Air Van, a transportation and storage company, has been storing records for companies of all sizes in the Boise, Idaho area for many years. With over 200,000 square feet of warehouse storage space and having customers of varying sizes and industries, the team is constantly managing multiple databases and navigating different record-keeping requirements to keep up with each customer’s unique requests. These demands, along with a strong recommendation from their largest client, are what led Vu Doan, Vice President at Air Van, and his team to implement Versatile Professional™, Zasio’s industry-leading records management solution for small to mid-size companies.

Today, Air Van not only has all of their records stored and organized in one solution, but they also have customized databases set up which mirror those of their clients, as well as the ability to scan and track records right from their mobile Android devices.

Why Versatile Professional?

When it came time to choose and implement a solution, there wasn’t a question of which vendor or software platform to choose. Air Van’s biggest client was using Versatile Enterprise, Zasio’s enterprise-level records management solution, yet paying Air Van to oversee their records storage. Once they decided to turn all records management tasks over to Air Van, it made sense for both parties to use Versatile software to facilitate an easy transition. “Zasio allowed us to sync our big customer database with their database so we had a mirror image of the two databases, daily,” said Vu. “That was the thing that impressed us, and was a big reason for our decision. Our customer wanted to track what we have, and we also wanted to track what we have, and Versatile Professional could do all of that.”.

Favorite Features and Benefits

A Truly Customizable Solution

For Air Van, a customizable software solution is a necessity to keep up with the ever-changing records requirements in place for all of the different companies for which they manage records. “We have a lot of different customers, and each customer has different requirements and multiple databases. Zasio has no problem modifying our databases, or modifying the system to allow us to track what we need for each different customer,” said Vu.

Versatile Mobile Package™

Versatile Professional has become such an ingrained, easy part of the Air Van team’s daily processes they hardly notice it anymore, but they do rest assured knowing Zasio will always have new options and solutions available to keep their technology new and fresh.

Their most recent upgrade was adding the Versatile Mobile Package add-on, which allows them to do all of their scanning from a mobile device of their choice via Zasio’s mobile app, Versatile Records On-The-Go™. “We’re using Android scanners now and it’s made our whole process so much smoother,” said Vu. “It’s a lot easier to set up, it’s a lot easier to scan, and our other users have had no problem picking it up because it’s very easy to train people on. It’s nice to know you all are always changing and updating your software so it reflects the latest technology solutions,” he said.

The Customer Support 

Air Van appreciates Versatile Professional’s features and available add-ons, but they noted the main thing that makes Versatile Professional stand out is the customer support that comes with it. “We’re often managing three different databases for different customers and no matter the project or request, the Support team is like, ’let’s work through it’ or ‘let’s make it happen!’” says Vu. “It’s amazing how flexible and accommodating you guys are.” He continued to share that during a recent Records On-The-Go update, the Zasio support team took it upon themselves to update an internal, handwritten manual, specific to one Air Van employee’s unique daily process, so he could do his job more easily. “It’s the out-of-the-box stuff you guys do, going above and beyond to meet our needs, that makes our lives so much easier,” said Vu.

Results

Since the initial implementation in 2004, Versatile Professional has provided Air Van with a versatile, customizable solution that continues to morph with them as their records management storage and database requirements update and change. “There is just a realm of different options we’ve found with Versatile Professional,” says Vu. “In the beginning, we were using it to track files do other warehousing things but today we use it for cycle count situations, verifying inventory in the Space Management feature, doing vacancy reports…the list goes on.”

As a moving and transportation company, change may come slow sometimes but the Air Van team is grateful to have easy access to the latest technology through Zasio’s solutions, along with the Zasio support team there to hold their hands and guide them through new updates and processes. “I think it’s one of the easiest solutions we’ve ever had,” said Vu.

To learn more about Versatile Professional call 1-800-513-1000 opt. 1 or email sales@zasio.com.

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The phrase, “There’s an app for that,” trademarked by Apple in 2010, suggests that we live in a time when we can use technology to do almost anything. It seems like there’s a software solution for everything. These useful tools seem limited only by the imagination of the developer. Currently, consumers have access to software that can meet any need you can think of, whether big or small. There’s software on the market that can manage daily operations of billion-dollar companies while others can track how many steps a person walks in a day. But even with the almost limitless choices of software applications available, there still might be times when you wish an application had more or different features. Consumers want software they invest in to be specific to their personal or business needs. Luckily, there are multiple solutions to this problem, for example, you can:

• Find a different application
• Develop a new application
• Customize the application you already use (if it’s an option)

Despite these solutions, some of them aren’t always feasible. Most organizations don’t have the in-house expertise to develop their own custom software solutions. Instead, they rely on commercial, off-the-shelf (COTS) software solutions. Depending on business needs, a COTS software solution may have all features and functions a business wants and needs. They might even have capabilities the company doesn’t need. However, even businesses in related markets don’t manage their daily operations exactly the same way. This makes it virtually impossible for software developers to create an application to meet each organization’s unique requirements. Instead of trying to account for every scenario, developers might code the application to provide the most common features and functions but allows users to customize it for their specific needs. This is a solution that works for most businesses. But how do you know which product to go with to get started? We have some suggestions.

When you evaluate similar software products, find out if you can customize the product to meet your needs. The option to purchase a software solution “out-of-the-box” that meets most of your needs and offers the option to customize is a great benefit. There are also other factors you should consider before you make a purchase. The following is a quick list of things to think about as you look for a customized third-party software application.

Upgrades

Software companies regularly update their products to fix bugs, add new features, and maintain compatibility with current operating systems. It’s important to understand the effects a software upgrade will have on the customizations you currently have in place. Some questions you might ask:

• Will an application upgrade “break” or overwrite these customizations, or will it preserve them?
• If you must reapply customizations, can you determine what you customized vs. what was standard in the application?
• Will the new version still support the same customization options as the current version?

Be sure you know the answer to these questions before you install an update. You don’t want to lose everything you built up to this point.

Support

Technical support is often a required service for the primary software solutions an organization uses. Before you implement a COTS software solution and add business-specific customizations, make sure first to find out if the technical support package supports end-user customizations. This kind of support may seem like a given, especially if customizations are one of the selling points of the software, but this may not always be the case. It may be that support is only included for standard application features, and you’re on your own if you customize it.

Customization Options

When you look at customization options, think about the following:

• Who can customize the application?
• Does the software solution allow the end-user to customize it?
• Does it require assistance from your IT department or the software vendor?

Any of these options may be acceptable, but it’s important to understand upfront who needs to be involved and to what extent.

Extent of Customization

While the option to customize a third-party software solution may be a useful feature to have, it should really supplement or fine-tune what comes standard in the application. Ask yourself how much will you need to customize the software to meet all your business requirements. If you end up with too many customized features and functions, the software might not run as smoothly as it should. If you find that’s the case, you may want to consider a different solution that meets more of your needs out-of-the-box.

Zasio’s records management and Information Governance software solutions support many different application and database customizations. You can implement many of these customizations yourself. If you ever do need help, your organization’s IT staff and/or Zasio software support specialists can assist you. Visit our website at www.zasio.com or call us at 800.513.1000, option 2 to find out how our software solutions can meet your records management and Information Governance needs—with or without customizations.

Disclaimer: The purpose of this post is to provide general education on Information Governance topics. The statements are informational only and do not constitute legal advice. If you have specific questions regarding the application of the law to your business activities, you should seek the advice of your legal counsel.

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