Clever Software could improve?

Hindsight is always 20:20, but if we could go back in time we would have spent less time trying to define everything up front and worked with Atlas in a more agile manner.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO of HR Solutions, and I juggle a variety of roles in directing the company. We provide outsourced HR services, including advice and guidance, to support small businesses in the UK in all aspects of employee relations: disciplinary issues, grievances, redundancies, that kind of stuff. As we’ve grown, clients have asked us for additional services that are typically expected from an HR team, which included recruitment, employee benefits, and HR database software as well, which is why we used Staff Squared by Atlas.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Atlas Clever Software?

We align ourselves with partners to help provide solutions where we lack experience. We don’t provide an HR software system ourselves, so we chose Atlas as our preferred partner.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Staff Squared is a multi-tenanted HR database. It wasn’t developed for us, although we’ve worked closely with Atlas on future developments. They created and sold the product. We approached them to be a partner, so it wasn’t bespoke development for us. We work with them to resell it, but we also manage it for many of our clients.

We’re quite aligned with Atlas and Staff Squared for future product developments. Often, they’ll come to us with an idea for a system enhancement and ask for our opinion. We’re usually ahead of that, and we give them suggestions for future add-ons to the system. In that sense, we don’t have a typical client relationship; we work in partnership with them to help develop their offering to our client base. Any the same time, their other clients also benefit from those improvements.

They incorporate our recommendations or requests to service our clients’ needs. As an out-of-the-box software system, it will provide the end user with company-level access to all of their employee data and enable them to do reporting and MI [management information] in terms of absence, new-starters, leavers, wage calculations, and absence rates. It also tracks holidays for employees, allowing them to book time off through the system and get approval from a manager, which streamlines the authorizing of annual leave much quicker. It can also record other absences for sickness, dependency leave, and compassionate leave, offering a full history of the staff.

Equally, we find the system really useful in terms of uploading HR documents, enabling users to form a mini HR intranet. All the templates, policies, procedures, and forms an employee would need access to can be uploaded into the system, and any employee can view those as they need. Users also can add employee-related documentation to their portfolio in the system, which basically forms an online HR filing option as well. All the employee docs are grouped in a single cloud-based location, instead of on a shared server that everyone else might need to access.

I typically deal with Jennifer [Managing Director] and Simon [Director/CMO] at Atlas. I don’t do the day-to-day stuff in the system, so my team contacts them for any support queries. I think 2 support people are helping us with any queries we have on a daily basis. In total, there are 4 people at Atlas with whom we work. I think a person left the company and was replaced since we started working with them, but our relationship goes back quite a few years, so we’d expect some turnover in staff.

How did you come to work with Atlas Clever Software?

We’ve used a number of HR software providers over the years. We’ve worked with some bigger players, but their systems became overly complicated for our client base. We moved away and looked for a new provider that was easier to deal with but much more Agile in terms of developing the system. That’s why we searched among a variety of software providers in the market space. We went to tender eventually and started to build a relationship with Atlas. They met our goals and our clients’ requirements much more closely than others.

How much have you invested with Atlas Clever Software?

They charge a standard monthly fee, but we get that discounted and charge our clients a similar price. So, we just take the money from the client and pay Atlas for the service. It’s not a development fee.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together around January of 2014, and the work is still ongoing and growing. We’re adding new clients all the time.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any evidence that would demonstrate the productivity, quality of work, or impact of the engagement?

We don’t have anything written down in terms of a KPI. Our success is driven by how many clients we have in the system, which is growing every month. We have an internal check on how that relationship is working by sensing how Atlas is listening to the feedback we provide and handling future developments. Most of what we’ve requested is in their development plan. The day-to-day support issues we give to them are typically answered within an hour, but that’s not something we track.

How did Atlas Clever Software perform from a project management standpoint?

I only interact with their project management when we talk about the service and how it could be improved. They typically come to those meetings with ideas and agree to some actions. They then talk about that feedback within their project team, and we don’t always have visibility for that. They just acknowledge that it’s been added to their development roadmap.

Since we’re not paying for those developments, it’s not like a traditional supplier relationship, but their project management skills seem okay to me. They provide updates when new developments are happening, when we can expect them, and why something might take longer than expected. The communication is fine.

What did you find most impressive about Atlas Clever Software?

We have a very close working relationship with Atlas. We can be honest with each other, and they listen to the improvements we suggest. They’re quite responsive; in the past, we worked with other providers who were not as Agile in terms of system developments. Atlas seems to be fairly Agile in making hotfixes or improvements where they can. If something needs deeper coding, it stays on their roadmap, but their communication with us is always positive and open. We’ve never had to chase them for updates.

Are there any areas Atlas Clever Software could improve?

We are constantly giving them feedback on what we think can be improved. It’s more about the product than anything they do. They’re working on everything we’ve suggested. I’d appreciate more collaboration in marketing the product and materials. At the moment, we sell it ourselves.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the head of internal delivery at a corporate accounting firm with many branches in the UK. We offer corporate and personal finance advice, consultancy, and service. I’m responsible for the successful delivery of a range of projects including some technical ones such as the one we worked on with Atlas.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Atlas?

