Implementation, the Eventogy way
Speed and quality of implementation are the most important considerations for prospective buyers of corporate events platforms, according to our recent event professionals survey. They featured above delegate experience, data analysis capabilities, an all-in-one service, and even before price.
But what makes for a fast but thorough implementation? We spoke to Jonathan Capps, Head of Technical Support and Senior Developer, about Eventogy’s approach and process.
Understanding client needs
“For us, the implementation process arguably starts with sales qualification. We conduct thorough discovery sessions, to understand the client’s specific event goals, pain points, and workflow. We will proceed only if we are confident that we can add value and solve issues, so at that point we already have a good understanding of what is required,” comments Jonathan.
“Once commercial terms are agreed, we’ll enrol the client in our implementation process. Initially, we’ll be asking detailed questions about the existing set up, from what their vision for their event platform is, to what it needs to deliver on a practical basis, along with integration considerations, branding requirements, workflows etc.“
A bridge between events and technology
Eventogy has an implementation team that mixes deep technical knowledge with a strong understanding of corporate events, and this is important for the success of any implementation. Jonathan explains: “I see the Eventogy implementation team as the bridge between what the event professionals need to deliver and what is required to make that happen on a technical level.”
Scoping the implementation
The events team is asked to describe a ‘normal’ event and their most demanding event, and these are used to inform the initial set up, in terms of features, functionality and workflows. The challenges the client faces, their ideal event set up, pain points and goals are all revisited. Eventogy and the client then agree on a plan and timeline.
The initial roll out includes the firm and event branding, fonts, colours etc, as well as templates that can be used for a large variety of events. The aim is to get the team up and running as quickly as possible, and then enrich the service once the basics are in place. Jonathan says, “Getting the set up right is an interactive and iterative process, and we expect to have multiple conversations with the client’s point person to get this working exactly as they want it in a short time frame. We do the heavy lifting but we also need commitment and communication from the client to make a really successful implementation.”
Compliance, integration and more
In parallel, Eventogy’s implementation team is working with the client’s technical and compliance teams, providing the relevant documentation and certifications and answering questions. One key task here is to set up any implementations needed, particularly with the client’s CRM solution. Jonathan notes: ”Each CRM tends to have a unique set up and requires different data inputs, so it is important that we understand not only which data they want access to, but what they want to achieve with it, so that we can ensure that the right data is delivered in the optimum way for best results.“
Autonomy, fast!
When it comes to training, the Eventogy team conducts sessions both in person and remotely, depending on client needs and location. The aim is to get people using the system autonomously as quickly as possible. Jonathan states: “Eventogy was designed to be intuitive. We pay a lot of attention to UX and in some respects, training is the most rewarding part of the job, as people tend to pick it up so fast. We always want teams to be independent but to know that we’re there if they need us.”
Going live
Switching over to a fully functioning Eventogy and running the first live event can be daunting, but the team is there every step of the way, monitoring the go live closely, orchestrating regular check-ins to gather feedback and assess performance and providing assistance in setting up event efficiency metrics.
Structured support
Jonathan sees support as a natural extension of the onboarding process, and it is managed with the same level of care and expertise: “We have a highly responsive three tier support structure. Many of our support team members have event experience themselves and they appreciate the pressure that the event professional is under when they contact us for support.” Eventogy also has a help desk with documentation and video tips as well as regular client updates on new functionality.
Always innovating
Jonathan says that a client moving from implementation to support is just the start of the relationship. “We always want to know how our clients are using the system, what they like or dislike, if there’s something missing for them. We are constantly innovating and client feedback is essential for that process – not only for the product and dev teams, but also for support and the commercial team too. Our intention has always been to build a product and a service that events professionals enjoy using and our aim is to continue to do that.”
