What do you do if your client management software is outdated?
If you are a social worker, you know how important it is to keep track of your clients' information, progress, and goals. You also know how frustrating it can be to use outdated, slow, or unreliable client management software that does not meet your needs. In this article, you will learn what to do if your client management software is outdated and how to find a better solution.
The first step is to assess your current software and identify its strengths and weaknesses. What features do you use the most? What features do you wish you had? How easy or difficult is it to access, update, and share your data? How secure and compliant is your software with the relevant standards and regulations? How often does your software crash, freeze, or lose data? How much time and money do you spend on maintenance and troubleshooting? By answering these questions, you will have a clear picture of what you need and what you don't need from your software.
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Alok Tripathi
Development Professional | Top Voice Social Work | Facilitator | Social Work | BHU | UGC-NET |
An outdated Information system leads to painful inefficiency. A Good CRM is both efficient and organized. We can say CRM is Outdated when it doesn't meet the expected goal and doesn't feet to the implementation process. Shifting towards new CRM software require lots of resources and financial dependency. Keep in mind some triggered point for new updating existing CRM software. 1- Data inputs are enough and reliable. 2- CRM Software maintains the confidentiality of DATA. 3- CRM Software provides forecasting visibility and correct reporting. 4- Support workflow automation.
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Raj (Rajesh) Varkhedkar
Business Consultant - Emerging Technologies
Absolutely 💯 thr first step notwithstanding multiple other actions required on a proactive basis such that such a situation doesn't put the Customer in uncalled challenges 🙄
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Anne Kluver
Child welfare advocate with lived experience
An example of this is when we would document our work in the field and hit save and then it would just disappear! How frustrating right?! We quickly learned to control A control C before hitting save in case that happened again! We then brought to the attention of the lead in IT so they could be aware of the issue and assess the software to see if it can be resolved easily and also not continue happening all over again a couple months later. If IT is able to assess, discover, permanently fix the issue, (which is what happened in my example) then we continued with same software and it never did happen again. . However, that fear remained to always control A control C still before saving JUST in case.
The next step is to explore your options and compare different software solutions. You can do some online research, ask for recommendations from your colleagues or peers, or contact software vendors for demos or trials. You should look for software that is designed specifically for social work or human services, that has the features and functions that you need, that is user-friendly and compatible with your devices, that is secure and compliant with your data protection and privacy policies, and that offers good customer support and training. You should also consider your budget and the return on investment that you expect from your software.
The third step is to plan your transition from your old software to your new software. You should prepare yourself and your team for the change by communicating your goals and expectations, providing training and guidance, and addressing any concerns or questions. You should also backup your data and ensure that you can transfer it smoothly and accurately to your new software. You should also test your new software before you go live and fix any issues or glitches that you encounter. You should also have a contingency plan in case something goes wrong or you need to revert to your old software.
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Anne Kluver
Child welfare advocate with lived experience
In my experience when we do transfer to a new software typically a certain number of employees are asked to attend trainings to learn the software or choose the supervisor or most experienced from each team or office to attend learning training and then proceed to training the trainer trainings so your are able to introduce and train your select office or team the new software. Sometimes I’ve seen where a certain team will implement the new software before the entirety. Usually a month to ensure it’s able to be learned quickly and to observe the level of difficulty in transition and to trial the software before it’s applied to all of the rest of the offices/teams.
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Tathastu Parashar
#Advocate, #Author, pursuing #Legum_Magister
The importance of planning a transition from old software to new software effectively. 1. Communicate Goals and Expectations Clearly communicate why the transition is happening, what benefits it brings, and what changes are expected from team members. 2. Provide Training and Guidance Offer comprehensive training sessions for using the new software, tailored to different team roles if needed. 3. Backup Data and Ensure Smooth Transfer Prioritize data backup from the old software and ensure compatibility for smooth data transfer. 4. Thoroughly test the new software in a controlled environment before full implementation. Identify and resolve any issues, bugs, or glitches during this testing phase to ensure a seamless transition.
The fourth step is to implement your new software and start using it for your client management. You should monitor your performance and feedback and make any adjustments or improvements as needed. You should also evaluate your outcomes and benefits and measure how your new software helps you achieve your goals and improve your efficiency and effectiveness. You should also celebrate your success and reward yourself and your team for making the change.
The fifth step is to keep your software updated and maintain its quality and functionality. You should follow the best practices and guidelines for using your software and protect your data and devices from viruses, malware, or hackers. You should also take advantage of the updates, upgrades, or new features that your software vendor offers and learn how to use them. You should also provide feedback and suggestions to your software vendor and request any changes or enhancements that you need.
The sixth step is to learn and grow with your software and use it as a tool for your professional development and growth. You should use your software to track your progress and achievements, to identify your strengths and weaknesses, to set and review your goals, and to plan your actions and strategies. You should also use your software to collaborate and communicate with your clients, colleagues, and stakeholders, and to share your insights and best practices. You should also use your software to learn new skills and knowledge, to access relevant resources and information, and to enhance your competence and confidence.
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Muhammad Patel
Student Mental Health Nurse and Social Worker
Not entirely sure how this fits with social work professionals as this is more for management! I think as an employee if i felt the software was not good enough, i would report this to the manager and say what needs to be done or offer some suggestions. However, from a management perspective... cost effectivness is always in mind due to austerity leading to very tight budgets.
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Anne Kluver
Child welfare advocate with lived experience
A brilliant thing to consider when working in social work for a company who also provides additional outreach programs or health services, etc and has many other areas where there are different employees that aren’t documenting social work, but do need to document for their specialized position is a software that acts as an umbrella so you can all utilize the same software login and then continue to various areas of relevance for your position, of course with only necessary area access permission requested and granted for your role. An example of this is when this scenario happened at my company. You sign in. There’s a dashboard and you click on the relevant link to continue. And if you try nursing doc link, it will deny access.
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