The focus for this particular project was an offering for our individual clients which would allow them to perform various calculations and facilitate their engagement with the company via a mobile app. Essentially, we were looking for another way for customers to get in touch with us and add additional value for them at the same time.

Atlas was tasked to specifically build something that our competitors did not offer their clients in terms of functionality, ease of use, and overall appeal.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Atlas was responsible for the entire development process, from specification, to design workshops, graphics, deployment, and ongoing support.

Atlas developed a number of very easy to use calculators and paid great attention to navigation. Most importantly, all of the calculators met the core goal of the brief which was to provide another channel to speak with us. Specifically, all of the calculators have easy-to-access links that allow customers to get in touch with us.

Due to the nature of some the calculators, the variables need to be updated from time to time. Atlas gave us a way to make these changes without having to update the app itself. Again, we felt that Atlas was always thoughtful of the wider delivery and not just interested in getting the job done.

How did you come to work with Atlas?

We met with a range of software companies but what stood out about Atlas was their willingness to provide so much value from the outset. For example, they prototyped a couple of potential solutions for our first meeting, which came as a pleasant surprise.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any evidence that would demonstrate the productivity, quality of work, or the impact of the engagement?

The app was very well received by our team, by the rest of the company, by the board members, and now our customers. It’s a unique offering that none of our competitors are able to contend with.

The app just went live in April 2017, and we’re already receiving inquiries from this new medium — to date, we have processed just shy of one hundred.

What did you find most impressive about Atlas?

The way that Atlas went about scoping the project via a high-definition prototype first really made all the difference to the outcome.

Are there any areas Atlas could improve?

If we could start over again, there isn’t a huge amount we would do differently. The outcome definitely meets ours and our client’s needs, but as with most projects, there are some minor things we would have done differently looking back in retrospect in the end. For example, we would have spent more time on the calculation requirements as there were some minor misunderstandings here that only came up at the end.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We are a company secretarial software provider. We build market and company secretarial support to UK companies. I am the operations director.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What business challenge were you trying to address with Atlas Clever Software?

When we approached Atlas, we were literally starting the company. We had an idea to create a software and Atlas has been with us from day one to produce a proof of that software and to complete the initial release of it. With every iteration of the software and every feature we've added since, Atlas has been there every step of the way, supporting us in building the software and making sure it works as well as possible for our customers.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

One of the things that we do is integrate our software with Companies House, which is the companies' registration office in the UK. Every company that registers has to have its records lodged at the Companies House. One of the main challenges we had was using the electronic XML gateway that Companies House provides and communicating information back and forth between our two systems on an ongoing basis to make sure the two are lined up and synchronized. Part of what Atlas has helped us with, which was particularly beneficial, was investigating and implementing the best ways in which we could get that communication working.

How did you come to work with Atlas Clever Software?

We thought about what we wanted in a software provider and we literally did an online search for software developers who were within 100 miles of where we're located in Ipswich in Suffolk. Atlas was one of the names that came up. We had no awareness of them beforehand. We interviewed a number of companies, some that were much larger than Atlas and some that were smaller. We were impressed by the fact that they had an experienced and technically adept team. They also have strength in depth, so that if one person was working on our project, it was always possible for another member of the team to step in and help. They had a really innovative approach to looking at our project and were really enthusiastic to work with us to deliver as a result. It was really on that basis that we decided to go with them.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

How did Atlas Clever Software perform from a project management standpoint?

The relationship we have with them works really well. We have one developer assigned to our project at any one time. That developer rotates so that different people are involved at different times of the year. We provide a schedule of all the different things that we're going to work on during the year. Atlas can look at that schedule and they will sometimes give us ideas about things we need to do in advance and any particular challenges there might be. They're very proactive in terms of looking ahead and seeing where they can add value to the project. When we come to actually work on something, usually we're a lot more prepared than we might otherwise have been. We've got all our requirements lined up.

They're very supportive in terms of working with us to make sure that we each get the most out of the relationship. We maintain a project plan and review it on a regular basis. I have daily calls with our dedicated developer, just to make sure that we're on track and that we're keeping up with the estimates. Obviously, sometimes things don't go according to plan but both the developers and the management team are always there to address any issues that do arise.

What did you find most impressive about Atlas Clever Software?

What we've found that particularly sticks out with Atlas is their sense of partnership in wanting to see success in our business. Where there are things that they've come across, whether it be technologies, project approaches, or just experiences they've had that they might share with us, to make our project better and our business work better, they've been more than willing to do them proactively and to give up their time to do so.

While we have a business relationship with them, we like to think that we have something a bit more than that as well. With Atlas, we have a partnership where we are more willing and able to support one another and really go beyond the confines of a contract.

Are there any areas Atlas could improve?

In any relationship, you can look to improve. There are always times when you don't quite meet estimates or where a project doesn't go as well as expected, where things don't get done as quickly, or perhaps there are more bugs in the software that come through than you expected. If something does go wrong, they're very willing to sit down and talk about it, deal with it openly, and look to make it better for the future.

I see that they're continuing to invest in their people. They continue to hire and they've got a number of different people that they can rotate on to our project. Something I'm keen for them to do is continue to make that investment so that we're not overly reliant on one or two people. As it stands, it looks like they are doing that.