Full Sail Partners Blog | Deltek Vantagepoint (14)

If you haven’t heard yet, Deltek has reimagined Vision to create a more powerful and user focused ERP system specifically for professional services firms. Deltek Vantagepoint’s 360-degree view of a firm’s projects offers improved productivity, increased profitability and significantly improved strategic business decision making capabilities. Vantagepoint is an incredible upgrade from Vision and is continuing to grow with each new version. The latest release of Vantagepoint has even more enhancements which will allow firms to deliver even better projects. Let’s take a look at what’s new with Deltek Vantagepoint.

New Proposal Builder

With the new Vantagepoint proposal builder, business development teams can quickly put together impressive proposals to stay ahead of the competition. This new visual proposal builder provides a drag and drop option for images, allows project descriptions to be taken directly from project records and offers the ability to easily create resumes. Within the new proposal builder, there are also reusable templates, boilerplates and master elements to ensure your branding is correct. Having the ability to quickly create uniformed proposals allows business development teams to focus on the other activities required to create new business opportunities. 

Combined Opportunities and Projects

Project information is now consolidated into one hub making it easier to create, manage and deliver projects. By combining opportunities and projects, all project details can be monitored in one place. Having one location for project information prevents duplicate records, simplifies project administration and provides complete visibility into projects.

Streamlined Billing and Invoicing

Enhancements have been made to the billing and invoicing processes with the latest Vantagepoint release saving time for accounting teams. Deltek realized that having billing and invoicing in one place will greatly improve the user experience. With Vantagepoint, users can view project details that include billing information in the new Projects hub. As part of this enhanced capability, draft invoices can be reviewed and approved by project managers directly from their projects. Therefore, the overall time from draft to final invoice is cut short with this interactive billing process. Accounting teams and financial managers can analyze financial information and email final invoices more efficiently and improve cash flow.

Improved Dashboards

Without being able to visualize your data in several formats, it is difficult to make fast and actionable decisions. With Vantagepoint, dashboards have been enhanced to provide improved business intelligence and offer more actionable insight. Now there are new chart dashparts and better ways to sort, group and filter data. Multiple dashboards for users can be created and configured to meet specific user needs allowing for even more effective business management.

Get Ready to Upgrade to Deltek Vantagepoint

With all these features offered by the newest release of Deltek Vantagepoint, professional services firms can run their projects even more effectively. Deltek strives to power project success and will continue to seek out more improvements to help project-based firms run at their best. Are you ready to upgrade to Deltek Vantagepoint today? Check the official Deltek Vantagepoint Readiness Portal to learn more about the requirements and when you should start considering upgrading to Vantagepoint.

If you’re a Deltek user, you know how robust the products are. As such, it can be a daunting task to learn how to use all the capabilities that Deltek products offer. Well, it doesn’t have to be as overwhelming as you would think. The Deltek Learning Zone (DLZ) can help Deltek users get the most out of their Deltek product.

What is the Deltek Learning Zone?

The DLZ is a one-stop-shop that provides Deltek users with opportunities to learn from experts about Deltek products. More specifically, the DLZ contains numerous flexible educational options that allow you to learn at your own pace and in your own learning style. There are virtual live classes, self-paced learning classes, support videos, workflow and process infographics, as well as quick reference guides. Even more, Deltek has added a new hands-on training lab that allows Deltek users to practice in a test database.

What Are the Benefits of the Deltek Learning Zone?

There are a variety of benefits to using the DLZ:

• Offers a user-friendly interface that allows users to minimize clicks to launch an online learning platform which is in a secure environment and tracks your progress automatically.
• Provides an extensive content library that offers users a comprehensive collection of current content created by the people who design and build Deltek products.
• Allows Deltek users 24/7 access to learn in their preferred style at their convenience using online training techniques.
• Earns Deltek solution certifications proving you have mastered a Deltek product.

Maximize Your Deltek Investment

Start maximizing your firm’s investment in Deltek products with the DLZ. Using the DLZ, you too can become a Deltek expert and increase your ability to more effectively use Deltek products. Additionally, as new Deltek products are brought to bear like Vantagepoint, resources will be made available in the DLZ so there is no hiatus in learning. Let’s get learning!

In project-based firms, marketers play a huge role in business development. They are responsible for keeping company content up to date. Overall, their goal is to have information to promote the firm, its project managers and staff, and its projects. Tackling resumes and project information will ultimately lead to more work for the firm, so it is a necessity to get it done.

Painting a Picture of the Firm

What makes a firm stand out is its people. Every individual is unique and brings specialized experience to the firm. It is important for marketers to show off these skills to promote business development. Thus, marketers must ensure that everyone’s resume is up to date. The certifications, licenses and bios paint a picture of what clients will get if they choose to go with that firm for their projects.

The ideal time to update information is with newly hired people. Once HR has made an offer, marketing can then proceed with identifying the relevant information for content creation. Information should also be gathered on an on-going basis at an established frequency like work anniversaries. Better yet, this can all be done using an automated system.

