Emergent Software

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

We’re very happy with the relationship. The automations that Emergent Software developed have helped us free up staff members and shift focus to our volunteers and program clients. We were less bogged down with scheduling phone calls and asking reference questions. We’re getting all of those online now.

It’s been great to have a database product that has grown with us as our needs and programs have changed. It’s great to have people on the other side of the line that understand our lingo and what we’re trying to do.

How did Emergent Software perform from a project management standpoint?

There’s an automated helpdesk that we can call from the database itself, but we have a long-lasting working relationship with Emergent Software, so, even if it’s a small issue or request, we’ll oftentimes just go straight to Mark or Nicolette. They’ll advise us or work with their team to make the necessary changes on our behalf.

Because of his new responsibilities, it might take 3–4 days for Mark to get back to us, but he’s typically been very responsive. It used to be that we could schedule calls within the same day. We understand that there’s just less time for us, and it’s not the same as it used to be.

In terms of timelines and deliverables, they’ve always been consistent. If Mark promises to deliver a project by a certain date, he’ll do so. The only issue would be if we made a shift in the customization. We’ll typically discuss the need internally, I’ll write it up and send it to Mark for review, and we’ll get a quote and set up a timeline. 

Because we spend a lot of time talking through a customization and its implications, there are typically no delays in development once we commit. We’re willing to pay a bit extra to also have a sandbox environment to test out the customizations without any risk to the production database.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’ve identified easy-to-use vendors that connect to their platform, allowing outside organizations to start building on their own through those services. The database itself connects to a number of services, including SurveyGizmo and SendGrid, which allows us to automate various tasks. 

The services they’ve connected to the database have been easy enough to work with, so we don’t necessarily need the team to make modifications. 

Since we’ve made the connection with SurveyGizmo, we’ve been able to create our own surveys and even use it outside of our database for external purposes. Emergent Software is really good at keeping UX top of mind.

Are there any areas they could improve?

While I mentioned that the UX is pretty good, the UI could use a bit of a polish. It’s a bit dated. If someone isn’t trained on it, they may get lost in the ways in which files move through it. It’s okay once we get familiar with it. 

One of our initial requests was to spruce up the database, and the Emergent Software team told us that they, unfortunately, couldn’t. We’ve grown accustomed to its look, though.

They’ve always been able to push out new features inside the database, but I personally feel it would be helpful if they had other users come in for feedback. We do it because we have a close relationship with Mark, but I don’t know whether other nonprofit or mentoring organizations using their platform have as much voice as us.

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

The best thing someone can do is set up a time to talk to Emergent Software’s project lead and let them understand what the needs are. Clients should be clear on what their ask is and whether they need any kind of customizations.

They should talk to the internal team before sending out the message, just to make sure they’re using Emergent Software’s time efficiently. I believe they’ll deliver exactly what the client needs, but it’s important to be intelligent in formulating the ask. 

Being vague isn’t going to be helpful for anyone. One thing we came to realize is that, even though the team knows mentoring, they won’t necessarily know what our problem or use case is, so having that fleshed out is helpful.

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

The turnaround time for the data has greatly improved because multiple people on the team can now load formatted data and perform the matching. Emergent prevented us from duplicating data many times, which was important because we used the data to pay commissions. For example, they identified distributors that sent the same set of data two times in a row. Unlike other IT vendors, Emergent does a great job testing their solutions too.

How did Emergent Software perform from a project management standpoint?

We never had issues with Emergent meeting deadlines. There were occasions over the past year when we didn’t respond to them in time for them to move forward.

They were a partner that understood our business well. I worked mostly with Emergent’s leadership, but they were still involved with their team members. Their team asked good questions because they knew enough about the business to give alternative ideas.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I considered them a partner more so than a vendor. They sought to understand our business rather than to simply create a solution. Their team wanted to make sure that their solutions were scalable and flexible to support our next iterations. That’s hard to find.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They could outline the expertise of different team members. It wasn't a problem, but there were occasions when I sent information to the wrong party who would then forward it to the right person. It would've been more efficient if I sent the information to the right person from the start.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Share the big picture around the project.

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

Emergent Software implemented functions that make our system run efficiently. They play a large part in helping us to manage our business.

Since we started working with them, our system hasn’t crashed. Their team implements backups that work well to ensure our data’s secure. We haven’t experienced any infiltrations, so our data’s well protected.

We track the number of hours and dollars spent; those numbers remain on track. If we feel that costs need to be brought back in line, they’re cooperative.

Timeliness is also a key indicator for us. Their team completes SOWs close to their estimated deadlines.

How did Emergent Software perform from a project management standpoint?

Our database manager meets with them weekly to discuss their progress on projects and other tickets such as maintenance. Their communication’s good.

Their team assigns a lead to each project based on that individual's experiences. Then, they create a solid SOW that we revise. Once we agree, their team begins their work quickly. They perform well.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’re database experts. Their level of communication sets them apart. They let us know if they encounter any difficulties. Their team updates us if they’re ahead or behind schedule. That has made for a far superior experience than our previous engagements.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I can’t think of any areas for improvement. We immediately address any issues — big or small — and they take care of it.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Understand your needs and expectations for the developers. As well, try to understand that not all challenges are an emergency. That helps to keep costs down.

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

The web app has been very well received among our audience. They’re very appreciative to have something on an iPad as opposed to a smaller screen. The web app is professional and works really well. We’ve had minimal errors or issues, but when they do arise, Emergent Software is quick to troubleshoot them. It’s a very welcome advance in our field.

One of our intentions was to reduce our internal printing costs. The web app has helped us reduce our spend on printing hardcopy literature. On top of that, when we close to launching the web app, I went out on maternity leave. They had to switch to a different group of people internally and were incredibly adaptable. 

How did Emergent Software perform from a project management standpoint?

Emergent Software is very organized, timely, and responsive. We primarily communicated through email, although we now use Smartsheet. They were willing to break down technical information for non-technical people. Their team made things easy to understand to help us make decisions.

We were under a very tight timeline and had been going back and forth on budget and schedule, but Emergent Software was flexible with us. They were willing to work with us as the project evolved.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Emergent Software’s speed and flexibility made them stand out.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, nothing comes to mind. They did a great job with the changing of the guard as they transitioned us to another account manager.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Anyone doing this kind of project should go in with clear intentions and goals. If someone didn’t have those, Emergent Software is able to synthesize and distill information to help you get to that point.