Melissa Waters: All right. My name is Melissa waters and I'm the events manager at JM T consulting and we are excited to have you join us for one of our first webinars at the year 2021

I want to go through a few housekeeping notes and then I will turn it over to Andy Harlan, he is our director of sales and our facilitator today.

And first we are recording this webinar, so we will share copy of the recording as well as the slides with you.

And also, if you have any questions at all during the presentation, please ensure that you submit them through the Q AMP a box at the bottom of your control panel. We will answer those at the end. And with that, I'm going to turn it over to Andy, thank you.

Andy Harleman: Thank you, missy. And as we talked about in the lead up to this event. Here we have an esteemed panel and we're going to go through and just have a conversation today about

Working with a partner, partner like JM t when you do an implementation project of of any kind of software so

Before we get started with our panel. I want to briefly, make sure that everyone understands who JM t is what our background is so that you understand where we're coming from in this perspective so

Should be able to see that screen nods from my panel. Everything's good. Okay, so first and foremost JM T is not

A software publisher. We are an independent firm. We work only with the nonprofit sector we help implement tools like accounting and Dr. P and

Other tools like that we work with our clients. Our commitment is to you the client, not to, you know, the software publisher itself. And so we were founded

With the idea of helping nonprofits with that very specific thing. And so the whole idea is

Software as a tool, but you need to really set it up properly. You need to have the right onboarding you need to

Have the right partner to help you with that. And that's our mission. And you can see here, one of our esteemed clients in the New York area says great things about us. I think he kind of

verifies everything I just said there that James that the onboarding process with the software is what really mattered to him and he worked with us to help implement his financial in the RP solution.

Our whole approach to this is the idea. As you can see here that you have to crawl before you walk before you run them before eventually you fly, and in some ways, we are going to

differentiate ourselves from others who perhaps make it seem like hey in five minutes. You're going to be up and running. Everything is going to be hunky dory. Now we we understand there is a learning curve. Everybody has to, no matter how great the technology.

You have to have some period of time to be able to crawl walk, run and then fly. So what we help you do at JM t is just that we're not here to just

Get you to sign off on the dotted line and buy some software and that be the end of it. We're here to help you not just today, not just tomorrow, not just when you go live on your software, but even

Years from now when configuration decisions you made in the beginning. Maybe you've changed and you need to look at another way of doing it. So,

Our process. I'm not going to read you all the little bullet points on the screen, but this is really what we're all about here.

Is helping people through the process of implementing their tools by following the steps you see here, we put a lot of

Care and thought into each one of these steps and you will see as we talked about it today we're going to talk a little bit more about some of the details behind these and then a big part of that, of course, is the education and the training.

It's, you know, these software tools that are out there now are very, very powerful, but with

Great power comes responsibility and comes the need to learn more. And so, James. He believes very strongly in educating our clients because we want to each one of our clients to be proficient.

And we don't want them to have to call us every time they need something we don't want them to have to email somebody every time they need something we're here to help. If you do

But the idea is we want to empower you to be able to do all these things and take advantage of the software so

Our decision on what software we work with in the first place has a lot to do with the ability for people to be able to learn and understand it and for it to be usable.

But education is key. No matter how usable a piece of software is you've got to have the right education behind it. So that's a big part of what we do.

And our philosophy is based on a team approach here at GMT. We have different people that do different pieces of the

Of the implementation, one of our panelists today, for example, heads up the training part

Of of our GMT team when it comes to these implementations, but that whole approach is making sure we're covering all the bases and all the different parts of an implementation and then support there after

That have to do with leveraging the software tool. So I leave you with from the introduction. I'll leave you with just another nice quote that

One of our clients used to talk about the fact that, you know, our expertise and our understanding

Of the nonprofit world really informed our decisions about helping him do his setup and that, you know, in his words, that's exactly what you want.

In a consultant group that you're working with. So that's who JM t is. And now I'm going to introduce our panel. So let me stop my share here and go back to the video.

There we go. So I'm going to go. I don't know how it's appearing to you, but to my left is Jackie to Jackie is the founder and the CEO of GMT consulting. So the. Those are her initials jack Jacqueline empties So Jackie founded GMT, and still heads up heads it up as the CEO of the organization.

below me. Anyway, I don't know how it looks on your screen. I have ducky Stanton, Dagi. He is the manager of the education piece, as I said, of our

Implementations here at JM T. When we work with new clients. And then we have Mark Frazier, who Mark used to be a client of jam tease. In fact, he was a client of Jane to use on two different

software applications and then had the opportunity and he came in started to work with us and Mark is now in the role of what we call sales engineer marks the guy that

That helps clients to see the new products by running the demonstration pieces and showing them the basically the demo. When you get into looking at

At potential replacements for what you're currently using. And then finally, we have a happy JM T client herself Jolie boo from Samaritan house in San Mateo, California, and she is the CFO.