Crafting the Story to Tell

Another significant way to develop business is through case studies. Potential clients want to know that their projects will be efficiently run and meet their expectations. Stories of smoothly run projects with ideal results are what they desire to see in the firm’s marketing materials.

Marketers need to have successful project details that can be presented to these potential clients. One option is to invite project managers to lunch and there they can fill out project information data. Project information can even be acquired by on-site visits where a marketer is walked through and given a visual of the project. Some firms, once a job is awarded, send someone from marketing to track the project through its duration.

Project information collection and updating can also be automated to ease the burden. Marketers can get project updates at certain milestones depending upon how their stories need to be told. Whatever means your project information is gathered, it is important for marketing to get the specifics showing potential clients why your firm is the one to go with for the next project.

Developing Your Data Collection and Maintenance Program

Now you see the need for marketers to tackle resumes and update project information in order to promote business development. The next question is how can I make all of this happen? Make sure to attend upcoming SMPS regional conferences to watch me, Lindsay Diven, CSPM, Senior Consultant at Full Sail Partners present on this topic.

In today’s world, data lives everywhere! Reducing duplicate data in the entry and maintenance process can be a time-consuming effort. The Blackbox Connector leverages the robust APIs available in Deltek Vantagepoint and Vision to automagically bring together data from your Deltek solutions and other best of breed 3^rd party solutions you use to help run your business. 

The Blackbox Connector vastly reduces manual, error prone, data import/exports between systems by directly speaking the language of each endpoint and making the translations between them instantly and accurately every time. As the Blackbox Connector keeps them in sync, changes made in one system just appear in the other. Let’s check out what types of Blackbox Connectors are available.

Concur Blackbox Connector

It begins with the realization that there must be a better way to manage business expense. Give your employees their own personal assistant by combining the power of Deltek Vantagepoint or Vision and Concur. Improve efficiency for employees, allowing them to focus on core business goals.

Concur reduces mistakes and fraud with built-in controls and duplication verification. Your business can lower costs by implementing company-wide policies to control expenses enabling accounting staff to better manage expense processing, from approval to payment posting. Enjoy shortened payment cycles along with improved payables and consultant accruals with invoice. Learn more about Concur here!

Constant Contact and Mailchimp Blackbox Connector

With the Constant Contact and Mailchimp Blackbox Connector for Vantagepoint or Vision, your business can utilize emails like never before. Both solutions have many different features that make things simple while still being effective. Both reduce duplication of entry while maintaining consistent and accurate marketing data.

With either, you can leverage email results to further segment and target contacts and leads. You can track performance of email campaigns and receive insight on the latest email statistics. These connectors will save you hundreds of hours each year by consolidating disparate systems. Get the facts about email marketing and why your firm should be using Constant Contact or MailChimp. 

Client Feedback Tool Blackbox Connector

Reliable feedback is essential to understanding your client’s goals. Integrating the Client Feedback Tool with Vantagepoint or Vision ensures you can gather client feedback throughout the entire lifecycle of a project. Firms can fine-tune their performance to achieve maximum benefit for their clients and ultimate satisfaction. Find out how client satisfaction can be improved!  

Informer Blackbox Connector

The most recently introduced Blackbox Connector brings business intelligence and Deltek data together. Instead of wasting time on reviewing black and white spreadsheets of data, you can now visualize it with this connector. With customized dashboards, all members of your firm will have access to graphics available in real time so you can keep your finger on the pulse of your business. Learn how a good business intelligence solution can improve your firm's performance! 

HubSpot Blackbox Connector

The next Blackbox Connector in the works is HubSpot. With Hubspot, you can track performance of inbound marketing campaigns directly in Deltek Vantagepoint or Vision. With the ability to link your HubSpot inbound marketing tool with your Vantagepoint or Vision, you can maintain consistent and accurate marketing data and reduce duplicate entry.

With the HubSpot Blackbox Connector, you will be able to create a real-time information hub in Deltek CRM with the latest customer behaviors and activities. Share marketing awareness insight on your inbound marketing efforts to your entire organization. This connector will be available in fourth quarter 2019.

Bringing it all Together

Professional services firms have faced many data challenges, but the innovative solutions developed to bring data together with Vantagepoint or Vision from Concur, Constant Contact/Mailchimp, Client Feedback Tool, Informer, and HubSpot can make a huge difference. You can automagically synchronize your data between systems without human interaction or transcription errors. You can read, write and transform data to your specifications to a variety of end-points. The Blackbox Connector is the future for connectivity for Deltek Vantagepoint and Vision users.

With the new Deltek Vantagepoint, Vision is re-imagined. Not only has the look and feel been improved, but there are many new enhancements that all users will love. This new browser-based solution helps your firm deliver more successful projects and grow your business. It’s built around the project—from finding, pursuing, winning, and delivering them. 

