Traction Consulting Group

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Executive Vice-President & Chief Financial Officer of Comm-Fit Holdings LLC, Pasadena Ventures LLC

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

We are a provider of Fitness Equipment to the multi- family, corporate and municipal markets

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Traction Consulting Group to accomplish?

• Installation and support of ERP conversion to ODOO
• On Time
• On Budget

SOLUTION

How did you find Traction Consulting Group?

Referral

Why did you select Traction Consulting Group over others?

• Pricing fit our budget
• Great culture fit
• Good value for cost
• Referred to me

How many teammates from Traction Consulting Group were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

Describe the scope of work in detail. Please include a summary of key deliverables.

Conversion of data from multiple legacy systems to a single ERP system. Modification of the software for specific enhancements. Go live support. We were on a tight time table, with a defined budget to install the software (ODOO) out of the box as much as possible. Delivered the project on time and on budget.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the measurable outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

• Twice weekly update meetings held with the core team. Discussion of progress and findings since the last update. Consistent weekly updates via email of project time line and deliverable due from Traction and the Comm-FIT team.

What was your primary form of communication with Traction Consulting Group?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

Describe their project management. Did they deliver items on time? How did they respond to your needs?

They did a fabulous job of communication during the project. Were consistently updated on the progress not only from the Traction side but also from our internal contributors. Clarification of open items was handled timely and consistently through the project. The project was delivered on time.

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

Entire project was handled remotely, including training of our internal team. We were so impressed and happy with the project that we are currently using Traction on another ERP ODOO implementation of another company within our portfolio

Are there any areas for improvement or something Traction Consulting Group could have done differently?

The initial scoping of the project appeared to us to be a little choppy, but in hindsight the process worked well.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Fitness Things/All Pro is a provider of commercial and home fitness equipment and service. I am a managing partner at Fitness Things/All Pro Exercise.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Traction Consulting Group - TractionCRM.com?

After an acquisition in 2016 we were on 3 different software platforms. We needed to integrate all of our systems into one platform. We are not a particularly tech savvy group so it was important for us to have a company that would be able to train and assist in implementation. We also liked that Traction could customize the software to accommodate the niche needs that we have.

What were your goals for this project?

To have everyone transferred onto Odoo and loving it in 6 months. To utilize the CRM aspect of the program for sales tracking and projections. We continue to have goals based around inventory tracking and website launch.

SOLUTION

How did you select Traction Consulting Group - TractionCRM.com?

We interviewed 2 different companies. Traction was the only one that could provide all of what we needed in one software platform. They also were able to offer customization within an out of the box product which saved a lot of money.

Describe the project in detail.

We began with moving our service department onto Odoo first to allow to work out glitches and then we moved onto the sales department. We had one person on our team that was champion of the project and worked closely with Traction.

We had meetings and the project was detailed with objectives within certain timelines. Traction assisted a lot in the transfer of data from our other systems into Odoo. We now work with them on an as needed basis to overcome challenges or to improve workflow.

What was the team composition?

Fitness Things/All Pro had a champion that worked with department heads within our company to address opportunities and challenges. Those were then brought to a project manager from Traction and together they would work to meet the objectives.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Within 9 months, we developed an initiative that "If it's not in Odoo, it didn't happen." We are using it to communicate internally and externally and are able to easily track a transaction from start to finish. It has saved us a lot of time and energy. We are more productive and efficient as a result.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

The workflow between teams was very effective. We were clear on goals and objectives and we worked to achieve them. Traction was dilligent about meeting deadlines and making sure that things were done correctly.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

I was impressed with their candid consulting approach. They were very upfront with us on what we were doing internally that could limit our success in Odoo. Ultimately, that resulted in some larger process changes that improved Fitness Things/All Pro

Are there any areas for improvement?

Not at this time.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the senior director of client engagement and service excellence for a workforce management solutions company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Traction Consulting Group - TractionCRM.com?

We were looking to automate and streamline some manual processes. We also wanted to build a data warehouse to allow us to integrate information from multiple third-party technology platforms. The end goal was to provide more meaningful analytics to our customers.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We’re in the process of doing things, but we initially engaged them to provide support and service from an EPL and SQL scripting perspective to capture some quick wins for us. We’re now in the process of launching the data warehouse initiative and overall operational automation process.

What is the team composition?

I work with three people from their team, including one designer and one account manager.

How did you come to work with Traction Consulting Group - TractionCRM.com?

One of our employees had worked with them previously and recommended them. We went out to bids with several providers, and we found Traction Consulting Group to be well aligned with what we wanted to do.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent around $30,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in June 2020, and our work is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

So far, they’ve been phenomenal to work with. The team has been efficient, in terms of working with multiple members of my team with the discovery of multiple workflow processes that we’ve got going on.

