Our values at Anthony Thomas have been developed based on years of experience.
Through our successes, we have developed values that we know work. We have also
learned the values that do not work, and can cause negative effects to a project.
We have worked hard to build our business around the following core values:
- Long-term relationship:
We look for clients that want to establish a long-term relationship with a trusted consulting company. We understand that the better we succeed on a project, the better your business will succeed, and the chances of continuing business together increases. We like to put ourselves in your shoes during an implementation. We have a much better chance of success the more connected and committed we are to your business.
Even though the majority of a consulting company’s revenue is generated from billable hours, we do not put as much pressure on making weekly billable quotas. Instead, we focus on building a lasting relationship that builds trusts between our companies. It is not uncommon for our clients to ask us to evaluate and even learn a new piece of software that they want to implement. We work extremely hard to meet or exceed our budgets and to ensure no surprises pop-up during an implementation.
- Proper Planning:
Improper Planning is the #1 reason an ERP/CRM implementation will fail. What makes matters worse, is that the failure does not happen until later on in the implementation process. Without adequate planning, it is not a matter of if, instead it is a matter of when will the implementation fail. This is the reason we made Proper Planning one of our core values at Anthony Thomas Consulting.
Planning can seem very mundane and, at times, inefficient during a project. It can seem easier and more cost effective to charge right into an implementation without properly discussing and planning every aspect of the project. We take a different approach to project planning. We feel this is where the most creativity can be displayed. We enter a planning phase with the attitude that nothing is off-limits. We want our clients to think outside the box, and dream big! With so many ERP/CRM solutions being developed on dynamics platforms, the possibilities are endless.
During the last phase of project planning, we decide on priorities. Even though we can customize and develop a solution for any situation, we do have to take the ROI into account. Even though that $50K customized window would be amazing and add value, couldn’t a simple business process change achieve the same result?
- Project Management:
Just as improper planning can cause a project to fail, inadequate or a complete absence of project management will doom any project as well. Project Management can be the most overlooked function of a project, but we make it one of our core values because we feel so strongly about it. With years of experience, we have each gone through projects without project management. After you have implemented a system without a Project Manager (PM), you never want to experience it again.
A good PM streamlines the communication between team members. They provide weekly progress reports and budget analysis to ensure the project stays on task. They also allow the consultants to focus on their assignments and allow the PM to maintain the communication with the client. We provide a PM for every project we take on, regardless of size.
- Train the Trainer:
Training is an extremely important part of any implementation. No matter how well-thought out and executed, an implementation cause fail if the end users are not properly trained. We feel training is such an instrumental part of our values, that we included our training approach as one of our core values.
We always strive to be as efficient as possible. The more efficient we are, the better the implementation process will be and the more money you will save. Through trial and error, we have found the most efficient approach to training employees on a new system is to “train the trainer”. We like to provide more detail, in-depth, and personal training to the power users of your system. These are the employees that adapt to change the best, can think outside the box, and are able to effectively communicate to their peers.
After we provide this detailed training to the power users, they become the trainers for the rest of the end users. The fastest way to master a subject is to teach it. Your power users become even more knowledgeable of the new system by becoming the trainers. Additionally, the other end users are more accepting of the change since the training comes from one of their own, one that they can trust.
- Passing on Knowledge:
This is an extension of our training core value, but it is important enough to stand on its own. We value the power of knowledge very highly.
Technology is constantly changing and constantly improving. It’s very easy to quickly fall behind the curve if you become too complacent with your systems. We actively learn new software and test new product versions thoroughly before discussing them with you. As we research new products and feature upgrades, we always have our clients in mind. We try to analyze the software from our clients’ perspective and if any improvements to the current processes could be made.