And has been working with JM t. Now, I don't know, Julie, what, five years, maybe five, six years, something like that. So this is the panel that we have today, and I, I wanted to start where where it all began with with Jackie, the founder of JM t. And so, Jackie.

Let me scroll, make sure I've got my cheat sheet here, but I know tomorrow to the day tomorrow is the 30th anniversary of GMT. So first off, I want to say thank you. Thank you and congratulations for three decades of helping nonprofits with these kinds of things. So

congrats to you for that.

But I always talk about when I mean prospective clients. I always talk about the

The, the, some of the stuff you've shared about your experience because prior to founding JM t you worked at several different nonprofit organizations.

As a finance person. And in fact, I remember I had worked here for maybe a year or two before I learned that you had been a buyer yourself. You had been through implementations on the buyer side of house, how many times

Four times. So I remember one particular staff meeting when you got up and we're speaking to the group And you talked about that that was I think that was when I learned it because I hadn't been here all that long and and I remember you had some pretty strong words to describe

Your feelings about some of those implementations and you weren't. Let's say you weren't all that impressed. So

Now I know in some ways that that was part of the motivation to you to go out and start your own company 30 years ago tomorrow.

So I just want to hear. Tell us about how you felt as a buyer about those engagements and how perhaps that might have that influences even to this day, what you what you believe in what you do here at JM t

Jacqueline Tiso: Well, it is definitely still a major influencer and as all the team know

My constant question is, you know, how is our client really feeling about this or I will say to our team. You know, I was a CFO and I lived through this. So let's, let's think about this a little bit differently.

Yeah, my experiences were unfortunately for different organizations for implementations

weren't good

The first one was the first time I was ever in charge of lamenting a project of software, you know, and of course that was the hardest and worst of the bunch. I learned a little bit as I went with each one

You know, the key things that came out of it for me. And that, you know, I said, oh, this is really bad. There's got to be a better way. And that sounds at, you know, got started was

I started doing consulting for evaluating and helping organizations through that process and then project managing process.

Because I had, you know, you don't know what questions to ask. Right. You don't know what you don't know. And so in all four cases like out of scope of work and I had one

Image of what I was getting an understanding of what I was getting and then the you know the

Software publisher and one case and consultants and the other three cases. Well, they had a different definition of what I was getting them. I thought I was getting so you know I really came out of it, thinking to myself,

Understanding nonprofits is really huge understanding what the scope of the work is is so important. And then, you know, the pricing on it you know we had a budget our board approved a certain dollar amount. You know, I couldn't be looking at change orders and I had changed orders, because

I wasn't getting what I thought I was getting and you know they were sitting there saying, well, you know, this is what we said in the language and you know if you want that. You gotta pay more. So out of all of that pain and buyer's remorse.

JMT sort of rose from the ashes.

Andy Harleman: And here we are 30 years later.

Jacqueline Tiso: Oh yeah 30 years later.

Andy Harleman: Wow. So I want to move on now to mark from our team. So Mark, as I mentioned, was a client of JM t he was on a what we call it more legacy tool. Before I think it was an on premise.

Situation and then he he migrated, and he and his team worked with us to implement intact. And in fact, he worked with Dagi who I will bring up here in a minute with a question for her.

When he implemented his system. So Mark, when you were, you know, a client of JM t tell us what you what you think are the key values that you've got from JM t as a client going through that implementation.

Mark Braisher: Well, I think first of all you have to say competence. I think that's probably one of the questions that is asking the can. The can the

Can JMT do what the publisher did. And so first of all, we found that the team was very, very confident in what they were doing. But then the relationship developed was the piece that really so so the issue that allowed me to trust the people at JM t

I knew, I knew Carol. I knew Dagi who's on the call today, personally, and that made all the difference. Because I began to develop a trust that okay what these people told me verbally.

And what's on that scope of work that Jackie referred to

I can trust that and they're going to take care of us to get us up and running. And so that was that competence is number one, you have to have that competence and JM T can do that, but that relationship and trust because they were able to give that to me as well.

