ReACT Version 4 – first impressions

Version 4 was launched at the User Group meetings and I take this opportunity to pass on my views as a non-techie.

Although I had seen earlier test versions the User Group at Twickenham Stadium was my first opportunity to see the full working version so what do I think?

I was not disappointed as the first thing I looked for was that the original look and feel of ReACT has not significantly changed so that current users will have no problem adapting to the new version. Yes, initially the screen looks a bit different with additional icons but it is still logical and user friendly which is a big relief to me as often the techies do like to try and baffle us – bless`em.

Written in Microsoft Silverlight with other bang up to date technology the team has introduced the most important features requested and prioritised by users during the consultation period last year. I am not at all disappointed, like it and feel sure that both current and new customers will too!

What do you think? Let us know in the comments box, below.

By Mike Blomer

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ReACT 4: Final Testing

Hello all, with the release of ReACT 4 just over the hill, I thought I’d give you an update on our plan for rolling out the final stages of testing and development.

We have hit the system hard here in the office with our test plans and rigorous testing schedule. Any issues or bugs that have been found, our development team have resolved. We have also been familiarising ourselves with a whole host of new features and buttons for you to click on, too!

It’s fair to say that there is only so much testing that we can do here in the office regarding the ‘user’ side of things, so what better testing opportunity than to hand the software over to a Beta Test Site. Our test sites will be getting their hands on the release toward the end of September; a fully functioning ReACT system with all the new features enabled. We shall then be working closely with their Project Team so that when an issue arises, we can immediately send it to our developers for correction. A fix will then be rolled out and re-tested. This will be a continual cycle working with the end-users to iron out anything that may arise. Full tests should be completed within an estimated 10 day period.

Once the beta testing has been signed-off, our development team will be able to pool any changes made, and create our final build of ReACT 4. This will be the build that you receive as part of your upgrade.

We can’t just give you a brand new product without some accompanying documents, so as I type this, we have some of the team working on all-new documentation that you will be supplied with; ready to help you in using ReACT 4.

I hope you are looking forward to the release of ReACT 4 as much as we are!

By Chris Powell

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Have you Pre-ordered ReACT 4?

We’ve been inundated with pre-orders and upgrades have been scheduled for the next few months of the year. Spaces for ReACT 4 updates in 2011 are limited, with a number of  customers in the process of pre-ordering.

Upgrade your training as well as your system

In addition to ReACT 4’s functionality, did you know about our additional modules –  ReMOTE, the web portal, ReVIEW the business intelligence tool and Rapid Case Entry? We also offer tailored training packages to ensure every ReACT user gets the most out of the software.

Prior to placing your pre-order, please take into account any additional training, consultancy or modules you may need as this will have an impact on the number of days we will need to schedule for the work. Don’t forget that ReACT 4 will be moving to SQL reporting services and you may require additional training for those who would like support with report writing.

See it for yourself at our User Groups

Register here to take advantage of your free place at our 2011 user group meetings in Derby 13^th September and Twickenham 15^th September. It’s the ideal opportunity to network with your peers, chat to your account manager and see ReACT 4 in action.

We hope you can all make it and look forward to seeing you all in a couple of months.

Kind regards

Paul Johns and Kate Hill

P.S. We strongly suggest booking early to ensure your upgrade is scheduled at a convenient time for your organisation. We don’t want you to be disappointed with the timeframes, so call us now to book the next available slot on 0121 384 2513

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What are the advantages of the ‘ReACT HouseMark Consultancy Day’?

ReACT consists of a wealth of Configuration and Administration settings, that for the most part, remains behind the scenes.

You will most likely have set the Configuration up so that it reflects the way your organisation works and any policies and procedures you adhere to. At the end of each quarter you calculate what data is going to be sent over to HouseMark.

What you need to ask yourself is the following, are you getting the most out of ReACT for automated Benchmarking to HouseMark?

If you didn’t already know, ReACT has an automatic upload option to the HouseMark Website, direct from within ReACT. This means no more manual counting of figures over several hours, instead, you just need to run a report and then click a single button – a couple of minutes work!

For the Automatic upload to work at its best, there are several parts of the configuration that need to be “mapped” to the HouseMark reporting codes that we use “behind the scenes”. What this means for you, is that you get to have the system set up for your business needs, but behind the scenes, the benchmarking upload knows exactly what parts of your configuration to use for the different indicators. Configuration options include items such as Case Stages, Case Types Case Costs, etc…

What we can offer is a dedicated day, where our ReACT HouseMark Consultant will sit down with you to look at your ReACT Configuration and advise how best to use ReACT for reporting to HouseMark. On the day, all relevant Configuration and Administration options are addressed with a clear road plan of what needs to be amended or added to, to fully report to HouseMark automatically. We even show you ‘how’ to run the Automatic Upload and how you get to see and verify the figures before they are sent out from your ReACT.

