In a world where budgets are becoming ever tighter and public sector organisations in particular, are continually being asked to do more without any additional funding, it’s vital that any investment trusts make are worthwhile and come without hidden extras. Similarly, they need to be confident not only in the product they’re purchasing but also in the people behind it who are delivering the all-important functionality and support.
At Asckey, the client care experience matters to us. In a previous blog, we discussed the value we place on having three separate ISO accreditations, one of which is ISO 9001(Quality). While some businesses achieve accreditation in just one area of their business, we can proudly say that the ISO for Quality covers our business as an entirety, everything from the way we create our products, to the maintenance, training, and support that we provide for our clients.
Quality guaranteed from the outset
Quality begins right at the initial concept of our products. They must be designed properly, not only to work effectively but so that we are able to measure the work they do in an effective way. This includes accepting that we may need to tweak and develop a product as our clients use it and their requirements evolve. For this reason, the initial purchase of any of our products includes the inevitable expense of having to make adjustments going forward.
We firmly believe that this is part of the reason our client relationships are so positive. From the outset, we’re all clear about what the commitment is, but the client is also not afraid to come to us with suggestions and questions. They know that we are happy to make adaptations that can enhance their user experience, and this will not come at any additional cost for them. The only occasion an extra cost is likely to be incurred is when a change would result in a significant adaptation of our software which may then necessitate a more bespoke support provision. In other words, that additional cost ensures that we are still able to commit to the quality of service that’s expected of us.
In today’s world, it would be remiss to ask trusts to invest in a product that couldn’t be added to and developed to keep pace with the advancements in technology and changing requirements in terms of professional standards that they need to meet.
Making supporting you easy
From the point of purchase, we need to ensure that we have the right people in the right place to be able to support the product and the clients who are using it. Life in a busy NHS Trust means that no one has spare time to spend on the phone with a support helpline, which is why we endeavour to make our support function as easy as possible.
Whether we’re training clients via Teams or in person, the information they receive is exactly the same – so if remote is better for you and your team, you can rest assured you’re not missing out. Equally, we all know that it can be hard to digest a lot of information in lengthy training sessions, and then when you put that learning into practice a whole raft of questions materialises. This is why we then offer refresher training and also follow-up training for those who need a reminder, want to dig further into the software, or might use more of its functionality.
In addition, each client has a named point of contact within Asckey who they can get in touch with directly if there are questions or concerns. Each member of the support team is also a developer, so there’s no being passed around to different people and wasting time, from the moment we answer the phone our clients know that we are looking at the issue and creating a solution. Our people know our products inside out.
Working together for success
All of our FM software is intuitively designed, but there are still times when the trusts we work with have problems or need some additional support to figure out why something is not working as it should.
In those instances, we look at the back end of the system to make sure it’s all working properly, but we will also go into the server itself and look at how the software is being used to try and work out where the problem lies. Sometimes it can be something as simple as users not ticking a required box when needed, which then skews the results and actions that the system creates. When this happens, we work together with the client to pinpoint the issue, and then implement a fix – whether that’s a tweak to the software, or more often, further training to ensure that all team members understand exactly what they need to do to get the most out of the software. But with no additional costs on top for this level of personalised support, it’s an added bonus rather than another worrying expense.
Having specialists at the end of the phone, or email, is crucial as the majority of problems we encounter are usually down to user error. As well as having instant access to the server, we also have the ability, with the client’s permission, to remotely access their apps and databases if we need to look at an issue in more detail. This capability means we can sync with the user’s system and be confident that the information we’re seeing is exactly the same as the detail our clients have on their own screens at that moment.
Client care, it’s all about you
Our FM software is all about helping you to deliver an efficient and effective service that people can trust, so it’s only right that behind the product, our company is based on the same ethos.
Whether you’re looking for an off-the-shelf FM software package, or something more bespoke, the one thing that never changes is our commitment to client care. Why not get in touch today and find out how we could support your organisation.