Andy Harleman: I always say it's interesting you know when when we're working with a prospective client. And we might be partnering with a multi billion dollar software company, which is great software and obviously you need that you need.

You need backing and finance and technology behind it, but it can get. You can get lost in the shuffle when you're talking about a giant worldwide software company and

And I think what you just heard you talk about a personal relationship there mark and what you were saying there. Sounds like that aspect of working with an individual partner like JM t really meant something to you.

Do you, do you think you know it's you talked about that the personal angle on it, and how do you think that that personal angle specifically help. I mean, look, we all agree it's nice to know somebody and be able to say hello to him. But how did that help

Mark Braisher: With the OH.

Yeah, absolutely. So, Carolyn, Dagi. He convinced me first of all that they care that I succeeded.

That they weren't there to collect our dollars and then say, well, you have what you have and they convinced me. We were at a place in the

Organization. I was that we were stretched way too thin.

And so therefore, adding a implementation was a huge, huge burden on us and we fell behind in our, in our office, we fell behind on doing what we need to do, but they refuse to let us die there.

And I think if it had been a company or organization that didn't care about us and care that we succeeded, and we're just trying to collect their fast and collected the hour and move on.

We would have just died right there, we would have had the old software.

Like you said, still on a server and we would have had new software that we couldn't do anything with. And so they refuse to let me die at that point and just in just stop where I was at. So that's where the relationship came in.

Because I still remember those calls from Carol and probably I even avoided them for a while and I would hear them on the voicemail Mark This is Carol.

And I'm sure and Jackie's laughing I'm sure that people at JM T, we're saying is, Randall ever going to move on this thing, but

But you know Mark This is Carol. I was checking in on you see where you were, you know, I need this document, or I need this and they just refuse to let us die at that point and

We're in the organization is much better off today because of that is able to move forward and do things. And so that's where the relationship came in, so

Andy Harleman: That's great. I'm glad to hear that. And so let's move on to you, Dagi, I know you work, you had the pleasure of actually being the lead consultant on that job, but you've been a professional implementation consultant here GMT.

And then before that it a couple other different places. I knew you before you worked here at JM T i know

But, you know, one of the things we were just talking earlier before we went on online about how technology has changed so much and

Jackie and I were talking about how we used to argue with people when when we would tell them

Finance is going to be in the cloud, someday and anyway so technology's changed a lot over the years and I could ask you about things like how you've seen implementations change because of technology, but

I'd rather ask you how you think things have maybe have stayed the same, with no matter how much technology changes what what key things do you think are really still the same in implementations. Oh, you're muted. Sorry.

Dagi Stanton: I had, I always have my trainees. Not today.

Andy Harleman: Whoops.

Dagi Stanton: I'm the thing that has the main factor that has not changed, or people people haven't changed. People are. It's amazing to me they're scared of implementations. They're afraid of going through the process. It's to them. It's this big overwhelming. Oh, oh, well, it's winter snowball

It's coming at them and they don't know how to deal with it. And so one of the things we help them do is

You know, as one human to another. We help them see we see the different side of things we see the big picture and just help them break it down because

Yeah, it's all nonprofits. It's all organizations to us. It's almost the same process but everybody's different.

And we have to recognize and help the people through the implementation.

And we're there to help them what we would really reassures them. And I think that's one of our one of our many strengths is a lot of us come from the nonprofit world.

A lot of us have accounting backgrounds, if not degrees. We know the language that they're talking about, we, we, we can see it, you know, and we've we've done it for so many people. And it just helps them.

Feel comfortable. I don't mark. I hope you back me up on that to reassure them that will be there. We're, we're helping you through it. We're holding your proverbial hand through the process and we're not going to let you sink. We're gonna let you swim.

Andy Harleman: That's great. Well, thanks, Dagi. So let's move on to Jolie, give you a chance to first off as a client and you know Jane tees here.

number one priority is to support the nonprofit sector, that's what we're all about. That's what we always been all about. And so I want to start by just giving you the chance to tell us the mission of Samaritan house and

What it does for the community, what it does for the people you serve. And what it does for you, you've chosen, like a lot of the our clients, you've chosen to work in a nonprofit when perhaps you could

Find a job in a, in a, you know, high paying for profit job somewhere else. But so, tell us what what do you like about Samaritan house. Well, first tell us the mission and just what what do you like about working there.

Jolie Bou: Absolutely. Well, thank you again for having me as well. So Samaritan house. Basically, you know we we promote

We preserve dignity, promote self sufficiency provide hope to our community in need. So we're sort of an anti party organization multifaceted social services.