The ReACT HouseMark Consultancy Day is ideal for both new customers and existing sites, even if you haven’t touched your configuration for a while.

New customer base will want to set up ReACT the best they can for both the automatic upload and also the business requirements.

Existing customers may have configuration from a period before ReACT could perform the automatic upload, so there will be plenty of new configuration items to be made and what better way to do it than have a representative from ReACT on-site with you!

If the ReACT HouseMark Consultancy Day is something you would be interested in finding more out about it, please get in touch with your Account Manager or ReACT Support and we will be happy to help.

Multi-company and multi-agency working with ReACT

Dealing properly with antisocial behaviour (ASB) requires time and effort from many partnerships including other RSL’s, the police and local councils. There are clear benefits for communities if ASB is resolved swiftly and thoroughly.

One of the main difficulties that many partnerships face is dealing with the data that is used to pinpoint problems. Sometimes this data is recorded in different formats, sometimes it arrives late, and sometimes it can’t be exchanged at all. The result can be that communities report events, but then have to wait for a resolution. The perception is that the partnerships are unresponsive, and this can deter communities from making more reports.

One of the key benefits of ReACT is that you have the ability to setup multiple companies. We have examples of customers who use this to share their ReACT database with Police National Networks, some customers share their database with Other RSL’s and other customers publish their ReACT database through the internet to Local Authorities and other local agencies.

In the current financial climate many local authorities are aiming to share software solutions with their neighbouring authorities and agencies. It is possible that this model will be used by many public bodies including RSL’s and is extremely relevant to the recent legislative changes for ASB regarding the sharing of information between agencies.

It is still possible for the policies and procedures of each company to individually be mirrored in ReACT as the ‘actions’ can be set up for each individual organisation. Each users permissions can also be tailored so that they only have access to their companies cases; however administrators can have access to all companies. It is also possible for users to be able to manage their cases but also get an overview where perpetrators have affected areas managed by all of the companies sharing the database.

If you are thinking of setting up a multi company environment in ReACT, it may not be necessary for each company to purchase a brand new ReACT database and application. By purchasing additional licenses and adding extra companies it is possible to share the functionality and information with all the agencies that you work closely with.

By doing this it is hoped that information about ASB can be swapped almost ‘real- time’ and, with the co-operation of a number of frontline teams and back-of-house analysts, ASB can be identified, tracked, and dealt with far more swiftly than at present.

For more information, please contact Paul Johns or Kate Hill on 0121 384 2513 Option 4.

By Paul Johns

Around the Office…

Hello blog readers! I’m going to take this opportunity to share with you a few items I have been working in the past couple of weeks.

First off, we have seen the release of Internet Explorer 9 from Microsoft for users of Windows Vista and Windows 7. Those of you lucky enough to have got your hands on the latest web browser will be pleased to know that ReACT and ReSOLVE are supported and everything works as expected! One thing you may need to be aware of however is that you need to have ReACT or ReSOLVE running in “Compatibility Mode” – there is an option for this in “Tools” of the web browser. The easiest way to check if your browser is running in Compatibility Mode is to try and generate a Letter Template. If you have the “Create Note” option on screen, then everything is A-OK, if not, you need to hit that Compatibility View option!

Something else I have been working on recently is the testing and rolling out of ReVIEW2. Version 2 sees improved Views for the end user to choose from with additional data available to select. We have also stripped down the standard cubes shipped with the product so that the user doesn’t get confused when trying to compare multiple sets of data that are actually calculated differently. If you are an existing ReVIEW user and haven’t been updated recently, please contact Support and we can get the latest version out to you so you can enjoy the benefits of quick reporting from ReACT. You may also be reading this having not seen ReVIEW, in that case, please ask us for a demo which we can offer over the Web!

The final item I would like to share is we are now rolling out more ReMOTE installations. ReMOTE is a service that you can integrate into your own website. It then allows for complaints of ASB to be logged without the need to log in to ReACT, and more importantly, allows for complaints to be logged by Tenants themselves directly from your corporate website. Once an individual has input the basic complaint details, ReMOTE will create a Pending Note in the ReACT system that it is linked to. That note can then be picked up by the Duty Officers or ASB Team to decide to progress the note to a full ReACT Case or to deal with it accordingly. Again, if ReMOTE is something that you would like further information on, please contact our Sales Team on 0121 384 2513 and we can give you more information.

By Chris Powell.

Half price reports offer: use it now or lose it forever

Over the past three months, we have offered 50% off all bespoke reports, allowing you to customise your ReACT and ReSOLVE facts to your heart’s content. Customers have used it to:

•  – Get two smaller reports for the standard price of one
•  – Extend a bespoke project, whilst staying within budget
•  – Fund extra training from the savings

We have no restriction on the length or type of custom reports that you require – they are all discounted at 50% of our standard price. However, we will be ending the offer on the 31^st of March, so you will need to put your orders in before that date, to purchase them half-price. For more information and a discussion about the savings you can make, please contact Paul Johns on 0121 384 2513.

