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Inside the Cloud
A Practical Resource for the USGN User
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What We Believe
Part 2 of 4
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"
Our customization is unparalleled and covers the entire life cycle of a project."
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It’s all about the tools. For athletes, that usually means speed, size, and strength. For DIY'ers, that may mean a set of socket wrenches or a table saw. And for those in construction project management, it means a system that connects all aspects of a project and provides their team with immediate access to current information.
Sustainable success can only be achieved with the right set of tools. We believe that you want business tools to make your team efficient and to keep your customers satisfied. That’s why you chose USGN as the cloud-based platform for your projects. Our customization is unparalleled and covers the entire life cycle of a project.
Right now, you may be using just one or two modules with plans to implement more. Or you may not know all that USGN offers. Check out the modules that may meet the next set of challenges you face! Click Here To See Modules.
As our clients, you have told us that our solutions enable you to manage more projects on or ahead of schedule, greatly reduce errors in the field, and actually spend less money to do so. It really is amazing what can be accomplished when our tool is unleashed!
We are excited to partner with you and your team each day. We know you have needs. Every good company does. Let’s keep working together to meet those needs!
Russ Otten, VP of Sales & Marketing
Cell: 602.668.6880
Email:russ@usgn.net
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Where the Rubber Meets the Cloud
Client Spotlight
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This month’s client interview is with Byron Ayle, Director of Real Estate Administration, for PetSmart, USGN’s first client, beginning in 2000. Currently, PetSmart uses USGN modules for Real Estate, Construction, Lease Abstract, and Property Management.
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“PetSmart is the largest specialty pet retailer of services and solutions for the lifetime needs of pets. At PetSmart, we love pets, and we believe pets make us better people. Every day with every connection, PetSmart’s passionate associates help bring pet parents closer to their pets so they can live more fulfilled lives. This vision impacts everything we do for our customers, the way we support our associates, and how we give back to our communities.” - from PetSmart corporate website.
Byron has been with PetSmart for 12 years, leading teams in Real Estate and Finance. Prior to PetSmart, Byron worked in Finance and Accounting roles for several great companies, specializing in restaurant, hotel, high-tech, and mining. He has been a generous donor to Arizona State University on two separate occasions.
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"Think of USGN as the Legos of software. What do you want to build?"
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Q PetSmart has been using USGN since 2000. What have been the biggest benefits?
A Flexibility. The ability for USGN to build a product for our needs today, but also have the ability to augment that with new needs in the future.
Q How does PetSmart use the Real Estate module of USGN?
A Two-fold; Construction uses it to hold their drawings and store characteristics, basically a repository of data to view when needed. My team, Lease Administration, uses it to manage our Property Administration (PA) issues and hold our lease abstract data. Also a repository, but our team is using that data to make decisions. My Property Administrators juggle hundreds of store issues ranging from adoption events, to parking lot issues, to leaking roofs. With USGN, we are able to log each issue, work the problem, log the solution, and then report off of it. I know what my team is working on, what issues are the most consuming, and how long they spend on any issue. With that data, we can shift resources as needed or design and implement new processes to combat the pain points or increase efficiencies.
Q How would you analyze the cost-benefit to PetSmart since using USGN’s platform?
A Honestly, when we added the PA (Property Administration) functionality, it seemed rather low cost for the tool we designed and USGN built for us. Our team requires this tool to manage their day-to-day activities. Without it, we would lose out on any leverage we have with our landlords. This leverage can lead to tangible occupancy savings through rent, or through maintenance issues paid directly by the landlord.
Q How valuable is it for PetSmart to have one place for everything?
A In today’s world that is not a likely scenario; however, I believe it is something to strive for. We have data in multiple systems and would like it eventually have it all on in one. Software, security and/or budget constraints will prevent all of our data from being in one system. Likely a goal we will never accomplish, but we continue to work towards it.
Q PetSmart has nearly 1,500 users. How do the internal teams and users benefit from cloud-based collaboration?
A Simply put, all data that we want accessible to all users is accessible to all users. We want our stores to be able to run without checking in with corporate all the time. We want the store's team out selling product, not on the phone with corporate asking for information. Making data accessible allows the stores to get the data they need, whenever they need it.
Q What would you tell retailers who have yet to utilize such a platform?
A The trick with USGN is to know what you want your system to do. If you do not know what you want, go buy an out-of-the-box solution with pre-determined processes and steps. If you know your processes and how you will be using and viewing data, then USGN can build that for you. Think of USGN as the Legos of software. What do you want to build?
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Today's Forecast: Less Cloudy
Tips & Tricks
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How To See Hidden Projects
The key to see archived projects in a report or multi-project log is to add the following code
?_archived=1
to the end of a url to see projects that are 'Archived' (Hidden). Click Here to see the tutorial.
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Lightning Strikes
News Updates
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We just returned from Las Vegas, where we attended the ICSC/Recon, a trade show for retail, restaurant, and hospitality development. What a show! Beyond introducing USGN to many new prospects, we also met with some of our clients who were exhibiting. Click here to see pictures from the show!
Our 2017 Annual Conference will be held in Phoenix, AZ at Gainey Ranch Suites on Tuesday and Wednesday, October 24-25, 2017. We are adding several exciting elements. If you have been a regular attendee at these annual events, you will not want to miss this one. If you have contemplated but not attended one yet, this is the year to start.
Our Webinars take place at 10:00 AM PST every 3rd Wednesday of the month. Mike Leathers will lead and facilitate these key events. The format is an “Open Mike”, with participants able to ask questions about various topics. Please sign up on our website to join Mike each month for an informative session.
Our Client Survey was emailed on May 31. The survey has two parts. The first part is a list of 5 modules with descriptions and Power Points for you to review and let us know your status with each. The second part is a “Satisfaction Level” that provides a format for your feedback. If you have not had time to complete it yet, please click this link, complete, and submit.
We really appreciate your time to complete both parts and return to us. As business partners, we challenge each other to be the best. This will keep us on that track! Thanks!
A second Client Survey will be emailed in a few months. It will focus on an additional set of 5 modules for your review and also ask you to evaluate our performance. Stay tuned for that!
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