In the last quarter of 2018, Full Sail Partners’ consultants participated in early adopter testing of the Vantagepoint 2.0 solution. To say we are impressed with the new features and streamlined design and framework is an understatement.

In this article, three of our consultants share what sets Vantagepoint apart from Vision and why you should be excited. We will go into detail from Employee Scorecards and Project Plans to Multiple Dashboards and Milestone Dashparts.

While change can be scary, we assure that you will fall in love with the Vantagepoint enhancements we have seen so far, just like we did. 

Intuitive Business Development

Lindsay Diven, CPSM is a Senior Consultant for Full Sail Partners. Below are just a few of my new favorite features of Vantagepoint.

• All Companies in One Place – The previous Clients and Vendors has been combined to form a new hub called Companies.
• All People in One Place – The previous Leads and Contacts info center has been combined to form a new hub called People.
• Easily See All Associations for People and Companies – With streamlined hubs, you can easily see all the projects a company is associated with – either as a subconsultant or a prime.
• Easier Searching – You can easily build searches on the fly. You can add a field quickly and instantly preview results.
• Milestones Dashpart – A place to track and display all your CRM and proposal deadlines.
• Visual Dashboards by Function – You can easily toggle between Business Development, Project Management and Executive/Owner level dashboards.
• New Drag and Drop Proposal Builder – Long gone are the days of coding and testing merge templates! You can now see what your proposal looks like as you are building it.

Efficient Project and Resource Management

Below Principal Consultant, Matt McCauley, shares some of his favorite new aspects of Vantagepoint for creating and managing projects as well as managing resources.

• Create a Project and Plan Simultaneously – When you create a new Project Record, a Project Plan is automatically created.
• Add Multiple Resources to a Project at One Time – Quickly add multiple resources to a project with a few clicks.
• View Resource Management by Employee or by Project – Gain greater visibility into resource utilization.

Streamlined Accounting Functions

We sat down with Scott Gailhouse, Principal Consultant, to ask what his favorite new features of Vantagepoint are. He listed the following:

• All Reports in One Place – Get the information you need to make actionable decisions easily and quickly.
• Best of Both Worlds: Batch or Single Entry – Save time with easy functionality that allows for processing multiple transactions with a click of a button.
• Expanded Approval Center – New Approval center includes absence requests, expense lines, expense reports, timesheets and timesheet lines. You can also view the progress of the approval workflow.
• Update Fees in Interactive Billing – Update project fees while processing invoices.
• Employee Cards and Timesheet Calendar – New Outlook integration that allows for timesheets to be updated from a user’s Outlook calendar.

Learn More about Deltek Vantagepoint

To learn more about these new features and see examples, make sure to watch our webinar Things We Love About Deltek Vantagepoint So Far. This is the first in a series of webinars on how to prepare for Vantagepoint.

Business analytics has become increasingly important for professional services firms. However, finding a business intelligence (BI) tool that works with Deltek Vision and gives us the analytics we want has been challenging. We need flexibility, customization and ease of use to answer important questions about our firms yet often we find that this type of analysis is not accessible in Vision. Thus, we are faced with the export/import/number crunch process in an external tool like Excel plus countless hours spent doing the calculations over and over. We need a better solution, instant access, and easy updates.

Enter Informer 5

Introducing Informer 5, the BI tool which works with Deltek Vision to make instant analytics readily available. Informer 5 is an integrated customizable interface to Vision data for use in various analytical scenarios. Using the Blackbox Connector, direct integration with Vision is now a reality.

You simply select the data fields you want in your database including standard Vision fields, User Defined Fields, and User Defined Info Centers, and you’ll quickly be able to visually see project metrics, employee measurements, marketing results, and firm forecasting. You’ll be able to answer questions such as:

• How are my projects performing?
• How is that new branch office doing?
• Are my employees billing enough hours?
• How is the firm doing compared to the last three years?

Also, remember those spreadsheets with all that data we built over the past years? Informer 5 can integrate this data with your Vision data. No need to reinvent the wheel, we can use it as a data source. Other data sources? Informer 5 can access those too.

Visualize Your Data with Informer 5

Are you interested in where your work is being done and where the profits are made? Well, Informer 5 also includes geographical presentations including maps. You can easily visualize and determine these specifics with Informer 5. You can even find the numbers behind the pictures. Informer 5 has built in drill down capabilities that can take you directly to the detail data. From Profit Center to Project Manager, Project Manager to Project, and all the way down to line item detail, data can be acquired with Informer 5, and all of this can be gathered from the same graph with no need to run additional reports.

Make Smarter Decisions with Informer 5

On a final note, the Informer 5 package includes set calculations for many of our industry standard metrics. Additional calculations can be added to customize this solution for any firm. Also, firm data can be updated regularly on schedule or updated on demand from Vision. It is up to you. So, with all of these awesome features of Informer 5 and its integration with Vision, isn’t it time for your firm to start making smarter decisions?