Customer proof on record
How AGC avoided a six-month delay on their AMS project with Dennison & Associates
- Customer on record
- AGC
- Vendor on record
- Dennison & Associates
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The Associated General Contractors of America hired Dennison & Associates to help select a new association management system and "remove the ridiculous" from its business practices. According to CEO Jeff Shoaf, the vendor helped "steady the ship" during a key staff departure, which otherwise "could have added six months to the final project." He notes the experience "changed the culture of the association," leaving staff "more comfortable with change."
Approved quotes
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Showing all 30 quotes
- Background
Self Introduction
“I'm Jeff Shoaf, and I'm CEO of the Associated General Contractors of America.”
- Background
Company Introduction
“The Associated General Contractors is a group of commercial construction contractors, specialty contractors, and other companies that support the construction industry, all joined together to improve the industry.”
- Background
Company Mission
“The Associated General Contractors is a nationwide trade association supporting the construction industry.”
- Before
Outdated System and Bad Practices
“We had been using the same AMS system for 20 years, and all I heard were complaints. We got approval from our board to update the system, but I didn't want to update it with the same bad business practices. We went to Dennison and Associates to help identify the right system and figure out how to maximize its impact by changing our business practices first.”
- Before
Legacy System Inefficiency
“We'd been using the same AMS for over 20 years, married to an accounting system that was also probably 20 years old. We had created so many workarounds and so much inefficiency that we needed to take it down to the bare bones and rebuild it to maximize the impact of a new AMS.”
- Results
Improving Practices and Experience
“We needed to do a deep dive into our business practices to remove the ridiculous and add practices that would really pay off. They improve the accuracy of everything we do, the quality of work-life for our people, and the customer experience. We wanted to make sure the whole new AMS system produced the maximum benefits for us and our customers.”
- Before
Manual Processes and Workarounds
“Everybody had figured out how to make the old AMS work, but it was always a pain because it wasn't the right system for today. They had created manual processes to accommodate one-off instances, rather than consolidating customers into a more efficient stream. The new system will lead to more efficiency, better customer relations, fewer mistakes, and make it easier for people to get their job done with the right information.”
- Before
Manual Accounting and Registration
“On the accounting side, there were workarounds—a manual process to move money at the end of each month for journal changes or a manual process for changing how people register. We needed an automatic process that removes the potential for human error.”
- Results
Improved Data Reliability
“We will be a more reliable partner for our customers if what they put into the AMS is automatically uploaded where we need it, rather than us having to manually manipulate the information and possibly cause an error.”
- Before
Preventing Mistakes
“It boils down to having fewer mistakes with client data because we didn't have an automatic process.”
- Before
Human Error and Workarounds
“The problems Dennison helped us fix were ones where human error intervened in customer communications, where we tried to use a workaround to get technologies to work together instead of having them connect automatically.”
- Before
Frustrating Customer Experience
“We weren't doing it poorly; we were doing it frustratingly. It was frustrating for us and our customers. We had a system that captured some of the data needed for a good customer experience, but not all of it.”
- Before
Outdated, Inflexible System
“We had a system that captured the bare necessities but wasn't flexible enough for customers to make modifications on their own. They had to call us after registering online to make sure we got it right. That was really behind the times, and we needed to update our systems to be a more modern interface.”
- Results
Creating Efficiency to Expand
“We wanted to create efficiencies to free up employee bandwidth so that we could expand our services for the members.”
- How they use it
Choosing an Honest Broker
“We hired Dennison and Associates because they were an honest broker between AMS systems. They helped us decide where to go for a new AMS. We already had them on board, so we put the brakes on that process to first change how we operate as an association and improve our internal processes.”
- How they use it
BPR as a First Step
“We evaluated about a half dozen partners for the AMS search. We already had Dennison on board, and we thought that the business process review was a really important first step in change management that would help the adoption of the new AMS in the long run.”
- How they use it
Improving Workflow
“We wanted to get people thinking about change and take a hard look at the practices built into their day-to-day workflow. The goal was to improve that workflow and then adopt a new AMS that maximizes the impact of that change.”
- How they use it
Value of an Experienced Partner
“I don't know if our approach was unique, but I can't imagine doing it without somebody like Dennison and Associates. They've been through this before. We're going to do it once in a generation; they do it frequently, walking people through this process.”
- How they use it
Ensuring Vendor Accountability
“They have the expertise not just in making sure it works, but in getting the most out of vendors and ensuring clear communication with our employees. They make sure vendors aren't saying one thing to management and another to frontline staff. Having Dennison on board organizing that process for us was very impactful.”
- How they use it
The Value of an Unbiased Source
“We looked at about a half dozen advisors and chose Denison because they weren't affiliated with any vendor. They were an unbiased source, which is what we needed to make the right choice for us.”
Steadying the Ship
“Denison came in, and Vanessa herself jumped in to help us steady the ship. She has a way of calming people's nerves, being very dispassionate, and making sure that everybody is heard and has good information to get them through the next step.”
Navigating Staff Changes
“It not only calmed our employees' nerves, but it calmed our nerves. Management and employees were both nervous. We went through a senior-level change internally, and our staff lead on the project left. Vanessa jumped in to fill that void. She was a calming influence on everybody who had good reason to be freaked out about this happening right in the middle of such a monumental technology change.”
- Results
Overcoming Hurdles
“Denison helped us get through hurdles like key staff changes by being hands-on and being super critical and credible to the association staff so we could get to the finish line.”
- Results
De-Risking a Generational Project
“When you take on a project that is once every 10 or 20 years, you need to de-risk it. You need to hire the right expert who is capable and qualified to be there with you day in and day out to keep you sane and make you successful.”
- Results
Project Time Savings
“Without Denison and Associates on our team, it could have added six months to the final project.”
- Before
The Burden of Implementation
“Implementing a new AMS is nobody's core job. Getting trained and making sure the contractors are doing the right thing is an additional task for everyone. It's hundreds of hours of staff time, possibly every month, to get to the finish line.”
- Results
Building a Culture of Change
“The experience with Denison and Associates set us up to better manage change in the organization long-term. People feel more comfortable with change than they did before. There was a lot of resistance, but now people are looking forward to positive change because they know they can figure out how to get there.”
- Results
Culture Change and Confidence
“Success with this project was made possible because of our work with Denison and Associates. It really changed the culture of the association, giving people more confidence that they could speak up and be heard, and that when they identified a problem, they could also find a solution.”
- Results
Unhesitating Recommendation
“If I were at a new association and had to go through an AMS project, I wouldn't hesitate to hire Denison and Associates.”
- Results
Final Recommendation
“If someone asked me, I would recommend Denison Associates. They're flexible and knowledgeable and really helped get the job done.”