Christmas training with ReACT

Hello – are we all looking forward to Christmas? I know we are here in the offices of ReACT. In the run up to Christmas some people are out getting their gifts, others are frantically writing cards; we at ReACT are out and about installing and training on ReACT 4.

Recently we have been rolling out the Implementation and Training on ReACT 4. This is generally a two-day process. On the first day, we are working remotely on the customer’s server to implement ReACT 4 into a full TEST environment using a copy of the latest LIVE database. These have gone well and now that we are gaining more experience of issues that differing server environments can throw at us, we are managing to complete upgrades comfortably within the scheduled time slot. The biggest stumbling block we are getting is servers meeting the pre-requirements to the upgrade – it might be worth double checking your server to make sure you meet it too!

The following day, one of our ReACT trainers is on-site with the customer to deliver a day of training. The training  typically consists of ReACT 4 Administrative / Configuration session, aimed at the Super-Users and then a session on ReACT 4 New Features aimed at the experienced end users. The Administrative / Configuration sessions are not only helpful to look at the new features we’ve included, but it also gives a chance to look at the current configuration while you have a ReACT Consultant with you. The second, end-user session, gives a chance to not only experience the new features, but also cement the correct usage of ReACT within the organisation.

We have found that the training is well accepted by all end users and each new feature generates interest from the delegates, not to mention any in particular, but the new Additional Notes control gets the biggest smiles!

Have you been using ReACT 4, why don’t you let us know what your favourite feature is so far? Try the Forums or send us a Tweet! @ReACTASB

On behalf of the ReACT Implementation Team, have a Merry Christmas.

Chris Powell.

SLCNG Annual Conference – reminder

Yet another reminder from me about this important conference being held on 1^st and 2^nd November at St. Johns Hotel, Solihull. Go to www.slcng.org.uk for details and a booking form.

The Conference Dinner on the evening of 1^st November includes the Annual Awards. I met with fellow judges on 21^st September to decide the shortlist of three for each of the award categories, the best practice, residents and team awards and the prestigious Tim Winter Award. A grand total of 57 nominations were submitted by the closing date. As in previous years, the judges, Tokunbo Okunlola from DCLG, Gez Kinsella HouseMark, Eamon Lynch Managing Director SLCNG, Roger Griffiths Chairman SLCNG and myself were faced with a difficult task in all of the categories but we got there eventually. The winners will be announced at the Conference Dinner.

Naturally ReACT will be exhibiting and showing off the new version 4 – please come along for a chat.

by Mike Blomer

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 User Group Meetings 2011

This year’s User Group meetings were held, as planned, on 13^th September at Twickenham Rugby Stadium and at Derby Conference Centre on 15^th September.

Whilst the eventual numbers attending both events was a little disappointing for the ReACT team we believe that delegates had an informative day and took advantage of the opportunity to network with fellow users of the system.

A full report on the User Group meetings was emailed to all known ReACT users on 22^nd September. The email includes, as downloads, the presentations made, the ReACT specific latest HouseMark ASB Benchmarking report and, importantly, an on-line survey for opinions on the these latest meetings and also to elicit views on future meetings.

As the organiser of the User Group meetings I agonise every year over the format and location recommendations I make to my Director. Always conscious of the fact that we have busy customers in virtually every part of the UK I am very aware of the convenience of venues and the travel time involved but I am equally keen to make the events worthwhile and a meeting which users want to attend. Like you I also have a budget! There is the opportunity to express your opinions in the survey mentioned above and there are, in my view, three options:-

1. One large meeting in a central location – inevitably Birmingham with its very good transport links both by road, rail and air.
2. Two meetings – north/central and south-east.
3. Regional meetings – probably five in total.

I have pontificated on the merits or otherwise of each on a number of occasions and would really appreciate your views as planning for next year’s meetings will begin early in the new year. Please let me know via the comment box below.

By Mike Blomer

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.

Advance notice of the ReACT User Group Meetings 2011

Please keep one of the following dates in your diary free for the 2011 ReACT User Group Meeting. Choose from either:-

Tuesday 13^th September – in the Presidents Suite and Council Room at Twickenham Rugby Stadium, London. (The meeting rooms overlook the pitch and stadium tours are available at a cost – if you have time. For more information about the venue go to www.rfu.com/twickenhamstadium).

or

Thursday 15^th September – at The Derby Conference Centre. (A good venue and a change from Birmingham. Easily accessible by car and train and with on-site reasonably priced overnight accommodation if required. For more information about the venue go to www.thederbyconferencecentre.com).

The programme has yet to be finalised but expect Version 4 to feature highly and we also intend to have a specialist workshop for IT and systems specialists. As in previous years delegate places will be restricted to two per organisation, but may be extended subject to availability.

Invitations with on-line registration will be emailed in early July. If you have any further questions, please contact  the ReACT team on 0121 3842513.

