Modernizing MERS Missouri Goodwill Industries' Vocational Training Program with Inovus Technologies
Overview
While MERS Missouri Goodwill Industries is primarily known for its retail thrift stores, its core mission centers on providing vocational training and job placement services for individuals with disabilities and other disadvantaged populations. The revenue generated from their retail operations supports these critical programs, helping individuals find and retain employment while fostering independence.
Challenges
Until its partnership with Inovus Technologies, MERS case managers and administrative staff were operating on a legacy system—a 20-year-old Microsoft Access database that presented significant challenges:
- Maintenance Issues: The antiquated database was difficult to maintain and nearly impossible to modify, limiting MERS' ability to adapt to evolving program requirements and reporting needs.
- Limited Accessibility: The system was on-premise, meaning it could only be accessed from MERS's office locations. This made it impossible for staff to work remotely or access participant data during home visits.
- Inefficiencies and Errors: The manual, paper-based processes were prone to inconsistencies, errors, and inefficiencies. Each location had its own way of handling paperwork, which led to variations in process execution.
- Auditing and Reporting Difficulties: As with many nonprofit organizations, MERS is primarily funded by the state and other grants. These funders often mandate regular audits, with requirements that may change from year to year. The old system's lack of standardized processes and difficulty in generating reports made these audits a cumbersome and stressful experience.
Solution
MERS partnered with Inovus Technologies to overhaul their outdated system and replace it with a modern, flexible solution that would address their unique needs. In consultation with MERS leadership, Inovus implemented Creatio, a powerful low-code platform that allowed for a customized, scalable solution tailored to MERS’ specific requirements.
Key components of the solution included:
- Cloud-Based Accessibility: The new Creatio system is cloud-based, enabling MERS staff to access it from anywhere—whether they’re at the office, in the field, or working from home.
- Standardized Processes: Inovus worked closely with MERS to map out all of their processes, from participant intake to job placement and retention support. This collaboration ensured that the new system would standardize these processes across all locations, reducing errors and improving consistency.
- Dynamic Reporting and Auditing: The new system allows for easy generation of reports, which can be customized based on the state’s requirements or internal metrics. This has significantly streamlined the audit process, allowing MERS to quickly and accurately provide the data needed for compliance.
- Automated Billing and Invoicing: One of the standout features of the new system is its ability to automate billing processes. Case managers can now easily log billable activities, and the system automatically generates invoices for submission to the state, ensuring that MERS is reimbursed promptly and accurately for the services they provide.
- Custom Dashboards: The system includes user-friendly dashboards tailored to different roles within the organization. Case managers can see their daily tasks, track participant progress, and manage caseloads, while office directors and executives have access to broader metrics that allow them to monitor program performance and resource allocation across all programs and geographic regions.
Implementation
Guidance through six-step process to build their tailored solution.
Analysis & Strategy
Collaborate with stakeholders to assess, identify, and define top priorities and goals, and strategize a framework that promises success.
Discovery & Strategy
Collaborating with MTS to map out a flowchart that included their current processes, identifying inefficiencies and duplicated work. This helped Inovus Technologies define a new business process management model that would eliminate their current manual process.
Building and Testing
Inovus created an automated process improvement framework for end-to-end data collection and calculation. Each aspect of the new process was broken down into the smallest possible component, with Inovus testing each small part then adding them together to make sure they all worked in sequence from start to finish. Each component was demonstrated and tested weekly.
Training
The Inovus team developed in-depth documentation on how to use the new Creatio tools and workflows, training the MTS Tax Specialists to ensure they were proficient in utilizing the tools and workflows that had been built.
Platform
Support from Inovus doesn’t end when a new process is launched. Creatio automatically tracks and checks data submitted, which allows Inovus to quickly address any issues as soon as they occur. Another benefit of Creatio’s low-code workflow management software solution is that bugs are easy to fix as they don’t require users to look through lines of code for an error.
Results
- Working with Inovus improved organization and efficiency in managing complex projects.
- The partnership enhanced client collaboration and satisfaction through shared board views and streamlined feedback processes.
- This project created total centralization of information, documents, and processes in one platform.
With the help of Inovus, KPM was able to use monday.com to improve project organization, efficiency, and client satisfaction.
Implementation Process
The implementation was a collaborative and iterative process:
- In-depth discovery of processes and pain points
- Configuration and customization in Creatio
- Data migration
- Training and rollout
- Ongoing support and expansion
Results
The transition to the new system has already shown promising improvements:
- Improved Efficiency: Case managers now spend less time on administrative tasks and more time supporting participants, thanks to the streamlined processes and automated billing.
- Enhanced Data Accuracy: The standardized system has reduced errors substantially, ensuring data is accurate and consistent across all locations.
- Better Audit Preparedness: The ability to quickly generate detailed reports has made the audit process much less stressful and time-consuming for MERS.
- Greater Accessibility: The cloud-based system has enabled MERS staff to work more flexibly, whether in the office, in the field, or from home.
Conclusion
The partnership between MERS Missouri Goodwill Industries and Inovus Technologies has been a resounding success, with the new system providing the flexibility, accessibility, and efficiency that MERS needed to better serve their participants and meet their organizational goals. The project showcases the power of tailored, low-code solutions in transforming complex, legacy systems into modern, user-friendly platforms that can evolve with the organization’s needs.