We have homeless shelter to free medical clinics, we have a food pantry dining room program, you know, we distribute food for those who need it.

As well as clothing rental assistance financial assistance case management case management, crisis management for clients in need. And we're actually part of a eight organization network in San Mateo County on the west coast.

And that provide safety net services through county contracts and things. So we're sort of the go to organization for people that find themselves in trouble.

Find themselves needing immediate assistance and safety net so

But, um, and so you can see we have like five sites. And so a lot of our financial needs are very complex. So that's why I was very concerned when we were moving off QuickBooks, believe it or not.

Into intact. About five years ago, but I can get into that in a second. But my, my personal background is I've been in nonprofits for more than 35 years actually close to

Close to 40 at this point and we up the passion. Basically, there is, you know, nonprofits, really need infrastructure. They need to have the expertise that the for profit companies need

In the nonprofit so they can provide and do what they need to do. And that is really what draws me to nonprofit organizations and specifically Samaritan house.

Because we do a lot of financial assistance and pass through funding and we need to be able to account for that we need to be steward of that and and help those around. So

I enjoy nonprofits. I've always been in the nonprofit sector, I started out in the nonprofit sector as a business manager and just went from there and so

Very happy.

Andy Harleman: That's all, that's great. I

I know that you know one of the things you said in that event statement reminded me a lot of

Something else Jackie said about the founding of JMT, which is like that nonprofits deserve all of the same great technology and things that the for profit world has as well so

But let me ask you about it was interesting because we were talking about the topic for this for this.

Panel and the topic being you know why work with a partner, instead of a publisher when it comes to implementing some of these great software tools.

And Jackie reminded us that five years ago or so you actually called us up and said, hey, listen. I've already pretty much chosen. I want to go to sage intact. At the time, I think it was just intact.

And I'm going to be at the user conference in Florida, and I wanted to interview you. And so you flew all the way from San Mateo California down to Orlando, Florida.

And JMT and some others that

You interviewed us. And what I find interesting about that is that you had already in your mind, even before you knew, you're going to pick JM t. Right, you just knew you were going to work with a partner at not

Directly with the publisher. So I want to see if you could take us back to that moment in time and tell us what drove that mindset that very pro partner mindset that you had there.

Jolie Bou: Yeah, absolutely. We did a whole software search and we came down we settled on intacct. It was for us it was sort of a no brainer. Then

Then I said, okay, so I was ready for my next step. Who's going to help us install this thing and will implement it?

And intacct just assumed I was going to go with their partner that they have that they assign everybody. And I'm like, well, they can put in a bid and I'll interview them. But you know who else is out there.

And I did a little bit more research. I got, I was able to get

Understand that everyone was going to be at the intacct conference. And I said, Oh, perfect opportunity. We're going there as a new client. We had no implementation ready yet.

Though, well then I'm going to find out who there is sort of the

The key players right and so um it was perfect and I interviewed their person that they partner with which is a local firm hearings in California. And then also

Several firms over at the conference. And you guys were one of them. And so it was very, very interesting prospect, we needed something specific at Samaritan house. We have a very small staff.

We don't have the expertise, all of our staff, nobody knows accounting, we know we have great accounting staff, but they don't know how to implement a financial system, how to design it

You know, what are the what are the decisions that have to be made at each point and

We didn't have the expertise on staff to to be able to do that. So I wanted a implemented and I knew our agency needed

Someone who is going to give us expert advice, who knew the software we knew accounting issues of nonprofits and setups and

Now we wanted the pros and cons of every decision that was going to be made going down the road, because that is, you know, it's so

Flexible you can design things in a Certain Way, but what are the impacts of those, you know, are. And so I wanted that level of

Advice and advisory and to take us through this thing. And also, not just to set things up the way that we always had input talk us through the advantages and disadvantages of

Creating something new. You know, how could it be done. What, what's, what's possible.

And so I knew that we were going to have a large discovery hours that we are going to need. And when I was getting proposals.

With 20 hours for the entire process. I'm like, Oh, no, that's not going to work because we know I knew what it was going to take for us to really sort of dig deep and understand what we were creating

You know, we were coming from a QuickBooks to, you know, in tech. So I needed that level of care. And when I went out there and spoke with you you all

I know I spoke with Andrew and I think Jackie came by and there was also Matt spoke was another

Person who was within the organization who actually had a session that I attended and he was a former CFO and it was just like it just clicked in that

That exactly what we needed and we had a customized proposal from you guys that actually added additional discovery hours into that proposal, and that's what sold me because I knew we needed that. And I was appreciative of

You all learning what I'm you were listening to me and learning what we needed and when the proposal came in, it had those things in it, versus

The other ones that were sort of boilerplate and you know you fill out the template loaded up and tell us what you want.

