An Update from your Account Managers

Hear from Stacey & Anthony as they reflect on a very busy 2021 for the building and planning teams.

A message from Anthony

What a year it has been. Here we are heading toward the end of 2021 and the pressures felt by BCAs across the country show no signs of easing, though I’m sure everyone is looking forward to a well-earned break over the holidays. I’ve found it inspiring to see how teams across the country have identified and deployed measures to counter industry pressures while continuing to meet their obligations and, in some cases, even improve performance while faced with an ever-changing landscape.

Considering the Covid environment, you probably would have noticed we have been utilising online virtual account management catchups more regularly than onsite visits. The online format has proven effective in enabling us to share information, understand your needs, and remain aligned in our expectations. However, I feel online meetings don’t compare to onsite catchups in many respects, and wherever possible, onsite catchups remain the priority.

During my catchups with customers across the North Island, whether your teams are using GoGet or Alpha, everyone is looking to maximise the resources they have while managing pressures from both the industry and within the BCA arena itself. Our conversations have centred around ensuring our solutions are providing maximum value, particularly relating to operational efficiency. With resourcing shortages and regular staffing changes, managers are seeking to equip their teams with maximum proficiency using the software and want capabilities provided by our solutions to be as effective as is possible.

For GoGet customers, the recently released version 5.17 has both added new capabilities and improved existing features. Integrated with refresher training for staff, we have found upgrades have not only equipped teams with new tools but have further increased utilisation of existing tools that staff weren’t familiar with or weren’t confident using.

For AlphaOne customers, product updates delivered through the cloud platform have continued to improve the experience and our product team continue to prioritise and deliver ongoing improvements. With teams looking to upskill their staff, we’ve been supporting internal training initiatives by provisioning user acceptance testing (UAT) environments and are establishing new training programs for Alpha.

I’ll be reaching out shortly to schedule our next account management catch-up. In the meantime, if you have any questions or need assistance, please don’t hesitate to reach out to me.

A message from Stacey

What a whirlwind my first 8 months have been, I have met so many people, have absorbed (and am still absorbing) an entirely new world from my normal. My first road trip took me out to visit most of the South Island and Lower North Island clients – these meetings were really about understanding each of the teams and what is important to them. As for me, I like to make it about the people who use our software. This allows me to give better guidance and form strong, long lasting relationships with my clients.

I was one of the lucky ones to attend BOINZ for the days leading up to the Covid-19 lockdown, this allowed me to add a few more faces to names. Following up with you all after the event, I truly admired the way you all just got stuck in. You knew what needed to be done and you got on with it.

In the last few weeks, I have managed a few socially distanced meetings in the South Island. It was fantastic to see people and see so much positivity about joining Objective on our next journey in launching Objective Build, or an eagerness to have GoGet 5.17 upgrades into the system to ensure the new features and benefits are implemented and utilised as quickly as possible.

I have visited both GoGet and AlphaOne sites, and the willingness to help one another is clear throughout all councils, as well as the desire to help us help you by sharing your experiences and ideas.

In the lead up to Christmas we've given the first presentations of Objective Build with the GoGet integration, some of these even happening face to face! In my mind it was a perfect way to finish the year.

I look forward to hopefully seeing more you soon.