With our rapid growth, BoardVantage is making big investments in customer support. Just last quarter we doubled account support headcount to keep pace with that sales growth. In this post I would like to introduce a new element in our support program, which is our new online support site. In addition to direct phone support sometimes it’s useful to be able to browse through support information. This is especially so for new clients, who may still be finding their way around the system.

The support site includes the following capabilities:

Troubleshooter: This takes you on a step-by-step problem resolution process, and is the fastest way to resolve a problem including a full text search interface.

Knowledge Base: A rich repository of “how-to” examples, perfect for new clients. Examples include “How do I create an approval?”, “How do I lock a user”

Download Center: Includes in-depth training and user guides for Directors, Administrators, and of course, the iPad.

Automated Ticket Submission: If you want to raise a support question, using this interface provides for automatic reporting and notification as the case is progressed and resolved.

To gain access, we do need to set up an access login for you, so please drop me a line, and I will set one up for you. Again I want to stress this content is in addition to our fabled 7×24 direct support, so feel free to call at any time.

Following the pre-Christmas mailing of BoardsOnline there has been a surge of interest to move from BoardVantage to the NextGen platform. In these discussions I often get asked to summarize the key benefits (true – it offers a ton of new features) and to outline the upgrade process. Let me do that here, starting with the benefits:

• For Directors – Customize the look and feel of the portal with the colors and layout of your directors’ choice. Also the addition of modern social media (with full security) opens up the opportunity for greater board collaboration between meetings.
• For Administrators – Bridge the gap between the web and the desktop.  Drag-and-drop, visual permissions, multi-line operations, and a 2-way syncing calendar, all the features you depend on in your desktop environment are now available in NextGen.
• For Directors – iPad app, downloadable from iTunes.  Combine the rich animation of the iPad with the platform architecture of NextGen.  Put every aspect of every meeting at your directors’ fingertips with a bird’s eye view of all meetings, prior, current and future and a drill-down view of all content with board books, attendees and arrangements.

Check out our solutions page for more details.

If you think this is right for your board, what does the upgrade process look like? It’s a three-step process:

1. Get Started with a Demo. This will cover the new functionality and can be used as a basis for discussing what functionality you would like to phase in first.
2. We Provision a Test Instance. This will let you use your content to get a feel for the new system. Most customers use the test instance for 1 or 2 weeks.
3. We Assist with the Director rollout. Since NextGen is highly intuitive director training is quicker that anything you have had in the past. Many customers skip formal training entirely. In any case we’re more than happy to assist in the way that works best for you.

Please feel free to contact me directly for more details.