How did Traction Consulting Group - TractionCRM.com perform from a project management standpoint?

They’ve been highly responsive. We communicate in team meetings and email. They’ve hit every deadline we’ve had.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The team is understanding of our culture and environment. We’ve really enjoyed working with them so far.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, not yet.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

It’s definitely worth it to work with them.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm an executive VP of strategy and product, and co-president at a training services company. We provide language training, cultural training, translations, and white-glove concierge services.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Traction?

We have a big ERP system, based on Microsoft Dynamix, so we wanted to streamline the processes that were built years ago. Then, we had to deploy a new cloud-based CRM and had to integrate it with our back-office systems. We're also building an entirely new platform for the company. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Traction was brought in to build out the API's, data services, and allow the back-office systems to communicate with the modern AWS system. They changed our dashboards, to make the work queues easier, and also automated a lot of the work and the process that was happening there. They helped us upgrade the process behind the scenes and the ERP system to help us reduce that cost.

Then, they worked with our sales and marketing team to define what our process is like, along with our stages. They helped with the training and consulting side of what we need from a sales process. They also re-did that process with our Salesforce and customized it.

The other big project they've been doing involves a lot of custom API's and EDI interfaces for a modern platform we spent a year building out with a different vendor. All of our licensing is through them for Microsoft systems. We deploy Odoo to be our marketing engine, for lead generation and emails, too, and they're integrating that with Salesforce.

What is the team composition?

We have one key project manager and sometimes use a second one depending on the project. Typically, we have three key people for different reasons and other project managers as needed.

How did you come to work with Traction?

The vendors we were dealing with were charging too much and taking months to finish projects, so I decided to change vendors. Traction was a referral and they've been doing such a great job. Sometimes I feel like they even under-bill me. They're good partners and good people.

How much have you invested with them?

We've invested somewhere between $100,000–$500,000. 

What is the status of this engagement?

September 2018, and our engagement is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They get things done quickly, they're fast, they respond quickly, and they don't do things at night or during the weekend if they need to. A lot of things they do touch are our production systems, which they know, so they know when to work on them and when not to. 

How did Traction perform from a project management standpoint?

Their responsiveness has been great. I can text their owner immediately whenever I need to, and they've just been a really good partner.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They will come in and do the needs analysis and scope out the project and be a good partner and understand the workflows and the business and all that entails. They don't expect me or others to assess our needs, and I trust them to get that done properly. Everyone claims to be a strategic partner, but they're actually in our business and are supportive of the many processes and systems to sit with the staff. They take responsibility for our success and do what they need to in order to streamline the work.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, there haven't been any surprises or issues. If anything, I'd like to see them grow and get bigger.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I wouldn't be rigid with what you need or want. I would allow them to come in as a partner and trust them to come in. They're very good at defining what you need.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m a project manager for an entity with Bosch called engineering analysis associates. We handle contracts for several different OEMs, tracking projects from start to finish and deploying resources for customers’ needs.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Traction Consulting Group?

We were originally tracking all of our projects in Excel, but had recently switched over to Salesforce. We needed Traction Consulting Group to improve our CRM by creating programs and smoothing out our workflow.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Typically, I consult with Traction Consulting Group whenever we have a need, and they’ll work with our requirements. The first main project we used their services for was to integrating our expense reports into Salesforce, create the necessary programming, and determine the flow of our invoices. Joe (President, Traction Consulting Group) came in and met with us several times to ensure he understood the requirements and gave us project updates until completion.

For the second project, Traction Consulting Group consulted with us on using the Power BI tool for our business. The tool, an interactive data visualization product, was deployed after Joe met with us a few times, explained the various offerings, and provided reports. 

What is the team composition?

Joe and about 4–5 others from Traction Consulting Group work with us on various projects. 

How did you come to work with Traction Consulting Group?

We researched online and asked Traction Consulting Group and a few other companies to come in for a meeting. After asking specific questions about our company, we felt most comfortable with Joe. He seemed to understand our needs and like he could take Salesforce development to the next level.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent around $50,000. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We’ve been working together since June 2018, and we still use them for other projects.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Since our project is a bit unique, we don’t have specific metrics, but everyone is impressed with their work. They get it done correctly and on time. 

How did Traction Consulting Group perform from a project management standpoint?

They always meet our goals and deliver work quickly. For example, this morning, I had requests for adding fields to a report, and they handled it within an hour. They’re excellent as far as timeliness. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

They truly care about our needs and do their best to improve our business. With Salesforce and the Power BI tool that they introduced to us, they are a cutting-edge company with many options and ideas. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, there’s nothing to improve. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I’d definitely recommend working with them. 