And we'll implement that. Well, we didn't know what we wanted. And so we needed that advice. And so that's what was very important for me and even so it's hard for us this selection of the implementation that was more important than even selecting the software. Wow.

Andy Harleman: Now you're singing the kind of stuff that I know makes us all.

Feel very good because we really every day. We go to work, believing that that is the that is the case, as great as the software we choose choose to partner with is

We know that no software is worth its salt. If you don't implement it correctly. So I know that's music to our ears to hear you say that for sure.

And so on that topic house. Oh, I'm sorry.

Jolie Bou: Well, I was just gonna say when it was it was also the discovery, but it was also the training piece there was a significant part in training that was going to be that was happening with one on one, and that part also

Was extremely important to us because getting our staff up and running and none of the other folks had had the training aspect and I just want to just one comment and then I'll let you

Decide side is that mark when Mark mentioned the relationship that it was also as the years went on that was also the most important thing I knew people. I got to know

Our connections. Our support people and being able to call up and ask for names and things like that really provided our stuff with confidence that you know we could get any issue. We had dealt with so

Andy Harleman: Well, I can tell you this, there is everyone at JM T knows the name Jolie, everyone. Now, Jeff and

And we have, you know, hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of clients, but there's only one Jolie, so

Definitely the relationship is there, but I want to something you said, I know, I know Jackie's smiles when you the stuff you say is just everything we we believe in our organization about what we want to help our clients feel

But Jackie, you know, you saw me talk about a few minutes ago with the implementation methodology which is

Largely you know your creation over the years that we've been doing this. Um, what do you think are the, the differences I think Julie mentioned a few, but I'll just ask you to mention them.

The differences between what we do as a partner versus what a publisher might do when it comes to setting up a system.

Jacqueline Tiso: I absolutely think totally touched on really phenomenally I you know that I think the real differentiators and they're just in the words themselves, right.

You know, a publisher.

And often CPA firms.

The partner were a partner and we're known as a partner versus where the publisher or, for example, a CPA firm who has a technology services arm.

And you know, I really think this is like the biggest differentiator. Because, you know, if you just look at the definition of a partner, you know, a partner is one that you are, you know, working closely with

Ongoing and it's not, you know, even just one time project. Oh, you're kind of live now and you know a partner. They also don't do sort of the cookie cutter.

You know, here's our standard implementation or our standard structure and our standard pricing, you know, a partner is looking at

Each partnership and saying, Okay, this is our partner, what do we need to do here. What do we need to design. What's going to make our partners successful

And you know, I just, I think it's all just wrapped up in that definition of what a partner is and that's how we look at it.

You know, we're looking at it and we talk about it, you know, as a team, all the time is, you know, we view it is our responsibility to look around the corner.

Right, we're supposed to be the experts. We're the experts. Let's look around the corner on our client's behalf. Let's make the recommendations.

And help our clients to understand, you know, here's why we're making the recommendation and what it will mean for your organization.

And it's just that level of personalization that comes from a relationship. And, you know, and then goes on word after go live and Mark spoke to it you know a little bit about during go live.

You know, a partner supports each other, you know, a partner doesn't throw it over the fence and say, okay, it's your turn. Now you're on your own or, you know, when you get this done. Let us know.

You know, this is so many aspects to it and publishers are phenomenal. We work with great publishers and they

They're the experts in developing the solution in the software and the functionality and the feature set and all that, but they're their mission.

And I'm all about mission. Their mission is not about being the number one service oriented, you know, firm. Their mission is about how do we make this the very best software, I can. And so, you know, that's the bottom line.

Andy Harleman: Well, if I may add, I know I'm supposed to be asking the questions. But I'm gonna throw in a little bit of my own answer, which is a when I think of the word partner. I know I think about that implies a long term relationship that's not just

Something You Do you know so we talk a lot, and we have been focused, even in this call on implementing

And a project like we hate when you buy a new software, you do have to have a project to get live and you do have

But as we showed that first slide it, it goes far beyond just going to go live and organizations to change Joey was talking before we went live today about how

The coven crisis is affected Samaritan house greatly this year and so organizations change, but sometimes means configurations decisions that you made in the past are need to be tweaked as well. So I know that long term relationship is important.