By Mike Blomer

Respice Prospice (or, “learn from the past to look to the future”)

As this is the final blog post of 2010 I thought that it would be a good opportunity to look at the past twelve months and into the next twelve months.

Respice

Over the past year we have had a promising uptake in new ReACT users despite the difficult financial climate that we are all going through and also the uncertainty of the future of tackling anti-social behaviour caused by the change of Government.

In terms of support, it is fair to say support numbers have increased this year, with new customers joining us and with the release of ReACT v3.4. With the development of ReACT 4 well underway we will be eradicating the previous application issues that have arisen in the past, to provide an enhanced, more efficient and robust platform.

We also had a new member join our support team in September, Craig Bryan, who has helped us to manage the support cases more effectively, ultimately resulting in the issues being resolved in a shorter amount of time and allowing us to feedback case progression.

In October we held our annual User Group meetings in Birmingham and London which is an invaluable way for us to receive honest feedback from our current user base and also an ideal opportunity for users to bounce ideas and suggestions off each other in terms of how they use ReACT and also in terms of methods of dealing with and recording Anti Social Behaviour in general.

You can see the results of the user group meetings in the ReACT User Group Meetings 2010 – findings blog.

To ensure that we act upon the feedback received at the user groups, each member of the ReACT team have scheduled a winter task list. 

This includes but is not limited to the following items …

Re-launch of the User Forum

To enable ReACT and ReSOLVE users to raise questions and discuss suggestions with other users within an internet-based forum.

Re-write user manuals, and make them downloadable from the ReACT and ReSOLVE website

To help new users to learn the basics of ReACT and ReSOLVE as well as to refresh super user’s memory of some administration features in ReACT and ReSOLVE which are not used very regularly.

Create a library for all reports

Many users would like to see which bespoke reports have previously been developed and be able to add them to their own system; we are currently developing a list of these reports as well as instructions on how administrators can add them into their system.

 Prospice

Moving into the future and looking ahead into 2011 we have put together a schedule of events which the ReACT team will be attending, webinars to help to spread the knowledge amongst the ReACT user base, as well as our development road plan to ensure that the product continues to adapt and meet the continuing change in demand to fit in with ASB working practices and meet the needs of our customers.  This includes the introduction of a Risk Assessment Matrix and version 4 of ReACT which is a complete re-write of the application to give the product a fresh new look and more importantly to ensure that the system functions exactly as expected in time, every time.  The schedule for 2011 will be published and made available to all of our users and prospects soon.

That’s all for now and just leaves me time to wish all of our user base and blog readers a very Merry Christmas and a happy new year for 2011. 

At this point we should also remind our customers that the office is closed over the Christmas break from 25^th December 2010 until 3^rd January inclusive.

ReACT User Group Meetings 2010 – findings

At the NEC, Birmingham event there were 35 delegates from 23 users and for Stamford Bridge, London 26 delegates from 15 users – a total of 61 delegates from 38 user organisations. Evaluation forms have been sent by email to all delegates and by the closing date of 24th November 17 responses or 28% had been received, with the following results:

• The survey is non-attributable, and taking all subjects covered, an average of 78% of respondents either strongly agreed or agreed that the meetings had been useful for them.
• The users-only open forum, without EBS staff present and ably chaired by Liz Ellis from Stockport Homes proved to be the most popular session.
• A substantial majority said that the venues were appropriate for them.

From the ReACT Team Steve, Amanda, Kate, Paul and Mike attended both meetings. Natalie, Chris and Craig attended only Birmingham, Fred and Phil attended only London. Everyone on the Team agreed that the meetings had gone well, had been useful and appreciated by those who attended. Again there was agreement on the popularity of the users-only sessions noting that not everyone is on the same version and this could have caused some confusion.

We are already thinking about next year’s meetings and hope to considerably increase the number of delegates. ReACT version 4 will feature strongly and we will again try to come up with a solution to the issue of location and number of meetings. Just to remind readers about this – we have now tried three formats, national meetings held centrally at the National Motor Cycle Museum close to Birmingham and in the following year by 5 regional meetings held at hotels in London, Birmingham, Leeds, Warrington and Taunton. This year just the 2 meetings.

The advantage of just one national meeting is the opportunity for networking which is not as effective with multiple meetings and most certainly when we had 5. One possibility which we are looking at is to again have 2 meetings supplemented by a few “mini” user group meetings preferably hosted by a willing customer.  We do have one offer – any more volunteers?

In many ways we regard the User Group as your AGM, and as users you are invited to influence the agenda, and location of venues. In my opinion we have demonstrated that having a number of meetings dilute its effect to the detriment of all. Your opinions will be very welcome and you may wish to post your views on the ReACT Forum which is to be relaunched shortly – we will let you know when.

By Mike Blomer