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the president of Libra Industries, Inc. of Michigan. We’re an employee-owned company with both a product side (selling industrial products and uniforms) and a service side (glove recycling that services direct automotive manufacturers).

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Traction Consulting Group?

We were looking for an ERP provider and kept hit stumbling blocks finding someone that could handle both our service and product sides. The product side is a more typical use-case for an ERP system.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We picked an Odoo ERP system, which is a non-traditional option. Traction wrote the entire service side from scratch and integrated it with the full solution. Currently, the solution handles our sales, accounting, and purchasing, but Traction is working on further customer-facing customizations like automatic order tracking (physical tracking of delivery trucks). The goal is to allow people to log into the site and have the Amazon-type experience they want.

What is the team composition?

Susan handles our administration, and Eric and Peter (Account Manager, Traction Consulting Group) are also working on the project. Joe (President, Traction Consulting Group) is our main point of contact, however.

How did you come to work with Traction Consulting Group?

There was another option we were looking at, and we were excited about the dynamic product-side, but our service side would have been neglected. We liked Traction’s experience in several different areas and got a good feeling from talking with Joe. He seemed to understand that the service part of our business was what made us unique, and he had a solid programming background.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent $140,000 so far.

What is the status of this engagement?

Initial conversations began in April 2018, and we signed with them in late fall. The Odoo system went live in January 2019.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We’re starting to see some efficiency benefits—allowing people to work on other projects. The metric improvements in sales and other categories are coming down the road, but this is going to help take our company to the next level. It’s going to be the main building block for us moving forward. I wasn’t expecting this to be such a far-reaching project when we started nine months ago, but it’s going to have a great impact. I’m satisfied with what they’ve delivered so far.

How did Traction Consulting Group perform from a project management standpoint?

Early on, there wasn’t much clarity, and I thought there would be more hand-holding. We had a first week implementation and then they pulled back. But, we worked through it, and Joe is pushing now to meet and plan the next steps.

There have been one or two delays because of third-party services they’re dealing with, but they’ve been good overall. We couldn’t have found someone better to work with.

What did you find most impressive about them?

What I’m still in awe of is how they’ve handled our really different service side. They wrote that whole piece using custom code and integrated it into the Odoo system. It works the best out of every piece we have, which is really good for us, as it’s what sets us apart.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Make sure you understand what their support level will look like for implementation. Learning how to use the system ourselves may have helped us learn it better, but make sure to talk about expectations.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

During this project, I was Director of the Enterprise Portfolio Management Office (ePMO) at Strategic Staffing Solutions. We’re an IT staffing, recruiting, and solutions firm.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Traction Consulting Group?

We needed help with development work.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They built two completely proprietary systems. One is our firms nerve center that runs our entire business. It integrates all the invoicing; it’s a time entry system, and there’s a frontend workflow form in Domino. As a whole, it captures all our financial data and does some very complex reporting and commissions off of it.

At the end of last year, they designed a tool that automatically looked at the timecards, marked everything as paid, generated the invoices, and sent them over to our accounts payable software. This way, our suppliers could stop invoicing us.

They’ve also helped with different forms and workflow data. They made sure we had a reportable data warehouse and they did replications for third-party tool integration. A lot of it was being able to talk through a business problem, understanding our systems as well as our business, and coming up with a solution that not only got results, but also fit with our quirky people that aren’t very technical, as well as our systems, which are very proprietary.

They used Microsoft SQL servers, SQL Server Reporting Services (SSRS), Talend for ETL (Extract, Transform, Load), SharePoint, Lotus Note, Azure, WordPress, CSS, HTML, and Java. Currently, they’re still working on innovative projects to help us focus on our core business such as a purchase order (PO) system.

What is the team composition?

My main contact was Ian, their Senior Consultant, but I also worked with the owner, as well as an Account Manager.

How did you come to work with Traction Consulting Group?

They were doing some very small pieces of work for my organization. When I become the ePMO director, we solidified the relationship. I believe we found them years ago, through one of our developers.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent over $1 million.

What is the status of this engagement?

We’ve been working together since 2015.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

It stopped our suppliers from having to send us invoices, which made us a more preferred vendor. It also cut down overpayments and underpayments, because it’s all automated now. Our suppliers were probably losing $5,000 a month, and now Traction’s working on another solution that will stop leakages of $7000-$10,000 a month on non-billable expenses.

How did Traction Consulting Group perform from a project management standpoint?

I’m in a new position now, so they’re doing more of the project management, and switched to fancy software two weeks ago. Prior to that, we used a more traditional, Agile methodology. They help us to understand what the deadlines are, what our part is, and they make sure we stick to it. If we’re running off track, they let everybody know what that means. They use a Gantt chart as a production control tool, and they give the team the dummy version.