And I want to ask Mark something here, Mark. So you you've been now on the JM T side for a year and

You you have having had been a client and now working on this side of the House in your role doing you know demonstrations and talking to prospective clients about how the software and working with JM T might help them.

How do you see that working with us is of particular variable. How do you think the way we do it comes across our, what did you seeing and how we talk to prospective clients that helps you to feel

Maybe connect the dots from what you felt as a client and versus what you're what you're experiencing now working on GMT side.

Mark Braisher: I think the, I think the whole issue of relationship again in the partnership the partnership doesn't begin after you the client has decided to

To partner with us. It begins in the in the sales process. And so we have created and I'm on the sell side of things. And we've created

What we call an alignment call and and demonstration to learn to learn more about the cast the client to learn more about what they're doing.

How they're doing it, what their needs are, that sort of thing. And then every week.

Even though I'm on the sell side I meet every week with the implemented in meetings to make sure that we're handing that off well

To make sure we're communicating between the two, one of the one of the biggest slams against anybody in the sales business, despite

Regardless of what industry you're in, is that sales people promise the moon and then pour implemented have figured out how to do it. We're making sure we don't do that.

We're making sure those two sides of the House are talking to each other and making sure it's what starts with the relationship you can't

You can't just start the relationship when you sign on the dotted line, you have to start earlier. And so, so then it comes down to.

You can be a number or name and as you've already stated, with Jolie and different ones we could go down the list any of us on the call can go down the list of clients that we have that we know by name and and have even maintain connection to

On even sometimes on a personal basis JM t is large enough to have the expertise to do what needs to be done.

But we're small enough to maintain the relationships and the partnerships or relationships and really partnerships, the business where relationships is really where it's at. And

And that's what we're doing. And so we're working very hard on the inside to make sure that that the relationship starts very early.

And if you choose to continue with us, then that relationship continues. And as you said it's a it's a long term thing because as as needs develop and as software develops.

JMT is going to be as Jackie mentioned ahead of the curve to make sure that we we know what's out there and make sure our clients taken care of.

Andy Harleman: Well, it's interesting. You were saying that in

The relationship part of it. I know in the we talked earlier about the fact that Dagi is a is a heads up our training aspect of our of our projects, so to speak.

Dagi I'll flatter you a little bit the I, when I talk to clients who've worked with you. They always say, I love Dagi. They always say they'd love Dagi

But Mark was talking about how things have changed. I'm wondering you know us. We've all seen technology change rapidly in the last few years.

I mean, I think, back when I started at JM t, how different things are, I think, back then, everything was still a CD ROM and you installed in a computer, right.

So technology has changed a lot. And we talked earlier about what hasn't changed. But what kinds of things do you like to do to make sure that

That we still keep our connectedness, because I think all of us, you know, I know.

My kids think I'm an old codger because I get irritated that everything is on these phones down people are standing around looking at their screens all the time and in spite of technology.

There is a disconnect that I think most of us would agree exists, sometimes amongst us humans. So what are you doing dummy on in the training side of GMT, to make sure that that we're leveraging that technology, but also not losing that connectedness.

Dagi Stanton: So that really came, came home last year and the coven world.

Before coven we were big on in person trainings, you know, we were on site. And that's, it's wonderful. It's wonderful to be there in person, but because a coven we couldn't do that. But life went on and so it's become fun and challenging

To keep that connection via zoom you know we primarily use well we use zoom. It's, it's fun. What if the internet goes down. What do you do hotspots.

What, how do you and that's the beauty of intact is we can do the proverbial Big Brother is watching.

So one of our challenges has been how you make sure that people that are being trained are really doing what they do. Well, we have the audit trail and intact and we make it fun, you know, it's if you've been in my trainings, you know I hate being serious.

How do people learn. They learn by having fun and doing silly things because that's what sticks in so it's been interesting to

use new technology to our advantage. And the other interesting thing I found out is that, you know, with everybody working from home. Well, for the most part.

People tend to let their guards down. So you're in the middle of driving home a point and the dog starts barking, you know, or the the cat walks across the screen.

It's fun and but people do tend to lead the guards down from working from home.

Which has allowed us to get to know each other more personally, you know, talking about building the relationship and they realize that we do know we do understand what they're going through, and that connection helps tremendously and learning.

Andy Harleman: Does that, that's great. I don't know what you're talking about, about people that are down there.