Adjusting VAT in ReACT and ReSOLVE

In his 2010 Emergency Budget the Chancellor announced an increase in the standard rate of VAT from 17.5 percent to 20 percent effective from January 4^th 2011. The information in this guide will help you in adjusting the VAT up for your ReACT or ReSOLVE system. To complete the task you will need access to the application files in question, these will most commonly be on your IIS server.

1.Locate the files and navigate through the path below to access the page needed for modifying the VAT;

ReACT/ReSOLVE Folder > Enter “Case” Folder > Right Click “CaseCostDetails” > Select “edit”

WARNING: YOU SHOULD TAKE A BACKUP OF THE FILE, TO FALL BACK ON IN CASE OF EMERGENCY.

2. Having done this, you will now see the files source code- there are two places you will need to change the VAT. The first is several lines down, the number highlighted below needs changing to 20 (leaving the “%” in place).

  3. The second is near the bottom, again the highlighted value will need to be changed up to 20.

4. Save the document and the changes should be instant.

5. To test you can open ReACT/ReSOLVE and add a case cost to a case (you do not have to save the cost), type the value 10 in the Cost excl. VAT (£) then press calculate. From here you will see the result 2, in VAT (20%) (£) if the change has been made successfully.

If any queries or issues arise, contact us at ReACT support on 0121 384 2513, and we will be able to assist.

You can also download these instructions, for future reference.

ASB Management Day for just £275

The seminar day will be taking place at the Studio

As you may be aware, ReACT and ReSOLVE hold free webinars to support and guide users through certain aspects of the software. We have had a lot of interest and questions about our next webinar “Benchmarking and Best Practice” – more than we can cover in 45 minutes. Therefore, we are holding a joint open seminar with HouseMark, for everyone who wants to know about benchmarking, reports and best practice.

We also know budgets are tight, so we decided to keep the price as low as possible and keep your finance directors smiling.

Register now to secure your place.

Everything you wanted to know about ASB Management (but are too busy to ask)

It’s a dedicated day away from the office, allowing you to focus on ASB practices and reporting. You will have the undivided attention of two top experts in their field: Paul Johns (ReACT) and John Wickenden (HouseMark).

Topics include:

• Categories of ASB & Incidents (ASB Measure 02 & 05)                    
• Actions Taken to Tackle ASB & ReACT Stages (ASB Measure 03)
• ReACT Stages (Actions, Instructions & Reviews)                                               
• Case Outcomes & Case Closure (ASB Measure 04 & 06)                  
• Satisfaction Surveys (ASB Measure 07)                                                                  
• HouseMark Preview Report & Upload                                                                    
• HouseMark ASB Benchmarking Overview            

There’s also an extensive question and answer session allowing you to explore specific problems or areas with the consultants. 

Rooftop location, close to New Street station

We have booked The Studio in Birmingham. It’s  – literally – two minutes walk away from New Street station and within easy reach of car parks (if you are feeling brave enough to drive into Birmingham).

We also suspect the Studio is a retired TARDIS from Dr Who – you see a tiny internet café on the ground floor, hiding the large meeting rooms, restaurant and rooftop gardens on the top. There’s lots of natural light, comfortable breakout areas and a bar if you fancy networking afterwards.

No soggy sandwiches

You get muffins on arrival, unlimited tea and coffee and a two-course buffet lunch made from seasonal, local food. You will also be served cookies, fruit and water throughout the day – just to keep your energy levels up through the Q&A session!

One-time offer

Hiring Paul and John together at their standard day rates costs over £1,500. So a seminar place of £275 is a fantastic bargain. Both consultants are in demand and we won’t be able to run this seminar again for some time to come  – especially at that price.

Register now to secure your place.  

Diary Summary

Subject: ASB Management Day (ReACT & HouseMark)              Date: Wednesday 6th October; 10am – 4pm
Location: The Studio, Birmingham
Cost: £275 per delegate, inclusive of training materials, lunch and refreshments

ReACT 4: coming soon

Here at EBS we are now developing ReACT 4 – taking all of our customer  requests for change and putting together the final specification for the new version. As you will see from previous blog posts, we are already trialling SMS texting with Deeplake, as well adapting ReMOTE for use with customer websites.

The first glimpses of version 4 will be available at our user group meetings mid-October; a chance for all users to network and discuss where the products move next. One of the main reasons for the success of our products is that we listen to our users and take on board their suggestions – after all these are the professionals who use the tools every day.

The user group meetings will take place on the 19th October in Birmingham and the 21st October in London. If you would like to come, please contact the ReACT team on 0121 384 2513. Customers can also email their account manager to secure their place.