They’ve done a really good job understanding our business. They break things down to the business stakeholders using a really simple three-bullet PowerPoint, so that the business understands how they can motivate Traction.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I’ve dealt with a lot of vendors, and they were by far my best vendor experience. Our problems were theirs, so when I expected my employees up at 6:00 in the morning to make sure a job ran, the Traction team was also up, notifying us. They care about the business just as much as we do. They also spent a lot of time in non-billable resources just educating themselves, so that they weren’t just order takers. They were an extension of us.

They did stellar work and they’re really smart. Ian is a very complex thinker. He’s super intelligent with creative solutions and proprietary systems. It saved me a ton of money because he could grasp what I was saying and took time to understand our business.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They’re open to constructive criticism given for their own improvement.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be open to hear their suggestions because they touch a lot of clients and industries.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the I.T. manager at an economic growth corporation. We focus on bringing in and retaining jobs in our region, so we work with a lot of companies and communities.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Traction Consulting Group?

We have a monthly scorecard that we have to create manually. It’s produced as a PDF and distributed, so it’s not dynamic, interactive, or up to date. We wanted to have a company scorecard that was up to date on company metrics, at any moment in time.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

First, we developed a statement of work, as to what we wanted them to do. Then, they worked with our business analyst to nail down the requirements for the interactive scorecard. They used a Microsoft Power BI to develop dashboards and reports for the scorecard. They also taught us about how they built the system, which included thorough technical documentation, so we wouldn’t be lost after the engagement ended. Some of the technologies they work with include Microsoft SQL servers, our Salesforce CRM, and SQL Server integration services.

What is the team composition?

We worked with a Traction developer, but I also had communication with their President.

How did you come to work with Tractions Consulting Group?

We went through an RFP process and looked at three or four companies. Traction’s skillset, especially with our Microsoft tools, made us choose them.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent around $50,000 so far.

What is the status of this engagement?

We’ve been working together since September 2017.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Traction’s done multiple demos for some of our senior leaders, and they’ve been very excited about what they've seen. Their work fulfilled requirements and came in on time, even though they've had to wait for us to catch up at times.

How did Traction Consulting Group perform from a project management standpoint?

Our business analyst performed the project manager role, but the Traction developer worked closely with our project manager to make sure that work was getting completed. We used our Salesforce CRM to communicate, in which we built a project case, where people could see what had been done, and what was currently being worked on. We also used GoToMeeting and in-person conversations.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their developer is very active and communicative. He troubleshoots any problems and is proactive in identifying issues with our data warehouse. He works well with senior leadership and is transparent in showing us what he’s created, and what work has been completed.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I can’t think of anything off-hand, but they even come on-site. They’ve very proactive about any additional work that needs to be done.

Any advice for potential customers?

Make sure that you nail down what it is that you want done – your statement of work, your requirements.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the director of engineering and operations for a health firm. We run the facility and operations for our hospital system.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Traction Consulting Group?

Over the years, we’ve completed a couple of different projects with Traction Consulting Group. Their most recent engagement involved our computerized maintenance management system (CMMS), which served as our work order platform. It dispatched assignments to our technicians who served different sites. However, we wanted to improve our team’s productivity in the field and get ahead of our preventative maintenance schedules. As a result, we needed resources to create a data warehouse and reporting suite to track our work orders and management reports.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Initially, they accessed our CMMS before creating a data warehouse with Microsoft Azure and normalizing all of the data tables. They then connected our business analytics tool, Power BI, to the data warehouse to build data models around our work order management. They’re currently wrapping up with the project.

What is the team composition?

We worked with their president to scope out the project goals and identify what we wanted to do. Their project manager confirmed the scope and oversaw the tasks. There were also other people working behind the scenes.

How did you come to work with Traction Consulting Group?

They’ve been working with our organization for numerous years, now, so I engaged them when I entered this role.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent $50,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

Their work began in December 2015 and is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We’re still in the final stages of the project, so we currently don’t have any concrete measurable results. However, we’re excited about their data warehouse, and its functions have been reliable so far.

How did Traction Consulting Group perform from a project management standpoint?

They’ve been great to work with, and they’re very communicative. We get weekly updates on their progress and schedule. While I don’t know what their specific project management tools are, they share plans, time lines, and member assignments with us. This helps maintain transparency and allows us to see how they track their hours.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They had a clear understanding of the development process and asked all of the right questions. This helped to define exactly what we wanted, which kept them from developing unnecessary features.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, nothing comes to mind.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Make sure to have the right people present when discussing your project needs and desired outcome.