I just I want to

I want to kind of wrap it up here with final thing for Julie. I want to talk about the fact that I mentioned a few minutes ago that we

You know, we've been focused on things like implementing and that first step when you have a new tool to work with. But you also mentioned in your last

Response you referenced the fact that over the years, something, something with GMT and and i i certainly mentioned you know how things have changed. Even this year Samaritan house or 20 20th Samaritan house with

With the codes crisis and all the other stuff that goes on. But no matter what goes on, even if there isn't a worldwide pandemic.

Every organization. For example, the way you design your Chart of Accounts today.

You're naturally going to evolve slightly away from it or maybe majorly away from it over time and things are going to always change you're going to add staff, the world's going to change around us. So

Talk to us a little bit about Julie. I know, over the years, you've you've you've worked with JM t and not just to go live. And that was the end of it, right. You've been a partner with JM t now for five, six years. Tell us about how that may have

Affected you are the kinds of things that you Know,

Jolie Bou: I think, again, you know, as having a small counting staff. We have five of us and you know JM T has been such a resource for us when anything has happened.

And so we have you know support with JM t. We also have support with directly within tax. So we have both but JM t is our primary support.

And it has over in the past, just been just monumental we had an issue. A couple years ago, I don't know, three years ago, big issue.

Somehow something change dates changed in our system that sent our reports that we know it's something intact itself.

And it was really sort of traumatic for us. And I said, What the heck is going on. So I, you know, call you guys and I think it was Carol, the one who actually ended up on the phone and

And Jeff and they worked so hard and Carlos calling me at eight o'clock at night. What, what's it look like now. And you know, it's just it was so helpful and so comforting and supportive to know that.

We had someone working on this for us outside of regular of the intact folks and they were sort of

JMT was advocating for us with intact and it was just super helpful within 20 I think was like 24 hours, our issue was solved and everything restored in

But without that we would have been kind of hanging. And I think we would have waited, you know, three or four days for intact to get back to us, etc. But just having that support was just instrumental

For us. And as I said, I think I talked earlier about, we're in the middle of three other software selection processes now and I told my staff, I said.

With with all of this going on. I said we need to, you know, who's going to be able to create a relationship like we do with

JMT and intact. I mean, because that's the type of support that helps us with implementations with executions with any kind of support. There's nothing worse than not having, having a system in place that you cannot

You know, be able to pick up the phone and get support with, especially with smaller staffs and so those are some of the things that I want to emulate going forward with these other projects that

We have so you know I'm super appreciative of your philosophy because it helps us

Andy Harleman: Well, we appreciate that very much. And if I wish I could say that GMT had, you know, worked with partner with every kind of possible software that might possibly

Affect every nonprofit out there so that we could be helping with those other selections you're working on right now, but we're getting there.

I really thank you so much for for joining us on this panel everybody today and for all of you who are watching and listening.

You know, we hope you've seen that, look, we know it's a very big decision when you're looking at any kind of new technology change and we don't sugarcoat it at JM t. We know that especially something like accounting, no matter how great and smooth.

The processes. It's still big change for you and change is always hard and analogy I've used many times is

Changing software can be kind of like having construction done on your home while you're living in it so

You know, it's not fun to be sleeping on the couch with drywall dust around you and stuff like that. But you get through it and you get through it with a good

Partner like Jay empty and so we hope you've seen that we want, what you want to walk. What we want you to walk away with today is understanding that

A partner is what takes the great world class software that you've selected and really

makes it happen because as I said before, you can choose the greatest software in the world. But if you don't set it up right or you don't know how to use it.

Then it's really not worth the money you paid for it. So that's where a partner like JM T comes in. And that's why we've been doing what we do and passionately helping nonprofits with these kinds of things. For now, as of tomorrow 30 years so

We think everybody Missy, are there are we going to do a Q AMP. A. Is there any of that.

Melissa Waters: And you have a couple questions. If you are up for the challenge.

Yeah. Alright, so first of all, it was a great conversation. Thank you all. And I know that there's a lot to digest what we talked about but Andy or anybody. What would you say

The next steps are in the process of determining which path people take like they've learned a lot about how a partner can really be beneficial. But what would you say to to make that leap. What would you do

Andy Harleman: Well, I think, and I'm a big fan of Jackie might have some opinions on that.

But Jackie mentioned something earlier. She talked about the fact that, you know, you really need to understand

what your needs are and what you're solving for. In fact, I would recommend before you call even a partner, or certainly before you call a publisher, I would recommend that you have at least an informally.

Scripted little list of what you're really trying to do here. Why are you deciding you want to change software or something like that.

And documenting and understanding for yourself what those things are now JM T will help you take that

To the next level and refine and define a little bit more clearly. But I would say that would be the first most important step for anybody before you call anybody, but Jackie. What, what would you say to that.

Jacqueline Tiso: So the other things that you know I would do, and this goes to the relationship and the validation that the partner is a partner versus a vendor or just a consulting firm is really understanding, you know, and having them demonstrate

Through whatever collateral, they can bring, whether in conversations or in documentation.

You know, what is the method methodology of how they provide the level of support and looking around the corner and making recommendations and you know really being the one that's thinking on your behalf.

You know, everyone will tell you that they can do that, but you want to hear either from them showing you, or from having spoken to.

Others within their firm or References

About, you know,

Did they really do it and because I think that's the biggest differentiator is too often we don't appreciate or understand those unwritten items. And so the scope of work.

Has great language in there. But then you come in to do the implementation and something is different than your understanding and, you know, one of the things I

Say to organizations all the time is, you want all of your partners that you're interviewing to step up and once

way shape or form and commit that if they're giving you, for example, fixed fee that they're giving you a fixed fee and how how to make sure that that happens.

Because it's very easy to say you have a fixed fee but that scope of work that's when they and I

Was on this side of the table where I've gotten hit, but, you know, even today, implementing newer systems in GMT, where the I've gotten change orders. So, you know,

These are differentiators and responses to all of those will give you an indication on a relationship and a partnership or not with you the implementation side.

Andy Harleman: And I might add that

Another thing is that you know we so often.

We encounter organizations who believe they need new software, for example, and they and they do very much need new software and they've documented things very carefully.

But they tend to only document the features and the functionality. They need to put as much or more thought into the partnership, they're seeking

And the level of service that they need to make, you know, because look, there's great software out there, and most of it can do.

All these things, you know, everybody can cut checks and everybody can do really great financial reports. These days, there's lots of great software out there but you to document what you expect in your implementation partner.

Would be a really helpful thing as well.

Melissa Waters: Before I move on. Does anybody else have anything they'd like to contribute or is it okay to move on.

So this question is similar to what was just asked, but i for each of you if you could give one piece of advice to those starting this journey, what would it be

Andy Harleman: Well, I gave mine. How about let's ask Jolie because she she talked a little bit about it earlier.

Jolie Bou: Yeah, I would. I would.

Hey, lots of attention to, to the implementation and discovery process.

And really take a look at your team. What does your team really need to make this happen. You know, we really know your team and and whatever they need more in what your organization needs seek that out in your implement in your implemented and if you're implementing is not

You know, sort of customizing the implementation for you, then maybe they're not the right ones i think that you know what you need. And so, seek that out when you're looking at a partner.

Andy Harleman: We were on a call this morning, Dagi, and I were on the same call because there was a recent client who decided to work with JM t and

We always spend that we were doing what we call the handoff where the implementation team takes it from me and moves forward. And so there's always a section.

About the people, the personalities, the human beings in that organization. And to your point, Julie. I think that's a great point that

Software and all these things are. They're great. But there are people things that come up to. And so understanding your team, as you just said as a huge part of it.

If you have a you know group of people who are maybe more intimidated by technology on your staff or something like that. And that's going to be a different approach than if you have a bunch of, you know,

One year olds who know how to do everything on their phone with their thumbs. And so, you know, you really do that understanding of your own people as a huge part of the success of a project.

Melissa Waters: Those are the only questions that I have. So I will go ahead and let us wrap it up, Andy. I'm gonna let you have the last word.

Andy Harleman: Well, as I said earlier, we just we really appreciate everyone's time and we we hope that you see the benefits of not only working with world class software publishers

But also working with a partner who is truly working and committed to you and not just to you to get live on some new system, but to support and partner with you for all the years ahead.

Melissa Waters: Wonderful. Well, we want to thank Jolie for her time today and the GMT team. We are so happy that you joined us.

If you are interested in learning more about working with GMT, and please email us at info at GMT consulting com and we would love the opportunity to get to chat with you and see how we can assist you with your needs. And with that, I hope everyone has a wonderful day, and Happy New Year.

Andy Harleman: Happy New Year. Thank you.

Jolie Bou: Jeannie

Jacqueline Tiso: Bye everybody.